Preparedness for when

Frugalsod

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Re trade with EU - and I know I'm in a mindset that if I cant get the foods I require (ie unavailable or dearer) for the time being/longer-term or whatever - then I'll just swop to something else (thankthelawd coffee doesn't come from Europe)

- but I have developed a distinct wish/intention to buy German home products if I possibly can (for the better quality). Now got German washing machine, fridge and freezer. So I am wondering what happens re getting German-made products if (when!) we leave the EU?? Personally - I would just grit my teeth and pay any extra cost involved as a small price to pay for having left the EU if I must.

Thoughts?

If the prices of goods rises too much then it will be a boon for local farmers to produce those items if possible. Though if you get local seasonal produce you should be better off to start with as these will be about whatever happens. Also Tea is grown outside the EU and that has not disappeared.

The switching from one product to another when prices are high happens all the time. I think most shoppers are savvy enough to work out that they are overpaying and will swap. In addition if our currency gets stronger then these items could become cheaper.

As for German made parts for an appliance we would have the same problems with parts from Korea and they are still on sale here. So I think it is a being perceived as a problem when it is not. Also many appliances are very reliable so you might be over worrying.

maryb

well, you can, sort of....LNG terminals are being built for that purpose

maryb

"German made" appliances aren't all made in Germany any more. They talk about " German engineering" in the ads which translates into factory in cheaper country They're still very good but not quite as good as they were ten years ago

[Deleted User]

maryb wrote: »

well, you can, sort of....LNG terminals are being built for that purpose

If that's addressed to me, regarding electricity, then you're missing my point.

LNG (or indeed, any other fuel) can't be burnt, in non-existent power stations.

Our current generating capacity, isn't sufficient to supply all our needs. If France, Holland and Ireland, were to turn off the inter-connectors, we'd lose almost 4GW of capacity (~ 5% of our total capacity), which, while not huge, could, in a bad winter, be the difference between keeping the lights on, and rolling power cuts.

Currently, in a bad winter, we have ~ a 3% reserve, so that ~ 5% loss, would be critical.

greenbee

Yes, but what would France do with all their excess nuclear capacity if they weren't sending it over here?

We really do need to improve our microgeneration capacity and energy efficiency (alongside developing things like tidal power) if we want to be self-sufficient in energy. I'm not convinced by the idea of investing in new nuclear as much due to the small size of our landmass as anything else.

NewShadow

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Personally, I think, one of the biggest question marks, regarding essential supplies, if/when we leave the EU, is electricity.

While you can transport most commodities, by sea or air, you can't deliver lorry/aeroplane loads of electricity.

We can buy our food, drink, and other household commodities, from the other side of the world (even if it's pricey), but you can't buy electricity from the other side of the world.

But we can produce and import coal, which already generates around a third of our electricity, and is (predominately) limited by the EU climate policy and emissions rules - which we wouldn't need to be limited by going forward.

Combine this with the ability to implement a national energy policy that supports energy-intensive businesses, we could see a significant boost to jobs in North!umberland, Wales, Rotherham... and that's just the steel industry.

ivyleaf

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Personally, I think, one of the biggest question marks, regarding essential supplies, if/when we leave the EU, is electricity.

While you can transport most commodities, by sea or air, you can't deliver lorry/aeroplane loads of electricity.

We can buy our food, drink, and other household commodities, from the other side of the world (even if it's pricey), but you can't buy electricity from the other side of the world.

Someone (sorry, can't remember who, and can't be fashed to get up and get the paper out of the recycling box) was quoted in today's Express as saying the price of energy would go down if we left the EU, but I can't imagine why it should!

Have now had a look at it again, and a group called "Better Off Out" are apparently saying energy bills would come down by about £112 per year. No idea why they think so, though!

NewShadow

ivyleaf wrote: »

Someone (sorry, can't remember who, and can't be fashed to get up and get the paper out of the recycling box) was quoted in today's Express as saying the price of energy would go down if we left the EU, but I can't imagine why it should!

Have now had a look at it again, and a group called "Better Off Out" are apparently saying energy bills would come down by about £112 per year. No idea why they think so, though!

It's probably referring to the 'green subsidies' we're all paying as part of our bills (and council tax).

Part of this (very little) goes towards the development of new energy systems.

How much do they add to energy bills?
The question of how much they add to household energy bills is a very contentious question, and depends entirely on whom you ask.

When the current levies were set in 2012, following the release of the Energy Bill, the energy regulator Ofgem estimated they would add £107 to the average household bill. At that time, the average energy bill cost a household £1,267, so the green levies added about 8%.

However, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) puts that figure at £112, or 9%, and that was before the latest round of price hikes hit that year.

During the price rises of the Autumn of 2013, energy supplier SSE claimed that 13% of its £106 price rise was due to government subsidies like green charges, pushing up the percentages slightly.

Until all energy suppliers publish the exact breakdown of their annual bills, we won’t know the exact figures, but at the moment it is safe to say that around 8% to 10% of your energy bill goes towards green subsidies.

The levies support home upgrades, expanding low-carbon forms of power generation and offer support to those suffering from fuel poverty. The key components are:

The Renewables Obligation (RO) The RO is a requirement for the UK’s energy suppliers to source a percentage of their energy from renewable energy. To pay for new renewable generation the costs are added onto household bills.

Feed-in Tariffs If you produce your own electricity through solar panels or wind turbines, your energy company may pay you money to do so, or pay you more money if you feed the energy back into the National Grid.

Energy Company Obligation (ECO) If you come from a low-income household your energy company will offer you support to install expensive insulation upgrades.

Warm Homes Discount Likewise, energy companies will offer help to low-income households to pay for their heating.

Emissions Trading Scheme and Carbon Price Floor These are taxes on fossil fuel generation and a minimum price for trading carbon, again, designed to encourage energy companies to source their energy from low-carbon sources.

The key thing to keep in mind is that these measures cost your energy supplier money, and this has to be paid for. The way they pay for it is by adding on a percentage of the cost to household bills.

http://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/guides/green-subsidies/#step4

mardatha

We have tons of coal still up here, without having to import it.
We imported a lot of meat from Commonwealth countries like NZ and Australia - then dumped them flat and joined the common market. I wonder if they remember that lol and I think I know the answer ... Maybe we should all learn to knit sheep lol

greenbee

mardatha wrote: »

We imported a lot of meat from Commonwealth countries like NZ and Australia - then dumped them flat and joined the common market. I wonder if they remember that lol and I think I know the answer ...

I'm sure they do... don't think we'll be getting any special deals from any of them if we decide to leave... (I'm betting they charge us extra, because we'll need them more...)