Energy bill increases

[PaulSB]

I’m not far off that . However this a 5 bed house. Gas is about similar price . Put it this way my DD has doubled since last year . However strangely enough I’m in credit during winter ? Was clean slate when I started this new deal

We were moved from People's Energy to British Gas. Initially BG wanted £140/month and knew our annual consumption. I offered £100/month which BG reduced to £90 in December and currently I'm £36 in debit coming out of the winter.

I have to wonder where these companies get their figures from.

I checked changing tariff with BG and in June I'm expecting to be moved to £148/month, an extra £696pa.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Yep I’m currently showing £400 odd in credit for gas ? Which is weird , not convinced that is correct ? Leccy is also in credit , which could be right as it’s only £100 odd .

 

[oldwheels]

WOW. That's £750pa more than we pay for gas and electricity in a poorly insulated stone cottage.

Are you sure everything is working as it should?

We pay a higher rate for energy in rural Scotland since we produce enough green energy to export some but are so "remote" we can get ripped off. I will not veer off into politics.
The house has cavity wall insulation and double glazed windows so apart from external cladding not much else can be done.
I am situated on top of a hill with high wind exposure which does not help.
The Highlands and Islands have the greatest incidence of fuel poverty in the UK.

 

[MrGrumpy]

We pay a higher rate for energy in rural Scotland since we produce enough green energy to export some but are so "remote" we can get ripped off. I will not veer off into politics.
The house has cavity wall insulation and double glazed windows so apart from external cladding not much else can be done.
I am situated on top of a hill with high wind exposure which does not help.
The Highlands and Islands have the greatest incidence of fuel poverty in the UK.
View attachment 629711

Seen that on twitter . Quite a discussion. Doesn’t seem very fair does it.

 

[Alex321]

Yikes! I'd not be able to do that because one of my illness is limiting how cold I can have the house right now... and I'm not that bad, so have it set to 18 or similar during the day while I'm moving about. Some of the people really up against it are those with illnesses where they are at home a lot but also cannot let it get below 20 (which I think is what's shown on those "Warm and Well" leaflets from the GP surgery).

For an illustration of how farked the electricity retail market is, here's a look at the "Octopus Agile" tariff (which I'm not on, but I have an app that compares it to mine). It varies its retail price in 15-minute intervals based on the wholesale price. It's spending almost all the time pinned at its maximum and has rarely fallen below the new 28p/kWh price cap, except at night during the Xmas/NY holiday and all-day except 4-7pm on Bank Holiday Monday 3 January. Here's the last two months (the most I can see), with the red line and leftmost scale showing the agile price in p/kWh:
View attachment 629545

We are having solar panels installed on Thursday, though the battery won't come until March, but then was thinking of moving from British Gas to the Octopus Agile tariff because we should be exporting a lot more than we import, and that is about the best SEG rate.

 

[oldwheels]

Seen that on twitter . Quite a discussion. Doesn’t seem very fair does it.

Seen that on twitter . Quite a discussion. Doesn’t seem very fair does it.

Most of the renewables which make up quite large proportion of our consumption comes from the H & I area.
My current price for standard energy is 19.61p and heating control energy 15.93 all ex vat plus standing charges.

 

[PaulSB]

We pay a higher rate for energy in rural Scotland since we produce enough green energy to export some but are so "remote" we can get ripped off. I will not veer off into politics.
The house has cavity wall insulation and double glazed windows so apart from external cladding not much else can be done.
I am situated on top of a hill with high wind exposure which does not help.
The Highlands and Islands have the greatest incidence of fuel poverty in the UK.
View attachment 629711

Thank you, couple of interesting points there but like you I won't get in to the politics.

A great friend of mine has one of the first windfarms in Scotland. The hoops he jumped through and tales he told about overcoming obstacles are almost legendary.

 

[fossyant]

Just been out for some 'kingspan' equivalent from B&Q - hot tub now has a 50mm 'topper' of this to help retain the heat and keep costs down - should have done this ages ago. Managed to cut a big 1800mm diameter circle out of 2400x1200 sheet, with a 600mm seperate section - kept waste down to a minimum. I'll see how my Kwh come down during February !

 

[oldwheels]

Thank you, couple of interesting points there but like you I won't get in to the politics.

A great friend of mine has one of the first windfarms in Scotland. The hoops he jumped through and tales he told about overcoming obstacles are almost legendary.

My son has been involved in windfarms for some years now. He started on maintenance and recruitment and moved on to management but now works mostly overseas on windfarm construction in a variety of roles which I do not understand but his main role seems to be H & S.

 

[marzjennings]

We pay a higher rate for energy in rural Scotland since we produce enough green energy to export some but are so "remote" we can get ripped off. I will not veer off into politics.
The house has cavity wall insulation and double glazed windows so apart from external cladding not much else can be done.
I am situated on top of a hill with high wind exposure which does not help.
The Highlands and Islands have the greatest incidence of fuel poverty in the UK.
View attachment 629711

Those prices seem crazy from here where I am and paying 11c kWh which is high as I selected a renewal source company rather than paying 8c kWh for traditional electricity generation. I need to call me mum in Cornwall and see if she needs help with her bill each month.

 

[fossyant]

Those prices seem crazy from here where I am and paying 11c kWh which is high as I selected a renewal source company rather than paying 8c kWh for traditional electricity generation. I need to call me mum in Cornwall and see if she needs help with her bill each month.

17-18 pence a KWh for leccy here, so expecting a 50% rise shortly - that will be a good £100 a month, plus what ever gas will be, maybe another £20 (currrently £40 pm).

 

[marzjennings]

17-18 pence a KWh for leccy here, so expecting a 50% rise shortly - that will be a good £100 a month, plus what ever gas will be, maybe another £20 (currrently £40 pm).

That's nuts. I don't know how much mum pays for electricity, but I know she can't afford a £50 hike each month.

 

[fossyant]

That's nuts. I don't know how much mum pays for electricity, but I know she can't afford a £50 hike each month.

It's potentially a disaster for many folk.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Have been doing some research and indications from the likes of IEA (International Energy Agency) etc. Energy prices will continue to go up. The push for green energy coupled with Covid has seen a decline in investment in this sector and the prices reflect that. Hate to say it but it looks like it will cost an arm and leg for next 2 years or so. There are signs that Govts would have to step in with subsidies across the board to avoid civil unrest in some countries. Natural gas which is considered by many as clean energy has spiralled setting new records in prices and many countries switched to it to meet the carbon emissions quotas. It was considered a much cleaner transitionary fossil fuel before renewables take over for the final stretch.

 

[marzjennings]

Have been doing some research and indications from the likes of IEA (International Energy Agency) etc. Energy prices will continue to go up. The push for green energy coupled with Covid has seen a decline in investment in this sector and the prices reflect that. Hate to say it but it looks like it will cost an arm and leg for next 2 years or so. There are signs that Govts would have to step in with subsidies across the board to avoid civil unrest in some countries. Natural gas which is considered by many as clean energy has spiralled setting new records in prices and many countries switched to it to meet the carbon emissions quotas. It was considered a much cleaner transitionary fossil fuel before renewables take over for the final stretch.

It's a pity that the UK doesn't tap into the plentiful gas reserves they have on hand. It would help keep prices down, help move away from coal and oil burning, and remove dependence on foreign sources for gas. Almost a win win transition energy source.

Also the rate of geothermal drilling activity is pathetic. My mum watched them take years to drill a single well down in Cornwall and it'll be years before she benefits from it, even with her being less than a couple miles from the drill site.

Maybe I'll buy her a few 100kWh solar panels for her roof, which seem to be a lot cheaper to buy in the UK compared to USA.