MSE News: British Gas boss: The only way is up on prices

lstar337

DragonQ wrote: »

I don't actually know if I'll get a pay rise yet. I get paid directly from a research council and the contract doesn't specify a rate for the final year which I'm about to enter, just "to be decided". The last 2 years were both increases of 2% so hopefully that continues.

Yeah, I'm just bitter about my own situation.

My last pay rise took about 5 years to materialise, and it didn't even cover 1 years worth of inflation. Trouble is, I love my job too much to quit and move on. Mates I went to college with (and who came out with poorer results) are on 40K a year, and I am stuck on 15K.

jamesd

Mobeer wrote: »

quote the original:

Household consumption is falling, and there's a lot we're doing to help that happen – from insulating homes through to upgrading people to condensing boilers

I did. You've quoted the corrected version, not the original.

omendata

These executives make me sick - they earn a fortune so in reality will never have to worry like the "small man" about energy bills and then spout this condescending crapola.

If energy companies just stopped trying to make greater profit year on year we wouldnt have all these problems - I mean there must be a finite limit on how much profit you can make year on year!

Bankers , bosses and politicians eh - love to patronise us but follow their own rules - expenses scandals etc al - they still havent learned a lesson - maybe when the people get angry and riot outside their mansions like Egypt they may pay attention - I can see it coming if things dont change - there is only so much people will take before the camels back breaks!

sveedy

nande2000 wrote: »

They should be investing in energy storage technology, to use up every last drop of renewable energy. Last I heard was that liquid air storage was looking promising, but there is always pumped storage hydroelectric.

stumbled across this today -
Los Alamos - home of the Manhattan Project - is working on smart grids and better ways to capture excess electricity produced in peak sunlight hours. The Argonne labs are working on thermal energy storage to overcome "intermittency", the curse of solar and wind.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/10242882/Solar-power-to-trump-shale-helped-by-US-military.html

if the US military is getting involved then progress will surely be made relatively quickly.

thor

It does not matter how much progress is made into energy storage or finding cheaper sources, the utility companies will always come up with excuses to hike up our bills.

jamesd

sveedy, in the UK the plan is to pay wind power generators for not producing power, so they have a financial incentive not to spend their money on systems that will better match their supplies to demands. Instead of them having to develop systems that meet power supply needs, we pay them for failing to do so. It's a completely screwed up incentive system. For that reason, we should expect to see these things happening in more free markets first, the ones that don't subsidise failure.

Trix3y

How I love reading all the justifications for the continued rise in energy prices,as predictable as day and night. I think most people have tried to do their best to cut costs through insulation etc. however, as previously posted there comes a point when you just have to switch the heating on. I suspect all the Chairman of the bid 6 plus their shareholders will enjoy a warm winter. How can the current system ever have been allowed to get to this point? thousands of people through no fault of their own in heating poverty.Shame on Britain as a country for caring so little about its citizens,sick of hearing about green taxes. Reality check again for government ministers,people deserve a roof over their heads, food to eat and to be able to keep warm. Modern Britain seems to be struggling on all three basic requirements. Why do we the public simply sit back without a fight!

oldskoo1

The only way is up, certainly!

And i worry there is going to be a major backlash from the public on this if we see the kind of price hikes as of recent.

I'm not having too much trouble paying but i still see the significant increases i've had in the last 4 years. If we get further 15% - 20% rises and further sub zero weather i worry what it will do to the already squeezed families.

If i think about it, our fuel bills including petrol are £500 per month. That is jointly, house and 2 cars.

If it think longer term, maybe over around 8 years our energy bill is 2.5x what it was back then although we have moved house with higher energy demands.

So on that basis i worry where people are going to find the cash to fund it. The media are doing a fabulous job of rubbing the headlines of profits in the faces of struggling families but on the other hand energy prices in other european countries are much higher than ours.