Anyone else feeling a little sick right now

Aylesbury_Duck

tomp2494 said:

I am not feeling sick re the new cap. I am on Octopus tracker for gas an electric until mid June 2023, so hopefully Octopus honor the caps of 40p electric and 11p for gas, and do not up the standing charges. But if they go up and I end up back on the SVT...

I know I am not going to pay more than £85 per month which is what I pay now (which is already a complete rip off for my small flat, two radiators and a towel rail which is rarely on anyway, with way below average usage of electric and gas) 

Bottom line is that the government is going to have to step in. Drop the VAT, drop the ludicrous green levies, to slash bills, and give every home an additional couple of hundred at least, in addition to the £400 already on the table. It was easy to bail the banks out in 2008, yet there isn't such keenness to bail us out of our extortionate energy bills 

In a developed country such as ours, basic things such as water and energy to heat our homes should be cheap and affordable for all. I understand there will be times where fuel is more expensive, but that doesn't mean to current levels of putting most of the country into fuel poverty! 

Not so sure about that.  Affordable, yes, but cheap?  No.  It's about time people realised that water and energy are finite resources and are priced as such.  Help should be provided to support minimum healthy levels of heating for all, and access to water too.  But too many people and businesses leave lighting, heating and all manner of appliances running unnecessarily, heat homes to unnecessary levels, drive around in oversized vehicles with a heavy right foot and so on, because they can afford to because energy is not expensive enough.

I'd like to see some imagination deployed, where there's a subsidy for a certain level of consumption, and increasing tariffs for higher levels, similar to the way income is taxed.  Make sure that no one has to go cold or sit in the dark, but don't subsidise excessive consumption, penalise it.

Evan3020

My neighbours light their garden all night with about 20 bulbs (not solar)

artyboy

Evan3020 said:

My neighbours light their garden all night with about 20 bulbs (not solar)

Is that so that when they are sleepwalking into disaster, at least they can see where they are going?

As an aside, on the subject of solar, as soon as someone comes up with a 'normal' looking roof tile that works as a solar panel, I'm all in. Although I might draw the line if it comes from that Musk chappie 

Evan3020

I don't know but as an amateur astronomer its bloody annoying.

Aylesbury_Duck

Evan3020 said:

My neighbours light their garden all night with about 20 bulbs (not solar)

There's also a modern trend for downlighters on house fronts.  They're everywhere at the moment, usually on the "render-offender grey plague" houses that also seem to be fashionable.  They're LEDs of course, so not consuming enormous amounts.  Not compared to the out-of-town retail parks in my part of Kent, which are all lit up overnight.  I appreciate that cleaning teams, stock controllers, etc are working at night, but the amount of excess lighting on some retail parks at night is ludicrous.  

Aylesbury_Duck

Evan3020 said:

I don't know but as an amateur astronomer its bloody annoying.

It's a hobby I'd like to pursue,  but living in the south east, it's hopeless.

johnbhoy70

Get yourself over to your local B&M and stock up on Powerbanks and if you work in an office and can get away with it power them all up to the max as and when needed!! That's what you get Mr Employer for giving us naff all as a pay rise!! More than one way to skin a cat i tell thee!! Every little and all that.....

Evan3020

My mate used to take an empty flask to work and bring home hot water.

BUFF

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Evan3020 said:

My neighbours light their garden all night with about 20 bulbs (not solar)

There's also a modern trend for downlighters on house fronts.  They're everywhere at the moment, usually on the "render-offender grey plague" houses that also seem to be fashionable.  They're LEDs of course, so not consuming enormous amounts.  Not compared to the out-of-town retail parks in my part of Kent, which are all lit up overnight.  I appreciate that cleaning teams, stock controllers, etc are working at night, but the amount of excess lighting on some retail parks at night is ludicrous.  

As a nature conservationist I hate this & other unnecessary light pollution. The research on the effects of this on wildlife are horrifying but most people don't see it .

Evan3020

It should be dark at night.