Energy Prices (Strictly NO referrals!)

[Zenduri]

Everyone should be. The same way poll tax was stopped when 17 million people told them to **** off. So many people that there is nothing they can do about it.

I'll quote myself again for the 3rd time in this thread

People are really overthinking the success of this scheme. The Poll Tax rebellion worked because the people refusing to pay were refusing to pay 1 body, the government, and it hit the Gov directly.

Dont pay UK etc want 1 million people to withhold payment on Oct 1st but realistically if those 1 million were evenly spread out over the top 5 suppliers its only 200k each, which while horrific for any companies books to have that many people refusing to pay, its less impactful than 1million people per company. The Government is insulated from the non payment scheme too as it doesn't directly effect them, it hits private companies and even then it's aimed at the wrong private companies. The issue is the likes of Shell/BP not overcharging while the likes of EDF, British Gas still have to buy the energy at whatever the market dictates so the real villains here wont be touched.

Energy companies (EDF/ British gas etc) would complain to the government, the Government will say they have put measures in place, £400 here, £600 for those on benefits etc etc and nothing would change. The worst that could probably happen is if a large chunk of people that dont pay are with a smaller supplier, it could drive that supplier out of business and then its the SOLR issue all over again or a BULB mk2 where the government is having then to spend money it doesn't want to spend to prop a company up.

 

[the shadow]

I did the math on this about a week ago out fo curiosity and if the gas price tips over 17.68p per kwh it is cheaper to buy a 10 pack of camping gas for £10 and cook on a camping stove (not factoring in camping stove cost)

No doubt the camping gas will go up also

 

[Haggisman]

Who do you mean specifically that is still in a relevant post and was there a reasonable chance of the current situation being predicted with a high degree of probability to base policy on?

Why do they still need to be in a relevant post? That's the problem with "strategic" decisions - 10-20 years down the line when they come back to bite you, the guy who made the decision has already gotten rich from it and retired. The current situation was predictable in so much as being reliant on unstable countries and private companies for energy instead of working towards energy independence was always going to come back and bite us at some point.

 

[Uther]

No doubt the camping gas will go up also

It's not too cheap now. It's usually about £10 for a pack of four canisters...

 

[n111ck]

Everyone should be. The same way poll tax was stopped when 17 million people told them to **** off. So many people that there is nothing they can do about it.

So you wont be paying?

Poll tax was just replaced with council tax wasnt it so different calculation but still a tax.

 

[n111ck]

Why do they still need to be in a relevant post? That's the problem with "strategic" decisions - 10-20 years down the line when they come back to bite you, the guy who made the decision has already gotten rich from it and retired. The current situation was predictable in so much as being reliant on unstable countries and private companies for energy instead of working towards energy independence was always going to come back and bite us at some point.

Are you suggesting criminal charges then?

 

[chrcoluk]

Energy bills forecast to hit over £4,200 a year

The average household could pay £355 a month, up from £164 currently, consultancy Cornwall Insight warns.

www.bbc.co.uk

Just keeps going higher and higher

Pretty much as I predicted last week, I felt the predictions initially that it would stabilise next year had no merit, until the market conditions change or energy is isolated from the open market, there is no reason to think it will stop rising in cost. As its an essential the demand is guaranteed.

 

[danlightbulb]

Are you suggesting criminal charges then?

We just need to stop incentivising incompetence don't we.

Current BOE chair example. Failure. Why still in post? Any of us here could do a better job of it. Question over whether the post is necessary at all.

 

[chrcoluk]

meanwhile in the sunlit uplands




Meanwhile

Ofgen need to explain why rec-calculating the cap on 3 months updates doesn't incur the same average rate as for the 6 month period from October,
since the energy estimates - weather / russia situation ... haven't changed
ie 6 month
£1971 until October
£3725 Oct -> March

now
£3225 Oct-dec (should be revised down since you are not anticipating jan+ wholesale rates now)
£4210 Jan -March

practically consumption goes up in the colder months so that's a double-punishment
energy has benn purchased already on the futures market anyway.

According to the BBC one reason for the latest jump is Ofcom are now allowing suppliers to recuperate their losses over a shorter period of time via a higher cap. Pretty much all the recent Ofgem policy changes are about keeping the suppliers happy, their mandate is to have as many suppliers in the market as possible, even the BBC admitted in one of their articles the consumer cap is not really a proper cap, as it has no affect on market rates.

 

[chrcoluk]

Octopus Gas tracker is certainly looking tempting with the current prediction, even at the 16p/kWh rate...

Currently on 7p at the cap, October predicted seems to be almost 15p and January 17p?

Yes it will put my current unit prices up, but it's the middle of summer and other than cooking/hot water/shower, consumption is pretty low (only had the meter fitted last month, but looks like ~300kWh/month)

Yeah if these figures get confirmed and if especially gas SC goes up, that new 16p tracker is probably a good deal. It will be confirmed in a couple of weeks. So not long.

 

[chrcoluk]

Noticed the message at the bottom.
This is new on my bill I'm sure. Wonder if it's due to the cancelling of the DDs?

Something I forgot to reply to you on, I noticed starting from about April, Octopus are now forcefully sending out direct debit reminders every month, there is no option to turn them off either, so kind of been forced into my face I am spending so much on them.

 

[the shadow]

Boris is fine n dandy he can visit Pepper Pig World and everything will be great he has steak and chips for his tea every night

 

[Nasher]

Something I forgot to reply to you on, I noticed starting from about April, Octopus are now forcefully sending out direct debit reminders every month, there is no option to turn them off either, so kind of been forced into my face I am spending so much on them.

Octopus kept bumping my payments up to make sure I'm always deep in credit. So that they basically get a free loan to invest for themselves. I found a slightly cheaper deal though so am moving.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

We just need to stop incentivising incompetence don't we.

Current BOE chair example. Failure. Why still in post? Any of us here could do a better job of it. Question over whether the post is necessary at all.

Oh stop it.

 

[Surveyor]

Octopus kept bumping my payments up to make sure I'm always deep in credit. So that they basically get a free loan to invest for themselves. I found a slightly cheaper deal though so am moving.

With things as they are where have you found a cheaper deal for the standing charge and price/kWh?

 

[Doobedoo]

Why does it not function like this… Use goods get bill at the end of the month, pay bill, use more goods and get next bill at the end of the month.
Why do they insist on building up credit with them. It seems like they are almost treating it like a prepayment meter.

 

[Nasher]

With things as they are where have you found a cheaper deal for the standing charge and price/kWh?

Utilities warehouse were offering a few pence cheaper for one or the other (can't remember which, but the other was the same). Costs nothing to switch so I did.

 

[danlightbulb]

Oh stop it.

Dont you think you could do a better job at policy that many people currently in charge? Having seen your postings here, I would say you would, so you should say so yourself too.

 

[chrcoluk]

Why does it not function like this… Use goods get bill at the end of the month, pay bill, use more goods and get next bill at the end of the month.
Why do they insist on building up credit with them. It seems like they are almost treating it like a prepayment meter.

What you described is how it used to be, but at some point in the past this concept of pre pay fixed DD came up, and masses of the population have jumped on it.

The problem is now, we have millions of people who dont understand the basic ways energy billing works, all they care about is their DD amount (regardless if its not enough or not), and apparently lots of these people cant budget either so they wouldnt get on with variable direct debits (what you described).

The energy companies for the reasons you said love this as they basically getting a 0% loan from these customers.

 

[Nasher]

Dont you think you could do a better job at policy that many people currently in charge? Having seen your postings here, I would say you would, so you should say so yourself too.

You need to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth to get these kind of jobs though. Doesn't matter how good/bad you are at it. Most CEOs/politicians etc are useless, but they grew up next to other silver spooners and slide in to these posts because they basically inherit the contacts required to get them there.

If they suck they step down after a few years and go and suck in another highly paid job.