MPs call for energy price cuts 28 April 2009 at 11:39AM in Energy 18 replies 1.5K views

Former_MSE_Guy

This thread is to discuss the following news story:

MPs call for energy price cuts

1carminestocky

Seriously, how long have they been calling for cuts?? FGS, chaps and chapesses, stop filling in your expenses forms for a minute and actually MAKE them do it. Disbanding OFGEM and replacing it with an organisation that had the public's (and not the industry's) interests at heart would be the first positive step in this. It aint gonna happen, of course. Don't MPs claim their domestic fuel bills on their expenses, BTW?

Gordon Brown/Hugh Jeego doesn't really want them reducing, especially with the currently perilous state of the country's finances and with 'ordinary' tax revenue dwindling. If every household in the UK saved £200 per annum due to the suppliers cutting their prices, a rough back of fag packet calculation says Broon loses approx £250 million in VAT at a stroke.

Broon won't do anything to risk him WINNING the next election, LOL.

muffinhead

I hope the Govt hurry up and force further prices cuts - I haven't saved a penny (or found a cheaper tariff) with the gas and electric price cuts from 31st March :mad: !

A_fiend_for_life

Put pressure on your MP to sign.

You can write to your MP asking them to support EDM 1309 using write to them (below):

You can check to see if your MP has signed here: EDM 1309

You can write to your MP here:

http://www.writetothem.com/

Template letter (Copy and Paste):

****START****

Dear [ Your MP ],

I would like to draw your attention to EDM 1309: 'Energy Prices (No 2)' tabled by John Barrett MP (Lib Dems).

Wholesale gas prices have decreased by 54% since this time last year yet consumer prices have decreased by a paltry 10% at most.

If this reduction in wholesale prices was reflected in consumer prices the average household would save £200 - £300 per year.

Given the rising number of people experiencing unemployment and reduced salaries it is only fair that consumer prices decrease in line with wholesale prices.

I urge you to sign EDM 1309.

Yours sincerely

****END****

PS a template letter would be quick and easy.



On another note:

If you have no joy with your council providing repairs to your house, draughty windows, poor energy efficiency, damp etc. Just write to your councillors.

mech_2

It's too late. The heating season is over. It's not going to make much difference what happens to prices until October when we all start needing heating again. I think bills should have gone down much more in the last round of price cuts.

1carminestocky

Yes, they've got away with it, really. Just introduced the small cuts and kept their heads down whilst the Govt were busy bailing out the banks and slagging off [STRIKE]Sir[/STRIKE] Fred (instead of introducing legislation to take his ill-gotten gains off him). The Govt. are just seeing out the remainder of their term and spending as much money as possible to leave good old 'call me Dave' an even bigger mess (and he's certainly got no better ideas). They certainly wouldn't want to risk doing something to make them popular enough to win the next election, lol.

Garz

Great summary carmine, couldnt have put it better!

SwanJon

Call me a cynic, but MPs have very little sway here.
The Gas & electricity industry were privatized, and short of re-nationalizing them there's not much they can do.
Other options would be to start building state owned power stations and subsidise them, but that would take a few years and cost money.
More effective is to vote with your wallet (or purse if you prefer), and practice enedrgy efficiency.

icefall

But it was the politicians decision to privatise in the 1st place so I think they have more sway than most consumers...

1carminestocky

icefall wrote: »

But it was the politicians decision to privatise in the 1st place so I think they have more sway than most consumers...

But they appointed OFGEM to regulate the industry and gave them what appear to be ridiculously narrow terms of reference, which tells us all we need to know about how tough they were intending to be on this industry, lol. OFGEM's biggest stick is the power to take away a supplier's licence. You only have to read the npower sculpting thread to realise this will never ever happen. The Big 6 are effectively like the banks - too big to 'sack'! Just imagine if one of the Big 6 had their licence taken away from them - what would happen to the millions of customers? Can you imagine all those millions having to switch all at once? Chaos would reign. The suppliers, of course, know this.

Privatisation of this industry was one of the worst political decisions by a Govt. of any hue in the last 100 years....

jimexbox

But when is a price cut not a price cut? When its an Eon price cut. The media fall into the trap of grabbing a headline 9% cut, when in fact only a select few, in a select region on a select tarrif will see a genuine 9% cut.

Smoke and mirrors by the energy industry, its a total farce that will continue because there are just too many vested interests to change the status quo. Lets face it, how many MP's get a nice cushy non executive directorship of a large corporation after they are kicked out? How many become 'special' advisors to a large corporation? Im afraid we the customer are at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to feeding time, and it ain't going to change anytime quick.