Fuel bill shocker

[karia]

I know that we are all aware of the hike in domestic fuel costs but prepare yourselves for a shocker when the bills actually arrive.

My quarterly Gas Bill is three times its normal amount.

And the leccy's due next week!

[Rheghead]

I know that we are all aware of the hike in domestic fuel costs but prepare yourselves for a shocker when the bills actually arrive.

My quarterly Gas Bill is three times its normal amount.

And the leccy's due next week!

Things are not going to get better either, so long as demand increases on the dwindling fossil fuel reserves continues in the face of competition from China and India. The only way out is to support renewables and help bring down its costs by getting more ROCs on the market. The more renewable energy we can produce in Scotland the more immune we are to price hikes in your fuel bill. It may not be pretty but it is a fact.

[karia]

Assuming that the electricity rise is about the same...how are people on low incomes suddenly going to find the cash to deal with this?

Are we going to see a spate of disconnections and perhaps deaths in the case of the elderly should the cold weather return?

[dozy]

Rheghead
Explain the statement "the only way out is to support renewables and help bring down its costs by getting more ROCs on the market"

[Rheghead]

Rheghead
Explain the statement "the only way out is to support renewables and help bring down its costs by getting more ROCs on the market"

It is down to pure market forces, energy companies are obliged to buy ROCs iaw the RO and only renewable energy companies can produce them. Therefore the more renewable energy schemes there are, the more ROCs are on the market and the price and cost will fall to the consumer.

Also, if consumers display support for renewable energy systems then there will be more confidence and hence less costs in trying to get developments throught the planning stage. And as the renewable energy industry gets more in demand then they can automate thus reducing costs and savings will be passed onto the consumer. It just takes a leap of faith and attitude.

[Highland Laddie]

What about more nuclear power stations, nuclear power is now almost as cheap as any other source.

[j4bberw0ck]

It is down to pure market forces, energy companies are obliged to buy ROCs iaw the RO and only renewable energy companies can produce them. Therefore the more renewable energy schemes there are, the more ROCs are on the market and the price and cost will fall to the consumer.

Market forces are nothing at all, whatever, to do with ROCs, and everything to do with a political desire to artificially force the market to go down the renewables path. If market forces ruled, windpower and tidal power would quite rightly be nowhere, because they aren't efficient enough to do the job. We'd be allowing the market to develop nuclear power stations right now for cheap, reliable power, and if subsidising anything, the development of fusion power for the future.

ROCs are a tax, increasing everyone's electricity bills by well over 10%. They transfer money from the poorest consumers in the greatest fuel poverty to the pockets of investment groups in "the community" who make small fortunes by playing the system the government was stupid enough to set up. They transfer money from the poorest to the generating companies, ditto. And they make not one detectable iota of difference to global warming.

[rob16d]

I just changed my leccy supplier to e.on....try uswtich.com to find a better deal.

[Penelope Pitstop]

I just changed my leccy supplier to e.on....try uswtich.com to find a better deal.

Hi Rob
Thanks for link.

I tried it..can't believe the costs....huge!! Not sure what my rate is at home...will check tonight, but we have just switched at work to British Gas for electric it's 9.3p per kWh, e-on would charge me 16.055 per kWh for at home. How can domestic be so much more expensive????

Guess first think I do when I get in tonight!!!

[Rheghead]

Market forces are nothing at all, whatever, to do with ROCs, and everything to do with a political desire to artificially force the market to go down the renewables path.

Sorry but you probably didn't realise that the RO is the system that we are stuck with and it is the system that we are using for the foreseeable future. There isn't a debate here on the merits of it. That said, the ROCs are subject to market forces as anything else that is taxed.

[percy toboggan]

I'd check your bill against the meter. Only if f you've had a series of 'estimated' readings could it account for this huge hike. Recent price rises will not have this much effect. Definitely challenge or investigate.

We have saved £100's since switching to Atlantic from British Gas & Powergen.

[Penelope Pitstop]

Hi Rob
Thanks for link.

I tried it..can't believe the costs....huge!! Not sure what my rate is at home...will check tonight, but we have just switched at work to British Gas for electric it's 9.3p per kWh, e-on would charge me 16.055 per kWh for at home. How can domestic be so much more expensive????

Guess first think I do when I get in tonight!!!

Just now I'm paying 9.05p at home (scottish hydro electric), bit different from the 16.055p with e-on.

[Penelope Pitstop]

I'd check your bill against the meter. Only if f you've had a series of 'estimated' readings could it account for this huge hike. Recent price rises will not have this much effect. Definitely challenge or investigate.

We have saved £100's since switching to Atlantic from British Gas & Powergen.

Nice new Avatar Percy. I'll figure out how to do that one of these days!! lol

P.S just noticed you're over a 1000 posts - well done.

[j4bberw0ck]

Sorry but you probably didn't realise that the RO is the system that we are stuck with

Please don't feel the need to apologise for your own failure to grasp my point, or for being unable to distinguish between the theory of market forces and political devices to shape a market. I have great patience where I sense people are trying to grasp the point, but having difficulty.

I can recommend some reading if you like.

[Angela]

I just changed my leccy supplier to e.on....try uswtich.com to find a better deal.

Me too rob, uSwitch have switched me to E.ON.

Scottish Power's bills were very hard to understand and their customer service staff were less than helpful at sorting them out, I got estimates and amended bills until they were coming out of my ears.

I was annoyed that they claimed they couldn't get me onto a cheaper tariff since I have two different electricity meters, and because of the two meters they said I couldn't have an online account.... because there weren't enough boxes to fill in. This may be true, but it's still annoying.

I don't have gas, so I couldn't benefit from having a dual fuel account. The only thing I could benefit from was paying by monthly direct debit, and I've been doing that for over a year. My direct debit has gone down by £26.50 a month on last year's because they estimated it so ridiculously high in the first place.

Even so, I should save a further £200 a year by switching...it really is worth checking out.

[Julia]

I'm with Scottish Hydro, it works out a bit more expensive but I prefer the 'pay-as-you-go' method, no quarterly bills to worry about!

[Liz]

I once switched my electricity supplier as it was a good bit cheaper but after a few months I was told that they would need to increase the payments as it wasn't enough and I ended up paying more than I did with Scottish Hydro! So I have been with them ever since as I find the customer service to be much better.

[Rheghead]

Please don't feel the need to apologise for your own failure to grasp my point, or for being unable to distinguish between the theory of market forces and political devices to shape a market.

You mean like raising the price of oil to increase oil reserves? I think you will find the more oil you buy the more expensive it is going to get. The same can't be said of electricity from renewable sources.

Now what was that about market forces?

[j4bberw0ck]

Well, at least you didn't question my assertion that renewable power sources make poor people poorer, so I'm glad we've accepted that one.


There's oil for the next 300 years or so at present prices. That was that about market forces .

[Rheghead]

You're confusing the price of oil and the availability of resources.

No I'm not, if the price of oil goes up then oil reserves goes up as well.

However, Bush has asked the Saudis to increase oil production and they have refused, this amounts to raising the price of oil artificially. Mind you, it has given rise speculation that they can't even if they wanted to because their oil fields have actually peaked. Either way, they are using market forces to raise oil prices to increase they oil reserves.

And I reject your assertion that renewable energy makes poor people poorer, it was just so stupid that it didn't merit a reply. c.f. Ormlierenewables who are trying to establish a renewable energy scheme for the benefit of those in most need in their community.