MSE News: SSE to raise energy prices by 8.2%, as first of the big six to hike

ihateyes

lstar337 wrote: »

What are the fuel poverty figures for France and Germany?

id imagine fuel poverty is greather there....

there must be a reason why immigrants want to come to the uk

DragonQ

sheffield_lad wrote: »

You make some good points but the above is incorrect. If usage drops so does the cost of supply. In other words their costs go down. Just assuming lower usage = high costs is inaccurate.

I suppose so. What does the supply cost actually entail though? SSE said that has gone up massively in the last year, but how?

sheffield_lad wrote: »

Energy costs in the UK ARE competitive. We have some of the cheapest gas/electric in the EU. If you compare us to our closest neighbours (population/GDP), France & Germany we are cheaper than both. Not forgetting France has a nationalised energy industry.

Yes I'm aware that France's energy industry is nationalised and more expensive. That may not always be the case though; I'm not sure how much investment they're doing compared to us. Being energy independent is the key, really.

The US still has far cheaper energy prices than us and, unlike with petrol, it's not just because of government tax. How do they do it?

sheffield_lad

lstar337 wrote: »

What are the fuel poverty figures for France and Germany?

http://fuelpoverty.eu/wp-content/gallery/fuel-poverty-maps/eu-inability-to-heat-home-map-031013.jpg

Not much different to us by the look of it.

As I have said we are really no different. Folk inc Milaband love the suggestion it's shareholders or rip off Britain but in reality it's just the cost of fuel rising.

sheffield_lad

DragonQ wrote: »

I suppose so. What does the supply cost actually entail though? SSE said that has gone up massively in the last year, but how?

The US still has far cheaper energy prices than us and, unlike with petrol, it's not just because of government tax. How do they do it?

The US have cheap gas due to fracking. This allows their industry to become competitive also against rising costs in the rest of the world.

There really is no logical argument not to frack.

DragonQ

Isn't fracking a relatively recent thing though? Also, that surely doesn't affect electricity prices much?

sheffield_lad

DragonQ wrote: »

Isn't fracking a relatively recent thing though? Also, that surely doesn't affect electricity prices much?

Not sure how long the USA have fracked but it has made a massive difference to the cost of gas. I am also unsure how they generate electricity.

The problem with electricity within the UK is that is where the green tax's are levied given that electric is a more carbon intensive fuel.

MillicentBystander

verydeeppockets wrote: »

I'm no more anti-Miliband than anybody else in his party.
But seriously, if you ran a business and were told you would have your sales prices capped by law in the future, with no control at all over your free market supply costs and had 18 months notice of the cap...what would you do??
Horrible nasty energy companies.

Guess whose quotes these are... a clue... his policies put our bills up a damn sight more than 8.2%...

November 19th 2009

“It needs a willingness to take the argument to people about the tough choices involved in tackling climate change. This is the starting point: a willingness to engage with people on, for example, the fact that to deal with the problem of climate change, energy bills are likely to rise.”

And

“We need to be candid about the issue because it is a very big challenge. The pressures on energy prices will be upwards in the coming decade’”

January 2010:

“Yes, there are upward pressures on energy bills, and that makes life difficult for people, including those in fuel poverty, but it is right that we go down the low-carbon energy route.”

Fact of the matter is this - supply costs are rising, bills all include green taxes, all 3 main parties support the 11% and 4% levies on electricity and gas bills, and the EU is telling us to shut down various power plants by 2015 in the name of man-made global warming. Investment has been minimal for the past two decades, and any signs of that investment increasing to the point of managing to keep the lights on has just been comprehensively torpedo'd. Prices WILL continue to rise. Just watch.

The FACT of the matter is this year's SSE rise is less than last year's! And that was a year BEFORE Labour announced the pledge. Explain that one! My feeling is the effect of Labour's pledge is that the rises this year will be smaller than the suppliers originally intended. That's because the spotlight is very much on them since the Labour conference.

gem1978_2

The sooner red ed can get in and reduce energy bills the better!

MillicentBystander

sheffield_lad wrote: »

Not sure how long the USA have fracked but it has made a massive difference to the cost of gas. I am also unsure how they generate electricity.

The problem with electricity within the UK is that is where the green tax's are levied given that electric is a more carbon intensive fuel.

The suppliers get massive tax breaks depending on their level of spending on green initiatives. Then recoup the cost of these initiatives from their punters! Not a bad business to be in, eh? Keep upping your prices until you make that magic £50 per household and nothing is done about it. Easy peasy business.

jammydodger0905

I USED THE MSE ENERGY SWITCHING TOOL TO DETERMINE WHO I SHOULD SWITCH TO, AND THE TOP OF THE LIST WAS M & S ENERGY. SO I AM GOING THROUGH THE SWITCH!! I HAVE JUST RECEIVED A TEXT FROM SSE SAYING "WELCOME...." SO THE ADVISE GIVEN BY MSE IS TO SWITCH TO THE SUPPLIER THAT IS DOING THE INITIAL HIKE!! :mad:

I DON'T UNDERSTAND!! :eek:

HAVE I GOT THE BEST DEAL OR NOT? I HAVEN'T HAD AN UPDATE FROM MSE TO SAY OTHERWISE SO NOW I AM IN A QUANDRY!!

CAN ANYONE SHED ANY LIGHT ON ALL OF THIS???

THANKS