Price Cap ?- say it how it is

shawry_99

Aylesbury_Duck said:

MouldyOldDough said:

But its not a price cap either

Yes it is.  It's perhaps not the best choice of words, but it is a price cap.

I've come to the conclusion that however things like this are presented and subsequently explained, there will always be a chunk of the population unwilling or unable to understand them.  We live in an age where an essentially infinite amount of information is available at our fingertips.  If people aren't prepared to take the time to do some basic research, I'm not sure how we'll every achieve a situation where everyone is fully cognisant of the details and how they're affected.

How would you present the current position on energy prices and the cap, to make it more understandable to more people?

Id say the price cap for someone on Dual Fuel DD, in whatever region they use as default will pay XX standing charge, and no more than xx per kWh for gas and xx per kWh for electric

Everyone can then look at their own bills and work it out.

[Deleted User]

You have noticed the people on here who say "I don't understand what a unit is" and think that changing their DD is the same as changing tariff?  Or think that their fixed deal means the cost won't change regardless of how much they use?

The users of this forum represent greater understanding and greater engagement than the average member of the public, so "everyone can look at their own bills" is not the best advice for the public at large.

MWT

Regrettably, no matter how it is presented in a headline, it will be misleading, just not enough words to do better...

If people would be willing to read further than the headlines it could be made clear, but far too many don't go that far it seems, even if the journalists take the time to explain and get it right, which is also too rare for my liking...

Aylesbury_Duck

MWT said:

Regrettably, no matter how it is presented in a headline, it will be misleading, just not enough words to do better...

If people would be willing to read further than the headlines it could be made clear, but far too many don't go that far it seems, even if the journalists take the time to explain and get it right, which is also too rare for my liking...

tiktok syndrome.  Compress everything to a few seconds of superficial, visual content and that's how too many people like to receive information now.

jimjames

MWT said:

, even if the journalists take the time to explain and get it right, which is also too rare for my liking...

Even many journalists don't understand so unlikely they're able to explain it either

Alnat1

The BBC needs to stop putting out interviews of older people saying they are going to sit in the dark all winter. They need to let the public know that a light bulb will probably cost around 2p for a whole evening.

pochase

shawry_99 said:

I dont know any average people, and the only thing everyone I have spoken to is, how much our own bills may rise.

If they can give a 'price cap' it means they have based that on a SC, and a unit rate for Gas and Electric.

I'd prefer they just give those figures with the caveat that it will be slightly different per region / payment method etc.  Its going to be more accurate than the current method, and certainly more useful for most people.

But it is exactly the other way around.

The unit rates are calculated from the cap figures for gas and electricity. 

pochase

[Deleted User] said:

It is exactly a price cap because it sets the maximum sale price for a unit - what it is not is a cost cap.

People seem incapable of understanding the different in these things.

It's like seeing a price cap of £1 for a pint of milk, and then not understanding that 2 pints might cost more than £1. 

Never heard of all you can eat? Maybe there is also a all milk you can drink.

But for sure there is no all you can eat for energy. And those who complain are very sure that it is fraud, and not what they signed up for.

PennyForThem_2

Alnat1 said:

The BBC needs to stop putting out interviews of older people saying they are going to sit in the dark all winter. They need to let the public know that a light bulb will probably cost around 2p for a whole evening.

Yes, see where you are coming from but I think also you need to understand the generation (of which I am one - although a baby boomer) these pensioners are coming from.

Debt was shaming and to be avoided.  Not to be admitted to.  Many have experienced the deprivations/rationing after 2nd WW as children.  CH was only available to the rich.  Therefore reverted to strategies like open fires, blankets, hot water bottles several levels of clothes (even goose grease vests) to keep warm.

The internet/mobile phones enabling finding info (both truthful and not) did not happen until late 90's early 2000's.  I remember paying £2k for a Dell desktop around then - a fortune.  Had a conn to internet via freeserve which cost 1p per minute - think this was early 2000's.  So do not say that older generation should know cost of a light bulb - that is so unfair for a generation that has not grown up with internet.

artyboy

"Price per unit cap"? Or would the media think that's too many words for the average punter to comprehend?