Huge rise on Energy bills

I can remember hot water bottles, going to bed in thick tights and the ice on the inside of the bedroom windows as well. In winter we were all huddled around a coal fire. I used to do my homework sitting in bed with my coat on in an uheated bedrooml. I have no heating in the bedrooms and only heat the living room as it is. I have arthritis so cant allow the temperature to drop too much. But there are days when I have sat at the computer in a thick furry ponsho with tights underneath trousers.

Young people today walk around in shorts and thin strappy tops and need the house heared like the tropics.

Callistemon21

^And yet (bracing myself) is it time to respect energy more?^

Kali2 there was an older person on the news this evening who said she is worried about turning on her electric fire because of the cost.
However, I noticed that although she was wearing a long-sleeved top, she had no cardigan on. It was a thin one, the kind I'd wear come April if the weather is warmer, perhaps with a gilet.

Do you know what she was wearing under her jumper?

Gwyneth

I didn’t realise the £200 was a loan. If this is so can you refuse it? I only ask because if gas/electric costs are going to increase even further I wouldn’t want the cost of the loan on top of what I already pay...if that makes sense?

Apparently you can’t opt out of it. It’s a ridiculous idea.

M0nica

Being in the fortunate position of being able to pay the higher fuel bills without too much problem. I do not want the £200. I would rather it went to someone on a low income as a grant not a loan.

Why didn't the governmeny just raise the level of pension credit and increase Universal Credit and in work benefits to make sure the money available was targeted at those who needed it most?

Agreed Monica and why not stop giving the winter fuel allowance to all pensioners? The money should go to low income families and those on pension credit.

So £150 off Council tax and a loan to be recovered over 5 years.

Does this mean that our local authorities will receive £150 less per household in bands A-D? Will they then be forced to cut local services further and increase the council tax? If so, they will be blamed for mismanagement of their funds by the government!

IMO, this government will be playing the blame shifting game yet again! Meanwhile many of us will be on or below the breadline and unable to heat our homes.

CvD66

In France the leading energy provider, EDF, is state owned. The government has committed to selling electricity below market prices and are holding prices to consumers down at a cost to the public purse of 20bn€ (remember £12.1bn lost by UK government due to covid fraud and PPE waste!). In addition in France, 38m families have been given (not loaned as in UK) 100€ with a further 100€ to low income families. Contrary to what Gove and Johnson stated during the referendum, individual EU companies CAN introduce their own policies. So Spain has reduced VAT on home heating - a claim made by Johnson but not followed through! There are also Brussels endorsed policy options to keep consumer prices under control. But the UK of course has Brexit!

EDF provide energy in the U.K., they haven’t capped the price here as far as I know.

Jane43 yes, I would be happy to dispense with the winter fuel allowance as well.

The other thing I noted, reading the front pages of the newspapers on BBC online, the comment on the the headlines, discussing the fuel news is illustrated by a oicture of someone with their hand on a thermostat, which is set at 25 degrees!

Time and time again I read of people with thermostats set at well over 20 degrees and having the heating on 24/7. I know there are times when people are old frail and/or ill when this may be necessary, but I have gone through 50 years of house ownership with the thermostat set between 18-19 degrees, coming on for 4 hours in the morning and 6 hours in the evening and found that more than adequate. In winter we wear an extra layer.

For those on really low incomes, I doubt whether they are lavish with heating and they do need help, but many households could ameliorate some of the extra cost by just turning the thermostat down to under 20 degrees, having the heating on twice a day, more than sufficient in most half-decently insulated houses, shutting the curtains at night and putting on an extra layer.

Jane I don’t fully agree why do only people on pension credit get thought about There are many of us who have tried to be careful throughout our lives put a bit away for our old age and don’t qualify although we don’t have a very big annual income
It’s those that are just above pension credit that are going to suffer

I agree, the worry is that this government is out of touch with reality. He should have targeted the poorly off instead of a one size fits all. Wholly inadequate, no imagination and thoroughly out of step. Low income households have enough to worry about.

I also wonder what some people wear in their homes, as even on a cold day, you often see folk walking about in shorts, lightish coat or jacket unbuttoned, and bare legs and feet, often in flip flop type shoes. And not always young people, I’m amazed how many older women have bare legs in winter.

I hate wearing layers, I grew up in a cold house and would rather skimp on food I think than heating.

BlueBelle

Jane I don’t fully agree why do only people on pension credit get thought about There are many of us who have tried to be careful throughout our lives put a bit away for our old age and don’t qualify although we don’t have a very big annual income
It’s those that are just above pension credit that are going to suffer

I agree Bluebell. We are in similar circumstances. We only have the heating on for 3 hours a day, spread across the day. The chances are that DH’s Attendance Allowance will have to be used for heating.

All families on low incomes will suffer most from this.

Additionally, prices of everything will rise as retailers will put prices up to keep their heating and freezers on, thus putting even more strain on household budgets. This is price inflation, not helped by a rise in interest rates.

I agree with Varian that a Windfall Tax should be placed on the oil and gas companies. The fat cats are making billions whilst ordinary people are suffering.

The effect of yesterdays strategy will be downward pressure on the economy because people will have less and less disposable income to spend.

There will undoubtedly now be an economic slowdown with business suffering.

Sunak has also ended QE which will also have a deleterious effect on growth.

I think that the country is in for a very bumpy ride economically.

Calendargirl

I also wonder what some people wear in their homes, as even on a cold day, you often see folk walking about in shorts, lightish coat or jacket unbuttoned, and bare legs and feet, often in flip flop type shoes. And not always young people, I’m amazed how many older women have bare legs in winter.

Currently I’m wearing a vest, three woollen jumpers, thick tights, trousers, thermal socks and slippers with the thermostat set at 18 C, for 3 hours a day. Thermal curtains and blinds as well. Just because some live in a sauna doesn’t mean it applies to everyone!

Whitewavemark2

The effect of yesterdays strategy will be downward pressure on the economy because people will have less and less disposable income to spend.

There will undoubtedly now be an economic slowdown with business suffering.

Sunak has also ended QE which will also have a deleterious effect on growth.

I think that the country is in for a very bumpy ride economically.

Add Brexit to the list as well.

It is terrible. I don't know how people are going to cope.

Galaxy

I hate wearing layers, I grew up in a cold house and would rather skimp on food I think than heating.

I remember having to wearing a shellsuit over my pyjamas in bed! Utterly miserable (and no I didn't have a perm)

We may also see a rise in crime, civil unrest and a growing black market.

It looks as if there may be plans for road pricing as well.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60251046

I think there will be civil unrest. Quite a few of my UK settled friends and colleagues who come from Eastern Europe are surprised there hasn't been unrest already

Just for anyone who has wondered what a ‘free market’ economy means, this is a good example of allowing the market to decide.

Sadly I did have a perm . I also realise that I am very lucky to be able to heat the house as I wish.

ayse

Just for anyone who has wondered what a ‘free market’ economy means, this is a good example of allowing the market to decide.

Exactly!

Free-market, small-state economy.

A libertarian government that believes in "personal responsibility" which, roughly translated, means every-man-for-himself and the devil take the rest.

But people will continue to vote for it - even whilst they are being impoverished. The Tories have managed to convince the electorate that they are the 'natural' party of government and our antiquated electoral system ensures that they will continue to hold the reins of power.

Dickens it’s the ‘I’m alright Jack’ state, just like the Georgian, Victorian and Great Depression era. Yet still we blame the poorest for the iniquities of this society!

A government that is not a supporter of a small state free market economy.

The French government has frozen gas and electric price rises at 4% and given (not loaned) 100€ to less affluent households.

ayse

Dickens it’s the ‘I’m alright Jack’ state, just like the Georgian, Victorian and Great Depression era. Yet still we blame the poorest for the iniquities of this society!

I notice yesterday the language Sunak used which tells you that nothing has really changed.

Bearing in mind that most benefits are paid to working families who wages are so poor that they simply can’t manage and yet even with benefits still have to go to food banks.

Well dear old (too young) Sunak yesterday said.

I have made the decision to not only give the loan to families on benefits but also to hard working middle income families

By implication meaning that those on benefits are not hard working.

I really hoped that we had got beyond that.