BG announce 10% price cut.

Mazio_2

The other problem on comparing other countries is you need to know the primary heating fuel in each country as this will impact on the price of the fuel e.g. Scandinvian gas might be higher but they use woodburners so for general public this has little impact on heating thier homes. Spain I believe use bottled gas allot and this is mainly for cooking? so again like for like comparing is hard.

mech_2

1carminestocky wrote: »

Calculating what the rest of Europe or indeed most other countries in the World pay for gas/electric by way of the exchange rate trick is ridiculous. Our economy is currently the sick man of Europe and consequently our pound has taken a real hammering against most other currencies (especially the dollar and euro). This leads some to suggest that this means that the rest of Eurozone are paying considerably more for their domestic fuel than us. Nonsense of the highest order.

My dear 1carminestocky, you really are a tragic case. You just can't see through the dense fog of your own beliefs into the crystal clear waters of reality can you?

Of course exchange rates are relevant. Energy prices follow oil which is always priced in dollars. This is converted to the local currency using the current exchange rate. This applies to primary fuels, so it also applies to electricity. In the gas of gas, we're even connected physically to European markets. Gas traded by pipeline between the UK and Zeebrugge has to be paid for even though we use pounds and the Eurozone uses euros. How would they settle that if it wasn't for an exchange rate?

If you want to muck about with the prices some other way to get the answer you want all you're doing is deluding yourself. If the utilities' wholesale costs in the UK vs Europe are harmonised by exchange rate, then we have to compare the retail prices along the same lines. If the UK comes out cheaper when commodity costs are comparable, then how can we be being "ripped off"?

The only REAL way of comparing energy costs in different countries is to take an average level of annual fuel bill and display it as a percentage of average annual take home pay. And that's a fact.

Well it's an opinion. It's not a fact. I know you can't really tell the difference though, so I'll let that go.

It's also a strawman. You declare something you believe to be fact and present that as a debunking of another assertion. But it isn't because you haven't actually carried out that comparison in order to find out whether it tells us what you want it to. You're probably afraid that if you do you might find it still makes our gas and electricity look cheap and you don't want that, so you don't even try. You're hoping no one else can be bothered to do the calculation either and then you won't have to be troubled with reality.

mech_2

1carminestocky wrote: »

Sort of the point I'm trying to make. Comparing the 'cost' of products in different countries by doing a simple exchange rate calculation is silly - but often used by people to try and prove their 'we have the cheapest gas/electric in Europe' nonsense mantra.

Erm, no. It isn't. UK energy has historically been cheap. Exchange rate arguments are not necessary. It's just something you've come up with because you don't have a decent argument.

The ONLY way to compare is to see the annual liability for dmestic as a percentage of average annual pay in that particular country.

Go on. Do that then. Prove it. I'm throwing down the gauntlet. Let's see something from you other than empty rhetoric. I hereby challenge you to find a way to make UK energy prices look expensive compared to France/Germany/Spain/Ireland/etc. I bet you can't.

There is such a thing as a "purchase power parity" (PPP) index which compares the cost of living to wages. The UK still does reasonably well in that.

PS The only way our pound dying on its @rse impacts the prices paid by people in other countries is the ex-pats who have maybe retired abroad and still get paid in pounds.

Use last year's exchange rates then, from when the pound was strong. I have provided the links so that people can do the calculations in any way that they want. Comparisons around the times retail prices went up seem sensible. Note that Ireland had an electricity price increase on the 1st January.

xe.com provide historic exchange rates for any date you wish to choose. Select it from the "tools" menu.

1carminestocky

OK, mech. You win. You're a genius. But strangely incredibly boring. It would appear you've got even more time than me on your hands and I'm semi-retired. Insult away, I won't respond.

PS Forgot to say, you are absolutely 100% right and always have been. That better?

smidgey

Why is mech boring? Because he actually has some substance behind his argument? Because he is asking you for proof to back up what you are spouting? Then you prove his point by coming back with some smart alec comment about "you obviously have more time on your hands" rather than backing up your original comment.

Let us be clear that you clearly have a dislike for any energy company but you still stick with the cheapest. I do think you're a bit of a hypocrite in that sense or you used to. Now I forgot you feel the need to top up your pension with cashback.

You don't give people on here clear and impartial advice because of your own hatred for these companies. I would ask anybody on the forum seriously to seek impartial advice from some of the mature members who have a life and don't feel the need to force their opinions onto somebody else.

And you are no one to question someone insulting you as you have previously insulted others.

Cardew

This forum would be far better if Mech and Smidgey joined others and simply ignored 'The Troll'

smidgey

Cardew wrote: »

This forum would be far better if Mech and Smidgey joined others and simply ignored 'The Troll'

Is there an option to ignore users on this forum like there is on Invision forums?

Yourself and Kim are prime examples of what I am referring to in my post. Impartial and constructive advice that actually helps people.

Antispam

smidgey Click on user profile off and click ignore that user

Cardew

smidgey wrote: »

Is there an option to ignore users on this forum like there is on Invision forums?

.

You can click the person's name you wish to ignore in any thread, go to user profile and add the person to your ignore list.

You will then only see their posts if they are quoted by someone.

mech_2

Cardew wrote: »

This forum would be far better if Mech and Smidgey joined others and simply ignored 'The Troll'

Yeah I have him on ignore. And I have been able to avoid his posts for a while. Sometimes I read the forums without logging in first though (generally when I'm not on my own computer) and sometimes I have very very poor self discipline when I'm at a loose end. My bad.

Apologies.