Help! I am in Fuel Poverty.

pinkteapot

Our 4-bed detached averages £130/month over the year for gas/electricity! Assume you live in a 12-bed mansion or a poorly constructed wooden shed which you attempt to keep at 39 degrees C all year round.

Ebe_Scrooge

Not being funny, but you have a swimming pool which you keep at 90 ? That's gotta cost, even with a cover. And if you're struggling, I would suggest a swimming pool is something of a luxury ......

JanCee

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

Not being funny, but you have a swimming pool which you keep at 90 ? That's gotta cost, even with a cover. And if you're struggling, I would suggest a swimming pool is something of a luxury ......

I don't think the OP is struggling, that's his point - that the study is flawed.

CLAPTON

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

I am well used to being told by our Nanny State about all the so-called 'Poverty' in the UK - Child Poverty, Housing Poverty, Fuel Poverty. [You know the sort of thing. Stupid self-interested groups wanting huge benefits increases. These reports tend to be next to others mentioning 10 million people dying of starvation in Africa or somewhere...]

But I thought I would check my own situation. I was staggered to learn that (a) my average annual cost for Gas and Electricity for 2008/10 inclusive was precisely £4,862. Given the large increase from August, I am predicting well over £5,000 for 2011.

Now if this was less than 10% of my income, I'd be a higher rate taxpayer. Given the pensions I am choosing to take, and my savings income, I am not at the higher rate threshhold. Hence, I find that whilst I thought I was very comfortably off, I am very much "in Fuel Poverty".

I suggested to Mrs Loughton Monkey that we should pop down to Citizens Advice and see if we can get some benefits. But she claims it's my own fault because I like the pool set at 90° when she is comfortable at about 86°.

Would others, like me, along with Age UK apparently, describe my position as "scandalous"?



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14151032

I a bit confused here

surely you use one of the indoor pools in winter and only heat the outdoor one in summer?

lostinrates

pleasedelete wrote: »

Mine is £300 a month.

Loft insulated etc etc

But I have an aga and 2 boilers (don't ask last home owner was eccentric)

Was it me? We're considering a range and are having two boilers in the house long term.


We do live in georgian house, single glazed original windows and no insulation (there were size bales of straw up there until recently though).

MacMickster

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

Well over £400 a month in fact.

You've just made my day. I've just finished a rant at my teenage son who keeps a network of 7 computers permanently switched on (to help him with his uni course on network security apparently) as our combined gas and electricity payments have increased to £130 per month.

Anyway, your majesty, may I offer a true MSE tip and suggest that you close a wing of the palace over the winter months.

peakoil_2

a bit crass to create a thread with the pretense of worrying about a legitimate subject while actually just using it as a vehicle to brag about owning a large house and swimming pool.

poor you with your riches, it must hurt.

Loughton_Monkey

CLAPTON wrote: »

I a bit confused here

surely you use one of the indoor pools in winter and only heat the outdoor one in summer?

Sadly we don't have an inside pool. But yes, we turn it off in the winter. But it does take an awful lot of gas - particularly when you keep it as hot as a Jacuzzi most of the time.

We don't live in a 'mansion' at all. Just a reasonably ordinary suburban house in a decent suburb and [because we can afford it] do not rush paranaoically to the thermostat every time I look at my bank balance. Being a bit of a wimp, I don't like freezing cold water (a la local authority public swimming pool) and prefer to laze around in the water on a hot day with a glass of something in one hand, and a cigar in the other.

WestonDave seems to be 'onto' the irony that I am trying to point out. And that is that I am very definitely suffering from Fuel Poverty according to official Government figures. Even without the swimming pool, that would have been the case in the first 4 years of my early retirement when I was living primarily on capital.

I particularly dislike the 'concerned outrage' that these 'do-gooders' express particularly towards us over-60's. In general, us over-60's are the ones [baby boomers] have had all the opportunities. Who generally 'had it so good', and who in general didn't suffer from mass unemployment, absence of good pension provision, and having to pay for education. I mean how many 'early retirees' are there? Bags of capital. Decent company pension providing a good 'base'. State and private pensions still pending us taking them.

Just about all of us would show up as living in "Fuel Poverty". The pious article quotes 'almost half' of over-60's living in 'fuel poverty'. Does anyone believe that this is a major problem of society?

At a rough guess, I would suspect that no more than 10% [rather than 50%] of people would genuinely deserve some sort of 'sympathy'. The remaining 40% of people will be partly those (like myself) who are totally 'comfortable' and live a bit on capital. The other key part will be those who have 'had it all' throughout their lives, and have chosen to 'blow it all' on a good lifestyle rather than provide for an adequate retirement despite every opportunity. Serial 'sins' of the 40-year past are simply coming home to roost. Call it 'poverty'? Well go and ask a few Somalians!

abaxas

peakoil wrote: »

a bit crass to create a thread with the pretense of worrying about a legitimate subject while actually just using it as a vehicle to brag about owning a large house and swimming pool.

poor you with your riches, it must hurt.

Tell him about vmware esxi.

It's free and stops you attacking his computers with a baseball bat.

Loughton_Monkey

peakoil wrote: »

a bit crass to create a thread with the pretense of worrying about a legitimate subject while actually just using it as a vehicle to brag about owning a large house and swimming pool.

poor you with your riches, it must hurt.

Not trying to brag about anything. Just trying to point out ironies. See my post above!