My electricity bill has just tripled: how about yours? Alternative suppliers?

[Artaxerxes]

This is so insane

 

[two sheds]

I hear chippies will be having problems, too

 

[stdP]

Is there anyone that this isn't going to be a huge problem for...? Pubs and restaurants especially are going to be hit with a double whammy of a) forking out double, triple or more for the same energy they used last year whilst b) customers also facing slightly-less-horrendous-bills will still be cutting back on discretionary spending anyway. Running any sort of kitchen is always energy-intensive, and you need to keep the room passably temperate if you want people to eat or drink in it.

The government isn't merely asleep at the wheel on this, it's crashed through the barriers and is already over the cliff and it'll wake up in time to toot the horn indignantly at the upcoming ground whilst bleating about some irrelevant culture war bullshit. Even if we have a very mild winter, households, business and lives are already going to the wall over this. People have been screaming this from the rooftops since the invasion started but westminster seems to be genuinely disinterested other than using the crisis to further its own blinkered agenda (which at the moment seems to be about nothing but keeping the population so desperate and cowed that we'll put up with anything).

 

[bluescreen]

I hear chippies will be having problems, too

Every business that uses energy will be having problems, especially those that use a lot, like hairdressers, butchers, bakers* to say nothing of manufacturing, hospitals, schools, care homes...

*the candlestick makers may make a comeback.

 

[MickiQ]

The government isn't merely asleep at the wheel on this, it's crashed through the barriers and is already over the cliff and it'll wake up in time to toot the horn indignantly at the upcoming ground whilst bleating about some irrelevant culture war bullshit.

I am stealing this, using it elsewhere and totally claiming the credit for it. If anyone asks me about it, it will out them as an Urb.

 

[oryx]

Is there anyone that this isn't going to be a huge problem for...? Pubs and restaurants especially are going to be hit with a double whammy of a) forking out double, triple or more for the same energy they used last year whilst b) customers also facing slightly-less-horrendous-bills will still be cutting back on discretionary spending anyway. Running any sort of kitchen is always energy-intensive, and you need to keep the room passably temperate if you want people to eat or drink in it.

The government isn't merely asleep at the wheel on this, it's crashed through the barriers and is already over the cliff and it'll wake up in time to toot the horn indignantly at the upcoming ground whilst bleating about some irrelevant culture war bullshit. Even if we have a very mild winter, households, business and lives are already going to the wall over this. People have been screaming this from the rooftops since the invasion started but westminster seems to be genuinely disinterested other than using the crisis to further its own blinkered agenda (which at the moment seems to be about nothing but keeping the population so desperate and cowed that we'll put up with anything).

Yes, if things continue on their current trajectory it will be unsustainable.

As well as a huge increase in things like elderly people dying of hypothermia and kids being hospitalised with chest infections, and all the other dreadful social effects, businesses will be going to the wall left right and centre.

Good piece by Aditya Chakrabortty below. He argues (rightly IMO) that we don't have a government at the moment.

These are energy bills many Britons simply can’t afford. Some will pay with their lives | Aditya Chakrabortty

This price hike threatens to create a whole new class of poor, and it is clear our wretched politics will do nothing to protect them, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

www.theguardian.com

 

[tommers]

I saw something that said 70% of pubs will go, vast swathes of small businesses, rise in unemployment, defaulting on mortgages etc etc. I really think this is going to make the financial crash look like a walk in the park.

And meanwhile Liz Truss is going to be in fucking charge.

 

[alex_]

This is so insane

I don’t get this - British Gas want over 60k a year for 64,000 kw/hrs

You could cover the entire pub in solar panels for less than 90k, and generate most of the power they need - especially because it is a business expense and you could capitalise it over at least 10 years.

For ref - I used a solar calculator from energy saving trust which calculated an 80kw solar system would generate about 64kw solar per year and would cost about 88k.

Is the break even on solar panels really currently less than 18 months ?

Alex

 

[MickiQ]

I don’t get this - British Gas want over 60k a year for 64,000 kw/hrs

You could cover the entire pub in solar panels for less than 90k, and generate most of the power they need - especially because it is a business expense and you could capitalise it over at least 10 years.

For ref - I used a solar calculator from energy saving trust which calculated an 80kw solar system would generate about 64kw solar per year and would cost about 88k.

Is the break even on solar panels really currently less than 18 months ?

Alex

I suspect the landlord was probably just expressing his frustration which is fair enough since that leccy quote is basically just taking the piss. I suspect one of the silver linings of this very dark cloud is those businesses that can do things like this and render themselves at least partly energy self-sufficient will survive and prosper.

 

[alex_]

I suspect the landlord was probably just expressing his frustration which is fair enough since that leccy quote is basically just taking the piss. I suspect one of the silver linings of this very dark cloud is those businesses that can do things like this and render themselves at least partly energy self-sufficient will survive and prosper.

I totally agree, also 80k is a fuckload of money for a pub landlord to find.

I suspect a chunk of the 66k is insurance covering all the businesses which will fail owing money.

 

[WouldBe]

I hear chippies will be having problems, too

Have to go back to using hand saws.

 

[emanymton]

I saw something that said 70% of pubs will go, vast swathes of small businesses, rise in unemployment, defaulting on mortgages etc etc. I really think this is going to make the financial crash look like a walk in the park.

And meanwhile Liz Truss is going to be in fucking charge.

They do seem set on creating a perfect storm. And I still bet there are plenty of tory dickheads who say it is a good thing Corbyn didn't win as it would have been bad for the economy.

 

[stdP]

Good piece by Aditya Chakrabortty below. He argues (rightly IMO) that we don't have a government at the moment.

These are energy bills many Britons simply can’t afford. Some will pay with their lives | Aditya Chakrabortty

This price hike threatens to create a whole new class of poor, and it is clear our wretched politics will do nothing to protect them, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

www.theguardian.com

I don't think there's much room for any opinion on the matter, as far as this is concerned we either have no government, or a government that either just plain doesn't notice or care or is actively courting disaster and I'm not sure which layer of the shit sandwich is the worst one. The inhumanity of it is far beyond what I expected even the average tory MP to be capable of.

I saw something that said 70% of pubs will go, vast swathes of small businesses, rise in unemployment, defaulting on mortgages etc etc. I really think this is going to make the financial crash look like a walk in the park.

And meanwhile Liz Truss is going to be in fucking charge.

Whilst I disagree with the semantics of "in charge", she's sure as shit not going to be cold this winter and I imagine she thinks basking in sovereign ardour will no doubt warm our hearts. The calls for "just buy cheaper food" and "just use less energy" should tell you everything you need to know about how they perceive your typical household; none of it's it's a government problem, it's a problem with the people not acting enough like peasants.

I am stealing this, using it elsewhere and totally claiming the credit for it. If anyone asks me about it, it will out them as an Urb.

As soon as I read my regurgitated verbiage thrown back at me I'm coming after you for a fiver for the server fund, IOUs from Dub not accepted

 

[Artaxerxes]

It just keeps on going upwards...



Might as well send them magic beans cos I aint paying that much.

 

[weltweit]

Crazy stuff.

Can we live without it?

Of course such rises will mean everything will go up, so perhaps it won't be possible to escape it.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

have we had this yet?

 

[weltweit]

I wouldn't mind a smart meter, at least then I could see where my units are going and do something about it.

 

[BristolEcho]

have we had this yet?

His horses do need to be kept warm as it's not their fault they are owned him. He shouldn't be allowed heating in his own house though as we all have to cut back where we can.

 

[Ming]

I saw a young conservative at conference either this year or last year saying to camera that their intention was to take the country back to the middle ages. Pre-enlightenment. God being the magic of the market place presumably. And CEO's being the high priests.

And do you know what? I wasn't surprised.

 

[alex_]

What I suspect is there will be panicked, tax or cash incentives for rich, home owners ( tories ) to install solar or other green measures. Especially ones which aren’t directly paid for by the treasury.

An obvious one would be requiring electricity suppliers to pay domestic solar customers more for electricity feed in ( the excess power generated ) as this doesn’t cost government anything.

 

[two sheds]

Another obvious one would be for electricity companies to upgrade customers' house insulation for them, to be repaid from say half of the lower bills until the money's repaid when the customers keep all of the savings.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Of course such rises will mean everything will go up

Except wages.

Which, as others have pointed out, would mitigate things because people would use higher wages to buy things from each other.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Once pubs and shops go out of business they'll be snapped up cheap by speculators, turned into housing and then it will become impossible to ever change them back into pubs or shops.

As always, profiteering twats who are already rich will make a fortune through all this, while actual jobs disappear forever.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Once pubs and shops go out of business they'll be snapped up cheap by speculators, turned into housing and then it will become impossible to ever change them back into pubs or shops.

As always, profiteering twats who are already rich will make a fortune through all this, while actual jobs disappear forever.

Yup, was thinking exactly the same when reading the comments above.

It's so hard to avoid thoughts that most of us are simply screwed from multiple angles

 

[LDC]

Once pubs and shops go out of business they'll be snapped up cheap by speculators, turned into housing and then it will become impossible to ever change them back into pubs or shops.

As always, profiteering twats who are already rich will make a fortune through all this, while actual jobs disappear forever.

Yeah, I was talking to someone about that yesterday. Some people and companies are going to make a load of money out of all the failing businesses, it'll make plenty of high streets and town centres even more dominated by chains, charity and pawn shops, and boarded up places.

The local very small specialist ale bar and shop that's run as a labour of love by 2 brothers and is a great hassle free and friendly place announced they're likely to be going under last week due to energy bills. Don't imagine anyone will take on the space for the forseeable future.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Once pubs and shops go out of business they'll be snapped up cheap by speculators, turned into housing and then it will become impossible to ever change them back into pubs or shops.

As always, profiteering twats who are already rich will make a fortune through all this, while actual jobs disappear forever.

Sad thing is most pub are already either balls deep in debt to brewers or already run by speculative arseholes

 

[teqniq]

Good Law Project weighs in:

 

[Artaxerxes]

Good Law Project weighs in:

Day with a Y and good law project is suing someone.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Sad thing is most pub are already either balls deep in debt to brewers or already run by speculative arseholes

Let's hear it once more for the free market, everyone! Huzzah!

 

[CH1]

Yeah, I was talking to someone about that yesterday. Some people and companies are going to make a load of money out of all the failing businesses, it'll make plenty of high streets and town centres even more dominated by chains, charity and pawn shops, and boarded up places.

The local very small specialist ale bar and shop that's run as a labour of love by 2 brothers and is a great hassle free and friendly place announced they're likely to be going under last week due to energy bills. Don't imagine anyone will take on the space for the forseeable future.