A communal pot of gruel, just don't ask for any more.Hang on, wasn’t there another thread where the answer was communal pallet fires for cooking advocated by some as a “common sense solution”
Energy Prices (Strictly NO referrals!)
- Thread starter DXP55
- Start date
I just don't see why people think they shouldn't pay more for the things they want. You tend not to get things for free in life. Companies are fully within their rights to maximise profits. They're not a charity. Keeping warm in the winter certainly does not require heating to be on for long at all, maybe just enough to keep the chill off, assuming you find the UK cold to begin with. Layered clothing and blankets is a solution. Of course, someone wanting free or cheap gas wouldn't be happy with that solution, just like they're not happy about not owning a Ferrari.
Soldato
Don't forget to use the communal spoon to eat.
Soldato
You make a fair point in normal times and certain industries re profit, but it does not seem right at all when people are paying bills that are materially going straight into record profits for utilities.
All this on a backdrop of the government making everything else worse for those in that unenviable position.
Of course there are practical ways of reducing consumption and that must be a good thing for everyone to learn for all sorts of reasons. The assumption that those struggling are all greedy takers though doesn’t sit right with the aforementioned profits, how on earth is that rational?
**** Cheese
Soldato
One family that receives ludicrously large benefits from the government
I believe their family name is Windsor
I believe their family name is Windsor
Where did I say second full time job? A second job though, sure.
It largely depends on the weather this winter tbh. I'm paying half the cheapest fix rate that was available at the beginning of the year.
If we get a brutal, long, cold winter..... the fix would have been the right option. If we get a mild one and the heating doesn't come on regularly until december/January......
But that's based on the cheap £220ish fixes I was offered. Now the best ovo are offering is 400+.
I'd rather spend the money during the summer on insulating the house better, than give energy companies a free loan.
Because they aren't getting paid sufficiently more for the work they do to pay for those things in the first place. Regardless, heating and energy isn't a luxury, and "keeping the chill off" is not the same as keeping warm. Maximising profit at a time when people are already struggling is unethical and immoral, as are those who side with it.
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Aside from stuff with like zero hours/irregular hours increasingly businesses make it very hard for people to do a second job between flexibility requirements, hours and contract conditions - especially many of the roles people do on low wages. Sure some people might be able to top it up with irregular side-gigs, etc. but it isn't like the days where most would work a regular 9-5 Mon-Fri and could fit a second job in the evenings or weekends.
For example retail where a lot of low paid people will be employed now are often open 7 days a week, sometimes 24x7 or extended hours, shift rotas will vary as per "needs of the business" week on week with rarely more than a week notice.
That said we should not be advocating a society where people have to work a second job just to make ends meet (or even just to have a reasonable standard of living) and anyone who thinks that is a good thing are utterly contemptible.
Soldato
Anyone working 40 hours a week should be paid enough to feed, clothe and house themselves
unless you get a second full time job, in which case you should be rewarded with lukewarm gruel.
Has anyone had experience switching from an economy 7 radio teleswitch (RTS) meter setup to a smart meter?
My dad has recently moved into a flat without gas and an E7 RTS setup with storage heaters.
Apparently the signal for RTS meters will be switched off next year, requiring a meter replacement, otherwise the meter will end up stuck on one rate (probably the higher one). The signal tells the meter when to switch between rates, but also has a relay to a separate distribution board which powers up the storage heaters during the low rate.
All the energy company FAQs say replacing E7 meters with SMETS2 is fine, however it’s not clear if they will have the functionality to turn the heaters on during the low rate? Be a pain to add timers as they are all hardwired (the heaters themselves have no timer function, late 80s vintage).
My dad has recently moved into a flat without gas and an E7 RTS setup with storage heaters.
Apparently the signal for RTS meters will be switched off next year, requiring a meter replacement, otherwise the meter will end up stuck on one rate (probably the higher one). The signal tells the meter when to switch between rates, but also has a relay to a separate distribution board which powers up the storage heaters during the low rate.
All the energy company FAQs say replacing E7 meters with SMETS2 is fine, however it’s not clear if they will have the functionality to turn the heaters on during the low rate? Be a pain to add timers as they are all hardwired (the heaters themselves have no timer function, late 80s vintage).
Soldato
The poorest will not get 20 a week extra when their bills have shot up by about 50 a week 
£490 Prada suede loafers to a building site
Wags can spend more than a million to go court over foolishness
Something just is not right
£490 Prada suede loafers to a building site
Wags can spend more than a million to go court over foolishness
Something just is not right
Associate
Are there? The usual pattern is they flood after they're closed, the air goes foul and the roof gets dangerous. That's why pits had regular inspections; once you stop those and the constant maintenance it's not easy or quick to get them restarted.
Soldato
- Joined
- 23 May 2006
- Posts
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well not directly related but today I started Going through bills and seeing what I can curtail. Sky HD is gone saving £8 per month. am already on the base sky package (my wife would kill me if she lost access to all her cooking shows) but a quick call tovsky threatening to leave cut my base package to £21 per month. over all down from £40. that £19 will pay for a few days a month electricity. will look at mobile and broadband over the weekend.
it's fine at the moment as am on a good fixed and generating power but better to get ducks in a row now before things go south.
Netflix and Spotify for the chop at end of Jan (I get 100% cashback on those but that offer runs out then so I will no longer get it after)
I can't cut my car fuel bill unfortunately any more than I do, I already only do 7k miles per year, wife does similar and I only go into office 2 days a week. I have wall insulation , good loft insulation so not much to do there without. major expense and according to my nest monitor I am in the bottom 25% of gas users in the area at worse and currently using next to no gas other than a bit of hot water which is on demand.
in winter the thermostat was set to 20 degrees when we are in and 16 degrees when out and over night. but that will be cut to 18 degrees this year (the wife will complain, any less she will just ignore me and over ride it)
and we have 3 hot water bottles and hoodie blankets for in front of the telly.
ps top tip hot water bottles are great in hot weather esp going to bed. put then in the fridge for a few hrs and have a cold water bottle.
it amazes me to think just 6 months ago I was thinking of getting a hot tub!
it's fine at the moment as am on a good fixed and generating power but better to get ducks in a row now before things go south.
Netflix and Spotify for the chop at end of Jan (I get 100% cashback on those but that offer runs out then so I will no longer get it after)
I can't cut my car fuel bill unfortunately any more than I do, I already only do 7k miles per year, wife does similar and I only go into office 2 days a week. I have wall insulation , good loft insulation so not much to do there without. major expense and according to my nest monitor I am in the bottom 25% of gas users in the area at worse and currently using next to no gas other than a bit of hot water which is on demand.
in winter the thermostat was set to 20 degrees when we are in and 16 degrees when out and over night. but that will be cut to 18 degrees this year (the wife will complain, any less she will just ignore me and over ride it)
and we have 3 hot water bottles and hoodie blankets for in front of the telly.
ps top tip hot water bottles are great in hot weather esp going to bed. put then in the fridge for a few hrs and have a cold water bottle.
it amazes me to think just 6 months ago I was thinking of getting a hot tub!
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Soldato
Im on SMETS1 with and E7 tarrif as im all electric in my house. It'll be fine as long as the Smart appointment is booked as an E7, the meter will just be configured to an SSC of 0151 or 0244 typically depending on the area and it alters which rate its recording on of its own accord. 0151 has an offpeak from 12:00am to 7am and 0244 is 12:30am to 7:30am if my memory serves me correctly.
I would imagine given the age of the setup it will already have its own seperate time switch anyway. Mine goes with an audiable click at night and in the morning when it turns on and off
Soldato
Ive done this myself for several years now. Everything I can cut has been cut, everything I can switch has been switched, and every cashback incentive I can get has been got.
Virgin media TV and broadband package - £33 month with free mobile sim card 5Gb a month (so my mobile costs zero as I own the handset).
Don't pay for any subscription services having cancelled Prime a couple of months ago.
Contact lens scheme (essential) £33 a month.
Car tax £30 per month
Car insurance £30 per month
Home contents insurance £7 per month
Life insurance policy £6 per month
Council tax £107 per month
Water £12 a month
There is no way to reduce any of these bills. Possibly a tenner could be saved on the broadband but then I'd need a mobile sim as well because I'd lose that benefit, so Id be barely saving anything.
Everything else left is rent, child maintenance, energy, fuel, food, and then discretionary spending.