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25/7 Energy prices..

 
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SantaFefan



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 11258
Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk

PostPosted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 2:37 pm    Post subject: 25/7 Energy prices.. Reply with quote

I find it almost unbelievable that energy companies are getting away with the massive price increases talked about over the last few weeks.. what is it today? 20% and talk of a 68% overall increase??

What's the energy regulator body ( Offcom?) going to do about it? What's the government going to do about it? it's almost insane.

It's all very well them saying it's the current high prices of gas and electric from overseas which are reflected in the increases but they should have seen this coming shouldn't they??

Shouldn't this "listening" government reduce or abolish the VAT rate to help people?

Of course we're still building millions of houses which will rely on gas central heating and did I hear today we're selling another energy company to foreigners?

Time for a sea change in my opinion, and do like the Victorians or the Americans would have done - start a massive program of relaying decent electric cables in the streets and start building as many nuclear power stations as it takes for this country to be independent and nationalise it.
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Angus McCoatup



Joined: 22 Nov 2007
Posts: 221
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 2:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wouldn't it be great if all of the energy customers cancelled their Direct Debits and just paid the energy companies what they felt was sufficient?

And wouldn't be even better if we all went into the petrol stations, fiiled our cars to the top and instead of leaving £120 on the counter (in my case) just left £80 or £90 and told them to take it or leave it.

But we won't because we're British and we just put up with it. I think when I do my tax return this year I'll keep the payment back from the government as they've had enough of my money already this year.
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SantaFefan



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 11258
Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk

PostPosted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd be all for that idea Angus! and that's the infuriating thing nowadays, it seems to me people's opinions are just not being heard.

power to the people...but not at that price.
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SantaFefan



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
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Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk

PostPosted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So the energy minister admits we extract gas from the North Sea, send it to Europe for storage ( because we don't have the storage facilities ) and then they send it back at double the price.... unbelievable.
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SantaFefan



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
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Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk

PostPosted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't get this, the minister said the government cannot intervene and tell British Gas they can only increase the price by say 15% because they are a private company. But haven't they done this to the water companies before via the regulator? or is the regulator not part of the government set up?
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Helen May



Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19372
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think you are right SantaFe.

It's also ludicrous that we send it to Europe and buy it back again.

It's a good idea to stop direct debits, but don't we get a slightly better price for doing it? Could be wrong on that though.

H
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SantaFefan



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 11258
Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So.... it seems British Energy was going to be sold off to EDF...
British Energy, a private company with the government owning 35%, sold to EDF - a French state run company...
Is there something wrong here? or is it me..
How is it that the French can operate a utility company well enough to buy out the competition but we can't?

The sale price would have been £12billion.. that sounds pretty cheap to me as Centrica made £1billion profit in six months!
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The_migster



Joined: 18 Dec 2006
Posts: 30
Location: In your darkest dreams

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 3:01 pm    Post subject: It's all about Europe Reply with quote

Guys,

I think half of the problem here is the Eropean market.
British Gas may have the lions share of customers in this country, but in terms of company size, when you compare them to the main European comanies that they have to compete again, Centrica is one of the smallest by far.
The problem? While the French and Germans etc can quite happily come over here and sell us gas and electric, we don't have the same freedom to go to France and Germany and do the same.
That's why companies like EDF have the money to come over here and try to buy British Energy (a deal which I believe has fallen through), Centrica can only hope to become a minority partner.
Probably why the foreign utility companies can absorb more of the wholesale gas price increase too. Just a guess Smile
It's all wrong!

But as I mentioned on another thread, wow, nearly £992m profit and £557m of that they have to pay in tax. And that's not a windfall tax. Sounds like it to me.

Mig
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SantaFefan



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 11258
Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk

PostPosted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So, it's official! as stated on the Vine show today, gas prices are not directly linked to the increase in oil prices. Evil or Very Mad

So how are they getting away with it? why doesn't the government step in to lower and cap the prices as the chap on the show said today?
I don't know who he was but he spoke my kind of language.
Why aren't there alarm bells ringing like crazy in No 10?? as I said before, this could be Gordon's saving grace! Tackle the problem head on like Maggie would have done and put two fingers up to Johnny Foreigner.

I didn't get to hear all the show but I'm definitely going to listen again ( when the system allows me to )

Although I sympathise with the chap on benefits complaining about the oncoming bills this winter, I found his concern over his "cold kids" because he couldn't afford to run his central heating a little thin... really.

We didn't have central heating as kids in the 50s or 60s but we survived! But, we should'nt be in this situation in the first place.
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Helen May



Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19372
Location: Cheshire

PostPosted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi SanteFe

I think it was a union guy who spoke as well as Martin Lewis about that.

I also agree about the central heating kids. I think he said he would be using an electric heaterrather than his heating, not exactly the most economical form of heat. I was about 12 I think when we got central heating and the winters were much colder then, we survived.

People have to realise that you have wear more clothes to keep warm. Mind you getting warm clothes could be the problem! Winter coats these days are about half the thickness that they used to be (I'm talking men's and women's) my O/H keeps an old one for when it's really cold as the replacement for it is half as warm and that was the best we could find!

I can see the sales of hot water bottles going up this winter as well!

H
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I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005
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Mark Mayhew



Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 2897

PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We had our new revised monthly costing for electricity advised by EDF Energy today.

The monthly standing order is going up by 100%.
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Helen May



Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19372
Location: Cheshire

PostPosted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mark,

We had ours from British Gas yesterday as well, and it was pretty much the same with them since June, despite us being £90 in credit to them. O/H queried it and it was reduced by £20 a month.

I would phone and get them to check it. If ours is still in credit on the next bill we'll do the same again. We may also switch as we have never done so up to now.

H
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