David Cameron writes for MSE on his plans to help on energy bills

rickbonar

Nearly forgot,,, car insurance too be taken into government control too.

willow_loulou

macman wrote: »

Because PPMs cost more to manufacture, install and run?

Maybe be...I used to think/assume that but..
Why more to install? we all need meters of some sort. Why more to run? anyone can pay their bills at the shops I top up from and my meter only needs looking at once every 2 years compared to the meters that need reading every quarter. My money is always there or I get no heat/light, that has to be better than chasing people for non payment and then spreading the cost of high bills they cant pay in Feb over the years bills.
I can understand the online ones being cheaper as the meters are read by the homeowner and then checked like mine every 2 years and they pay by DD which I am lead to believe is cheaper than anything ever . The other arguments dont stand as far as I can see.

magyar

The answer is simple. It's not about simplifying tariffs, it's about having easily comparable tariffs.

If some people want to pay more to fix their energy, then they should be able to. Likewise if some people need Economy 7, or a green tariff (rip off, but don't get me started on that!) or whatever then that's fine.

But the best way to do it is for Ofgem to fix the tariff structure, with the utilities quoting prices. It doesn't matter if you have a hugely complex structure provided that if you ring up all six companies and ask for quotes, they're quoting against the same thing.

If I buy a car, it might have a hundred different options - and it's great that I have the choice - but if I can ring up ten dealers and ask them to all quote against what I know is the same package then I know I'm getting the best deal.

amintram

I'm with Good Energy. 100% renewable and prices have been frozen for 2 years. They are more expensive than the cheapest tariffs of the big six, although they are cheaper than the standard tariffs. BUT they invest their profits into renewable energy, and shareholder profits are not their priority, unlike others.

There are others too. You don't have to use a 'big six' company. Vote with your money.

dunloadin

More suppliers is probably not a good thing....they will have to get their gas/lekkie from one of the big six, who will not be selling it to them at the same rates, all that will cause is more tariffs and more confusion.

How about suppliers are only allowed one price for each tariff, only 6 prices for single rate and 6 prices for eco7 to look at in each area.

75% of folk on standard tariffs....thats companys taking advantage of the apathetic who seldom switch. Bannish discounts for internet/dd/duel fuel accounts....then people will have a fair playing field when comparing prices and choosing how they want to pay. It will also mean that Pre-pay customers are no longer disadvantaged.

Get rid of FITS, it's a poor way of getting a tick in the box for the government regards CO2 reduction.

neilmayo

Rolling out energy meters to all households is a complete (and obvious) waste of money. The savings are minimal and it is common sense that using less power costs less.

Also, there should be far fewer, clearer priced tariffs. Greater clarity makes for a much easier tool for comparing true costs.

magyar

amintram wrote: »

I'm with Good Energy. 100% renewable and prices have been frozen for 2 years. They are more expensive than the cheapest tariffs of the big six, although they are cheaper than the standard tariffs. BUT they invest their profits into renewable energy, and shareholder profits are not their priority, unlike others.

Sorry that's just not true, it's pure spin. They are a stock market listed company, still have shareholders and any company that doesn't make shareholder return a priority won't be around for long.

magyar

dunloadin wrote: »

Get rid of FITS, it's a poor way of getting a tick in the box for the government regards CO2 reduction.

I totally agree. At least I agree it should be removed for solar, which currently gets a HUGE subsidy and generates very little. FITs themselves are fine, it's just what you subsidise that's the problem.

A FIT for a small hydro scheme requires far less subsidy, plus much of the technology is British and thus it's really just circulating money back into the economy.

magyar

neilmayo wrote: »

Rolling out energy meters to all households is a complete (and obvious) waste of money. The savings are minimal and it is common sense that using less power costs less.

Smart meters do more than just let people see what they're using (which has some effect but I agree it's minimal).

The point is that a smart meter can relay back to the grid companies what the house is using at any moment in time. This means far more efficiency in dispatching power, which saves money in the long run.

Plus means that when you get things like greater use of electric cars, smart meters will allow people to use the batteries of the cars to store power and get paid to dispatch it back to the grid.

(All of this is a little theoretical, but you have to start somewhere).

Rikki

Not everyone has access to the internet for the best deals.

What can be done to help those people that are stuck on the standard tariffs?