Is it really that expensive?

sillygoose

Its 2013, man is sending spacecrafts to the outer reaches of our solar system, medical technology can perform 'miracles' mankind is supposed to be advancing.

We (mankind) have the ability to make as much energy as we need and then some, even without the 'gift' of fossil fuels we got given to get us started off.

Why should we be desperately lagging everything and then lagging the lagging and paying through the nose for energy to huddle around a lone radiator. The politicians would like us all sat in a tin bath in front of the Aga again... I thought the industrial revolution had moved us on from the middle ages but here we are heading back that way.

If decades ago we had put the effort (and trillions £) we put into conflicts into long sighted energy research for making fission cleaner, maybe fusion or who know what other power sources we could have developed then the world could have been so better. No one would have been cold, vehicles would be running on clean hydrogen from sea water, the deserts could have been irrigated feeding the hungry and so on.

Surely life should be getting more advanced, more comfortable?

DragonQ

Pincher wrote: »

So if some scientist did come up with cheap fusion, we might have to arrest him and put him somewhere safe. Maybe this has already happened?

Except fusion research is moving forward nicely. We just haven't quite got to the point where the reaction can sustain itself and produce more power than it consumes. It'll happen eventually, maybe a decade or two. After that someone needs to figure out how to make it produce commercial amounts of energy in a safe way.

Hopefully we'll be pioneers in this respect.

Dan-Dan

givememoney wrote: »

I await the onslaught.

Firstly let me say I want cheaper fuel as much as the next person, however if the average yearly bill is £1,500 this equates to £4 roughly per day.

Think what you are getting for your £4 per day.

• Heating
• Clothes washing
• Dish washing
• Showering
• Lighting
• TVs
• Computers
• Cooking
• Ironing
• Vacuuming
• Appliance charging
• Hair drying

In case you think I work for the fuel companies I don't, my husband and I are retired.

I just thought I'd point out the money spent on fuel is better value than other things you might pay for.

Only somebody living a life of relative financial comfort and security and shielded from the harsh realities of life could possibly post something this gormless

sheffield_lad

givememoney wrote: »

I await the onslaught.

Firstly let me say I want cheaper fuel as much as the next person, however if the average yearly bill is £1,500 this equates to £4 roughly per day.

Think what you are getting for your £4 per day.

• Heating
• Clothes washing
• Dish washing
• Showering
• Lighting
• TVs
• Computers
• Cooking
• Ironing
• Vacuuming
• Appliance charging
• Hair drying

In case you think I work for the fuel companies I don't, my husband and I are retired.

I just thought I'd point out the money spent on fuel is better value than other things you might pay for.

I posted on another forum a similar argument, my feeling is a lot of folk now prioritise

Alcohol, drugs, fags, sky HD, contract mobile phones, gym membership, bingo, gambling, pay day loans, b/band ipads, cars, pets and many other things above the essentials.

Rent/mortgage, food, fuel.

Many reasons for this but think about your typical 20-30yr old couple renting a typical 2up 2 down property. (2x Iphones, £50-£70per month, Gym £20-£30, Sky HD £30-£60, B/b £15, land line £15,

Then think about the same couple 10-20yrs ago, no such outgoings more disposable income gas & electric less of an issue (lower of course).

The cost of living in the digital age is simply not being accounted for.

I believe we need a national debate on what folk prioritise maybe take a bank statement to a food bank to help these folk understand what is and is/not a priority before giving out the food?

catwoman73

I'm another one who doesn't think utilities are particularly expensive, although the 10% annual increases, when we have both been on pay freezes for several years is annoying.

Admittedly we have good insulation and a modern boiler, but I really feel the cold and our 2 bed semi is heated to 22 C about 10 hours per day, the whole year round (OK boiler doesn't come on in the summer). All our white goods are 10+ years old, so maybe not as effcient as new ones.

We also cook a lot and arent particularly careful in turning lights etc off and we don't close any internal doors, and only close the curtains at the back of the house if its really cold, as we're not overlooked.

Monthly gas and electric is about £85 pm and I couldn't see that being reduced by more than about £20 pm or so, even if we did take on the extreme energy savings that some people on here do (freezing cold houses, blankets, bubble wrap on the windows etc). Some people will spend more than £85 pm on takeaway coffees :eek:

They also say that well over half of people have never switched and are on the most expensive gas and electric tarriffs. If that is the case, the only thing they can complain about is their own laziness/stupidity lol.

Nada666

sillygoose wrote: »

Surely life should be getting more advanced, more comfortable?

It is. That is why bills are going up - we have a different order of magnitude idea of how are homes should be.

We didn't drop dead from being allowed to have the Flatley on only for the ten minutes it took for us to get dressed in the morning. Apparently children are built differently nowadays.

sulphate

We're with npower, not affected by the price rises as we're on a fixed rate but our bill is £97 a month so £1164 a year, £3.18 a day.

Not astronomical but:
- it's only a tiny 2 bed cottage
- we are not there all day
- we've hardly had the heating on at all
- our white goods consist of a new A+ rated fridge freezer and a fairly new washing machine, rates are cheaper overnight so we do all our washing then

... and apparently we're already using more than npower have estimated and only been there since July It's a victorian cottage, but being as we've hardly had the heating on at all I don't see how that factors in.

2-3 years ago when were in rented we paid literally half of what we do now and we definitely had the heating on more then! Unbelievable.

Maybe our boiler is just ridiculously inefficient? We don't have many energy saving lightbulbs, but I wouldn't have thought that was costing us that much extra. Will have to check the insulation in the loft.

As for other luxuries that have been mentioned, firstly I agree that so many people do not prioritise but we are pretty good at budgeting... we don't spend money on alcohol, cigarettes, gym membership, bingo, partying, loans, gambling, sky tv, ipads etc... We have one car between us which is essential for both of us to get to work so I don't count that as a luxury. Having said that we both have mobile phone contracts (£41 p/m combined), broadband and landline (£20 p/m combined).

I'm the first person to question others' spending, especially people our age but the vast majority of my friends live in rented rooms or still at home, and spend a lot of money on luxuries, hence why they haven't bought their own house yet.

sheffield_lad

sulphate wrote: »

It's a victorian cottage, but being as we've hardly had the heating on at all I don't see how that factors in.

2-3 years ago when were in rented we paid literally half of what we do now and we definitely had the heating on more then! Unbelievable.

Maybe our boiler is just ridiculously inefficient?

Hi the is clue is a Victorian property so highly likely to be solid walled with no insulation. If I was you I would look up the EPC on your property. That will not only tell you the likely running costs but also how much insulation is in the loft and where you could improve.

PollySouthend

sheffield_lad wrote: »

I posted on another forum a similar argument, my feeling is a lot of folk now prioritise

Alcohol, drugs, fags, sky HD, contract mobile phones, gym membership, bingo, gambling, pay day loans, b/band ipads, cars, pets and many other things above the essentials.

Rent/mortgage, food, fuel.

Many reasons for this but think about your typical 20-30yr old couple renting a typical 2up 2 down property. (2x Iphones, £50-£70per month, Gym £20-£30, Sky HD £30-£60, B/b £15, land line £15,

Then think about the same couple 10-20yrs ago, no such outgoings more disposable income gas & electric less of an issue (lower of course).

The cost of living in the digital age is simply not being accounted for.

I believe we need a national debate on what folk prioritise maybe take a bank statement to a food bank to help these folk understand what is and is/not a priority before giving out the food?

its a well known fact that people these days have way less disposable income than they did 50 years ago. mobiles, broadband, landline are all pretty much essentials these days.

and the gym is very good value for money, 30 a month, but if you go a couple of times a week and to classes, pool, sauna and steam then its a very inexpensive year round leisure activity.

you sound like one of those misguided old people saying that the reason young people cant afford to buy a house (that is ten times their wage) is because they spend 30 a month on a phone.

living standard have been falling constantly for the last 50 years, but the dept bubble has just expanded...and that is now about to pop.

sulphate

sheffield_lad wrote: »

Hi the is clue is a Victorian property so highly likely to be solid walled with no insulation. If I was you I would look up the EPC on your property. That will not only tell you the likely running costs but also how much insulation is in the loft and where you could improve.

that's correct about the solid wall/no wall insulation. Our EPC says 5* for loft insulation (300mm) but apparently wall insulation can be financed through green deal... will have to look into. :T