Energy Price Guarantee No Longer 2 years just 6 months at current level

getmore4less

sienew said:

dunstonh said:

We reduced ours from 20kWh per day to under 10kWh per day just by turning things of at the plug and not leaving them on standby, changing some bulbs and using them less, using eco modes on the dishwasher and replacing an older Fridge/freezer

I'd just like to comment that turning things off at the plug is one of the least effective energy saving measures. Modern electricals are designed to use a tiny amount of power when on standby. I often see it misreported in the news as a great energy saving measure and it simply isn't, doing any of the other things you suggested will save 10x what turning your tv off would ever do. 

This post isn't really directed at you but a general frustration with the wider media. I've heard a lot of people talk about how they've done their bit and are saving energy by turning things off standby. It does almost nothing but is everyones first (and often only) step because it's easiest. In reality what people need to do is make their heating more efficient, check their boiler settings, reduce their heating, heat rooms they use, reduce draughts, take shorter/colder showers, cook for less time, turn things off when not using them, change to LED's... and a million other things that would have MUCH more impact but nobody actually wants to do because it affects their standard of living.

I have started measuring my stuff on the most off we can get them before hitting the wall or using a smart switch where convenience is needed.

The first 2 were surprising,

1Wh/d  Washing machine ( <0.4 kWh a year) washer has a default end of cycle standby mode that uses more.
8Wh/d  Tumble dryer ( <3kWh a year) kicks in after the anti crease cycles

Have 2 monitors checking the energy of the various cycles a decent 40c load on eco is costing under 2kWh to wash and dry(HP dryer).
Saving can come from some cooler washes and cutting out some drying when weather is cooperating(can make a covered outside area which would help through the winter.


My Freezer(8 Cu ft/226l,  bought 2004) got measured over a few days very consistent and close to specification (212kWh/y), checking the modern equivalent published data no difference, which was a surprise.

The FF pretty stable over a few days data suggests possibly some savings there but not enough to justify the purchase yet.
will do that one again when I have a monitor free

testing my powered bluetooth speakers for the TV sound bar, just started needs a few days to get the daily numbers.
The sub is sitting at around 1W when idle and 4W when active(low volumes)
The rear(each) are around 0-0.5W(1Wh was over 2hr when idle) and 1.7W(1Wh 36min) active

I did find the battery(AA,AAA...) charger that was using 2w can easily be moved to a switched extension for the times it is needed ~17kWh a year saved.

Probably hovering around 10-12kWh a day last 3 years looking squeeze it down.

Gas we have done the big one turn off completely(frost) when away for periods, turn it on to rewarm the house and water ready for return, if been really cold and house getting close to 10c it can take 24hr to get the internal fabric up to temp.

Reducing the heating periods and drop temps, just keep tweaking that to keep comfortable .

Hot water tank(gas) we can control temp/time and keep it shower temp when needed
OH likes a bath so needs to be hotter can do that with our control on demand.

All work in progress need to take on the smart meters soon.

Sea_Shell

Will there be a U-turn on the change to the EPG now?🤔

It's like the hoky-coky at the moment 😉

brewerdave

Sea_Shell said:

Will there be a U-turn on the change to the EPG now?🤔

It's like the hoky-coky at the moment 😉

Probably not....or perhaps yes ....or maybe cancel the whole thing and everyone goes back on to the OFGEM cap as would have been .......or no cap at all !!!

Ultrasonic

Sea_Shell said:

Will there be a U-turn on the change to the EPG now?🤔

It's like the hoky-coky at the moment 😉

My normal reaction would be to say I think that the plan will stay as it currently is: 6 months as set out with review to decide what to do afterwards. But frankly right right now there could be a government plan to give everyone 10% off flights to somewhere hot for all I know!

ariarnia

it does make planning hard. i'm just so greatful we fixed our morgage early so were not worrying. could turn out that by jan we made a silly mistake and wasted the cost of the early redemption but for now not worrying about one less thing is so worth it!

EssexHebridean

PennyForThem_2 said:

EssexHebridean said:

wittynamegoeshere said:

EssexHebridean said:

ariarnia said:

wittynamegoeshere said:

ariarnia said:

or are you suggesting no one should get any help from the government to cope with the incredible and unforsseeable (hopefullyshort term) cost of energy?

I'm suggesting that you're not the government and neither am I.  If people are going to struggle next winter with what's likely to be a much higher bill then they might to want to take some action themselves to change this situation.

and your incorrectly assuming at least in this situation two things. first that someone in a too large houses isnt doing everything they reasonably and sensibly can to reduce their usage given their personal circumstances and abilities to improve their situation and that moving to a smaller house is a magic solution that would work for everyone. less patronising judgement and more understanding of individual differences would make a world of difference to actually coming up with helpful solutions rather than pushing your solution no matter how unsuitable it might be for that person 

I sympathise - not least as I can see my Mum being in a similar situation in times to come. She can currently afford her bills, but if prices go up as much as they could do, that situation might change. She currently lives in what an EA would market as a 3 bed terrace - in actual fact it's a 2 bed, realistically - the third room would literally just fit a single bed and nothing else, and contains the boiler so in the summer it gets quite unbearably hot. In our area, bungalows go for easily £100k more than her house would fetch, if sold. Then there are all the associated financial costs - legal fees plus disbursements would be an additional £1500. Add Stamp duty. Then agents fees. Removal costs. Then there are the personal costs on top - the house Mum lives in and loves is where she lived with  my Dad until he died a few months ago. It was bought by them with the thinking that there was the potential there that some modifications could be made if needed as they got older - indeed there was a stairlift that Dad needed for a few months - so we know that if needed again, that would work. Downstairs is all on the level. There is a small garden - easily maintainable and manageable. The bottom line though is that even if she was to want to move - it would realistically be at a cost of at least £110,000 that she simply doesn't have. Renting isn't an question - even if in her late 70s, she actually wanted to go back to what she would see as that level of uncertainty and feeling like the roof over her head isn't "hers" any more, the only bungalows local to us to rent realistically are still council stock. This isn't in any way "looking for excuses - it's cold hard facts. It's fabulous that some people live in areas of the country where this sort of dilemma isn't an issue, or indeed have relatives in a fortunate enough financial position that finding an odd £100k isn't going to prove a stumbling block - but those who are in that sort of position do need to bear in mind that a) their area might not be typical of what applies elsewhere and b) it's not everyone who just has the money in the bank to fund a house move in their old age. Also c) moving home is recognised as one of the single most stressful things a person can do - I certainly wouldn't want to see my Mum go through that level of stress at her age - but you know what, I wouldn't want to see anyone else's elderly relatives being made to feel they should put themselves in that position, either.  

(Insert heap of disclaimers here)  Have you looked at equity release?  If your mum is absolutely certain that she doesn't need to move ever then it could be an option.

My mum's done it, all without ever discussing it with me.  Obviously it will reduce the amount of any future inheritance, but I'm very happy to get less or even nothing if it means that she's comfortable.  I'm not counting on inheriting anything, I'd much prefer both lots of our parents to enjoy themselves and go out with nothing than be miserable so I can get a pile of money I've done nothing for.

Tread extremely carefully and get lots of advice, there are some shark-like companies about.

I think some are interpreting all my comments in some odd ways.  I'm just suggesting things that people could do for themselves, based on the worst case assumption that the govt will provide none or very little assistance and prices remain high.  This seems like a reasonable assumption, based on the fact that we as a nation are in debt up to our eyeballs and borrowing more has suddenly got much more expensive.  I don't think Ukraine and Russia are going to be hugging any time soon, and even if they did then Europe isn't going to be getting Russian gas for a very long time.

I'd suggest assuming that the government handouts will stop, prices will rise and assessing your options for yourself from there.  Not because I want this to be the case, but because I believe that this is a the reality of where our country is - we're in huge trouble financially.  Sorry if this isn't putting things delicately enough for some, but sometimes the truth isn't nice.

I haven't said that every suggestion is the answer for everyone.  I've suggested lodgers and moving house, I haven't suggested selling body organs, but you'd think so from some offended tones.

Mum has looked into that, and knows it is there as an option for the future, but right now she feels that she can afford to stay where she is, it's suitable for her, and she can make ends meet - and ultimately essentially being back to feeling as though she "has a mortgage" again (yes, we and she knows it's not quite the same thing, but ultimately it IS a charge on the property!) will lead to her feeling a degree of stress she'd rather not create for herself. The bottom line is that both she and Dad paid their taxes religiously and as they were expected to during their working lives - and I have to say that I do feel now that there should be help there for someone in her position if it was needed now, rather than the suggestion that she should just downsize - if she were living in a 6 bedroom mansion then I'd probably be the first to be trying to convince her that a relocation might be better for her on every level, but where she is is simply a small regular terraced home, which has space for me to stay with her in the short term if needed due to ill health for example. 

Re the reactions to your previous posts, I want to tread carefully here but certainly to me, some of your previous input on the subject has felt a little over-simplified. Particularly for someone in their 70's/80's the upheaval of moving house is a huge and massive thing - and most people wouldn't like to think of elderly parents going through that sort of stress, I hope you'd feel much the same. 

 Also, for some people, the stress and upheaval both physical and mental of something like a house move would be akin to the impact of selling a body organ or two, as well, only with the net result of them actually being worse off, rather than better.

Please look at the individual - true, it is stressful moving etc, and for some it may not be right, but just because we are in our 70's or 80's does not mean we cannot cope with it - especially if we have impartial family help.  (I have edited this quote to focus.)

I am - in this case the individual concerned is my Mum - I'd say I know her fairly well!  :-)  As for the inference that it might in fact be ME who has the problem with her moving - I can assure you that she very much runs her own affairs - that doesn't mean however that I'm not thoroughly aware of how she feels about her home, and how any suggested move from that home would affect her finances. (Since helping her deal with my Dad's Estate after his death a few months ago I'm fully aware of the financial position she's in.)  I certainly wouldn't encourage her to stay put if she didn't wish to because it might in some way "feather my nest" further along the line - I have every expectation that in due course the value currently in her home is going to be required to pay for her care in the future. The longer she can stay in the best care possible as a result of this value, the better - but that is for her sake, not mine.  Ultimately I will fight tooth and nail to ensure that she continues to live her life as SHE wants to. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Max68 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Max68 said:
 I was on UC for a few months during the pandemic but when I found work again, I was told that there was no reason to close the claim because it would safeguard me if something happened negatively job wise, eg redundancy or similar.  It means you don't have to fully reclaim again. I haven't received any UC for quite some time because I earn more than the ceiling, but they still send me a NIL statement each months noting what earnings they have been notified of.  Not sure how long it goes on for before they totally close it, but I suspect they have notification of earnings from millions of ex claimants as well as current ones.

6 months of consecutive nil payments.

The earnings information UC receives is from HMRC, the PAYE data from their payslips (which can create its own problems for claimants if it's reported at a different time from when it's actually paid, or certain deductions / contributions reported slightly wrong).

That's interesting I've had 9 months of nil points!!  ;-)

[Fast-moving thread, sorry] that's very odd, usually they'll only actively keep it open beyond the 6 months if you're waiting for a work capability assessment.  If you're not, something weird is going on because that is definitely not the norm.

markin

It all seems to boil down to the councils not building small 2 beds for the over 65's, That would let the people stuck in overcrowded 2 beds to move up the ladder to 3 beds and new buyers get the 2 bed starter homes cheaper.

The 2 bed and 3 bed price difference is often too close, Depending on the area off course. 50K can easily get swallowed up in moving costs and renovation and the elderly don't want to do the messy work.

ariarnia

markin said:

It all seems to boil down to the councils not building small 2 beds for the over 65's, That would let the people stuck in overcrowded 2 beds to move up the ladder to 3 beds and new buyers get the 2 bed starter homes cheaper.

The 2 bed and 3 bed price difference is often too close, Depending on the area off course. 50K can easily get swallowed up in moving costs and renovation and the elderly don't want to do the messy work.

there's not any dedicated 'retirement houses or flats' for the over 65 in this immediate area but we did have a look at some just a bit further out for the mil. the choice seemed to be either really tiny flats without even a proper kitchen (and one of her real pleasures is cooking and baking for people) or really expensive properties with on site nurses and wardens. which she just doesn't need and might well even have been more expensive than what she would get for her house once you add in the annual charges.

i don't think its fair to blame the council though. i think everyone would benifit from more housing stock in sensible sizes that was well built and energy efficient. not just for over 65s but for singletons and couples who dont want to start a family or have a big house just because they can aford it. the government really should incentivise house builders the same as we would all benifit if the government had built a couple of nuclear reactors a decade a go. but wishes arent horses unfortunately. any solution to the housing market is not going to be in place in the next 12 months./ 

Chrysalis

In this area the most sought after property is one bed flats.  It has huge under supply issues.  We have 2 uni's so a large student population as well.  All the HA's are closed for applications and the council only lets people on the housing register who are considering in an emergency situation or very high priority.

The council has some empty 3 bed houses (which are the least demand property), but cant allocate them to singletons for obvious reasons.

The council deemed some areas as licensed areas for private rent, and so will be taking a cut in the lucrative student rental business (as I checked their map they picked the student areas).

For over 50s, they still have housing schemes, and most single bed properties seemed to be targeted at them, including the housing charities.