Energy bill hikes to last 17 more years - watchdog

andrewf75

The way I see this is that energy costs have always been high. The problem is not so much the rising cost, but our rising consumption. The way we live is not sustainable. For decades we have consumed excessively without investing in better insulated buildings etc. As non-renewables run out and investment needs to be made in renewables, of course prices are going to rise. Yes, there is some greed on the part of the big corporations, but even without that, I can't see beyond the conclusion that we need to reduce our energy use.

Loughton_Monkey

Energy and water companies have been putting up prices in excess of inflation perfectly well on their own (without green taxes) for virtually every one of the 43 years I have been paying for them.

I see no reason for them to stop now. Green taxes are simply government's way of pulling more revenue in. I can think of no better way of raising taxes than hiding behind organisations that already rip-off the public, and bunging in their own four-penneth, so that they can blame energy companies. Petrol has always been the same.

CLAPTON

MFW_ASAP wrote: »

We've had decades of subsidized energy from being a net energy exporter. As a consequence, the UK has some of the most energy inefficient housing stock in Europe. Now that we are energy importers we have to compete against other nations and our bills are going up. Our bills are still lower than most other countries in Europe, but they are rising all the time as the effect of North Sea oil dwindles. People should take this opportunity to invest in the thermal envelope of their buildings while we still have comparably cheap energy.



We were never subsidized by being a net exporter: the cost to us was the world price as the oil and gas wasn't owned by the state, it was owned by private companies.

No idea what you're going on about here, I never said anything about the topics above.

the cost of our bill comprises many different cost


Wind energy etc tends to produce electricity in places where we have no existing grid connections: so much of our 'investment ' in new infrastructure is bring in electricity from windfarms and is a total waste of money.
It isn't counted against the renewable levies but nevertheless is a significant cost.

Our poorly insulated houses are largely a relic of the age of much of UK housing , dating from Victorian times and 20/30 where energy efficiency wasn't a priority.

Much of our current issues with insulating our properties is the lack of decent information, decent products and knowledgeable tradesmen.

If you aren't aware that most of the much of the excessive increases in bills goes to foreign companies, rich landowners (paid to have the wind turbibines and associated pylons etc) and wsted on useful eco projects then so beit.

grizzly1911

MFW_ASAP wrote: »

The first bit is just plain wrong. Think about it, logically (a hint: Your second sentence contradicted your first).

The cost of importing energy and relying on other nations to supply it is already high (ask those Eastern Europeans who rely on Russia for their energy about security of supply). Renewables doesn't just cover wind power. The base energy capacity is not in dispute and is so obvious that its a moot point.

If we are consuming less we will still need the same infrastructure to deliver it. We might be able to do it with a couple of power stations less but the fuel cost will fall relative to the overhead of delivery.

I didn't say renewable energy consisted only of wind farms.

MFW_ASAP

grizzly1911 wrote: »

To reach that nadir requires significant expenditure.

Once reached you will indeed see payback over time whether that is ever achieved may be difficult to tell.

From that low point the cost will continue to rise and those aaaa+ products will need replacing.

You are in a position to make those choices many aren't or can't. I am sure your windows will look nice and no doubt you have since spreadsheet demonstrating how long payback will take.

As energy bills increase, the more people will focus on the energy efficiency of homes they are willing to buy (or indeed rent). The more energy efficient homes will command a premium price and so any investment a home owner makes will be repaid not just in energy savings while they own the home, but also in the increased sale price when they move on.

As to your comment about replacing electrical goods, this would happen whether the product was z rated or a rated. However, we had incandescent bulbs that used 60w to 100w, we replaced them with fluorescent bulbs that were 12w to 25w and now we have LED bulbs that are 2w to 10w. It's no bad thing to replace electrical products at the end of their lives and enjoy the greater efficiencies of new products.

Graham_Devon

I'm all for green taxes! I get £50 a year removed from my water bill (as does every other household in the South West) thanks to all your kind contributions!




It's ridiculous...

MFW_ASAP

I'm amazed that so many are falling for the utility company's propaganda that all of the increased energy costs are caused by 'green taxes'.

mayonnaise

Graham_Devon wrote: »

I'm all for green taxes! I get £50 a year removed from my water bill (as does every other household in the South West) thanks to all your kind contributions!

It's ridiculous...

Sorry, I don't get it.
What has the £50 rebate on the SW water bill to do with green taxes?

C_Mababejive

There is no doubt that for the forseeable future.energy prices will go up up and up again.

Why?

1)We are importing more and more of it bought on international markets

2) A vast chunk of the UK housing stock is old,decrepit and not energy efficient

3) people have forgotten that in cold weather,you dress accordingly

4) The UKs energy infrastructure is undergoing huge upgrade and replacement programs

5) The UK is keen to meet its commitments under the various environmental protocols

kabayiri

Fracking !!

It's the only mid-term solution I can think of, which has the potential to deliver stability in costs.

Renewables will require a lot more investment in the transport network, and that means expense.