Cutting my energy use to save so little for me

MacPingu1986

MikeJXE said:

Could the increase in the electricity network be to accommodate the extra needed for an EV for the wealthy, or heat pump and selling back excess to the grid from Solar Power for the same wealthy minority ?

In short - no. Standing charges have not increasing for any of these reasons.

What's been driving increases in standing charges are (as always) complex but key reasons are:

• Inflation;
• supporting customers of failed suppliers through the SOLR scheme;
• increased network costs from a wider grid generation base as we connect more renewable generators that are individually smaller than the gas and coal stations they've replaced ( balance this against the *much* larger environmental costs and energy prices of fossil fuel dependency we would all bear if we didn't do this)

Andreg

Martin Lewis: Why are energy standing charges so high? What can be done? (moneysavingexpert.com)

born_again

MikeJXE said:

Thanks for all your replies but I'm not about to get into an argument with ECO activists or whatever they are called.

I posted the facts on my energy usage, how it had increased not just for me but everyone. It seems no one wants to compare. 

Regarding carrying on using fossil fuel. we haven't a lot of choice, we can't make electricity without them and if anyone thinks we will be free of them by 2050 they are living in cuckoo land 

Far from a eco warrior

Just looking after my pennies.

https://so-eco.co.uk/how-much-renewable-energy-does-the-uk-use/#:~:text=As mentioned earlier, this data,24.62% of all UK energy.

MikeJXE

MultiFuelBurner said:

MeteredOut said:

MikeJXE said:

Thanks for all your replies but I'm not about to get into an argument with ECO activists or whatever they are called.

I posted the facts on my energy usage, how it had increased not just for me but everyone. It seems no one wants to compare. 

Regarding carrying on using fossil fuel. we haven't a lot of choice, we can't make electricity without them and if anyone thinks we will be free of them by 2050 they are living in cuckoo land 

You didn't ask anyone to compare. You asked if cost increases have been put in place to benefit the wealthy. And you got answers to that question.

Indeed the old fella ( I can say that as previously we have discussed age and over 80 so this is not inaccurate in any way) was inciting the responses he got. 

I believe I have also put forward ECO4 incentives his way but he rents and that was an end to that conversation some months back. 

LOL yeah I remember that and yes I am old 

There is not much point arguing with some people who promote smart meters and there benefits, who will try to save every penny by switching savings accounts for a 0.1 extra interest 

Who will promote the EV that does miles for pennies, when the majority of the population can't even afford one because they can't charge at home,  but don't say they are no better on a long run than an ICE

Who point out that electricity is close to 40% of generation by wind but don't say only if the wind is blowing

Who don't think it is fair that some of the standing charge should go on the unit rate so high users pay more, they are even against who I think may be the founder of this site is fighting for, he is wrong too now it appears 

  With the energy and the EV threads,  if you don't agree with what the eco activists say about smart meters and electric vehicles you are either wrong and be told so many times or ignored 

 It don't matter to me, I posted my costs over 3 years and wondered how others have done,

No comment apparently, no discussion there  but add an assumption of why and the site goes into overdrive 

mmmmikey

Hi @MikeJXE was just about to dig out my costs for comparison, but I had a closer look at yours and I'm puzzled by them. They appear to show unit rates of 32p/kWh for 2021, 49p/kWh for 2022 and 30p/kWk for 2023. Sounds about right for 2023 but look high for 2021 and 2022. I guess it doesn't change your underlying point about the proportion of standing charge if the monetary values are correct, but it does make your figures look a bit questionable. An error in your spreadsheet or just a typo maybe? Or am I missing something obvious? (If I am it wouldn't be the first time!)

MikeJXE

mmmmikey said:

Hi @MikeJXE was just about to dig out my costs for comparison, but I had a closer look at yours and I'm puzzled by them. They appear to show unit rates of 32p/kWh for 2021, 49p/kWh for 2022 and 30p/kWk for 2023. Sounds about right for 2023 but look high for 2021 and 2022. I guess it doesn't change your underlying point about the proportion of standing charge if the monetary values are correct, but it does make your figures look a bit questionable. An error in your spreadsheet or just a typo maybe? Or am I missing something obvious? (If I am it wouldn't be the first time!)

Thanks for your reply but what happened to your comparison ?

My rates are for the 3 years January 2021 to December 2023 in 3 different properties but the same area, obviously the variation in the rates are due to price increases 

Regarding the discrepancies you are quoting. My spreadsheet over 2 years 2021 and 2022, the kWh used is 1605 in  total but the split may not be accurate as I had to take a stab in the dark, it didn't tie up to complete years. 

2021 SSE 

kWh 0.1678 - 0.2038

SC 0.2602 - 0.2697

2022 SSE and OVO

kWh 0.26.31 - 0.3144

SC. 0.4812 - 0.4350

All above plus VAT

 2023 Octopus

kWh 0.2948 - 0.2747

SC  0.4412 - 0.4866

Including VAT 

All the figures are from my spreadsheet and in comparison with my bills are unlikely to be more than a couple of pence adrift. 

BellaBlondykeTheThird

I haven't got my three year figures but given the our solar generation, 20kwh of batteries and two EV's it's been peanuts probably as low as your bills in total.

As to answer

Could the increase in the electricity network be to accommodate the extra needed for an EV for the wealthy, or heat pump and selling back excess to the grid from Solar Power for the same wealthy minority ?

Did you mean the SC for electricity has increased to meet this demand. Then yes to an extent to connect and make use of all the renewable generation and get ready for when more households go all electric. (2050 maybe)

Does this benefit the early adopters taking a leap into the unknown of the fully electric world......yes it has but equally this was an expensive risk as well to them personally.

On a side note you seem quite bitter about these things reading previous posts of yourself on smart meters and to be honest it is sometimes difficult to converse with people that aren't willing to take on others views or facts.

MikeJXE

BellaBlondykeTheThird said:

I haven't got my three year figures but given the our solar generation, 20kwh of batteries and two EV's it's been peanuts probably as low as your bills in total.

As to answer

Could the increase in the electricity network be to accommodate the extra needed for an EV for the wealthy, or heat pump and selling back excess to the grid from Solar Power for the same wealthy minority ?

Did you mean the SC for electricity has increased to meet this demand. Then yes to an extent to connect and make use of all the renewable generation and get ready for when more households go all electric. (2050 maybe)

Does this benefit the early adopters taking a leap into the unknown of the fully electric world......yes it has but equally this was an expensive risk as well to them personally.

On a side note you seem quite bitter about these things reading previous posts of yourself on smart meters and to be honest it is sometimes difficult to converse with people that aren't willing to take on others views or facts.

At last someone who can say it as it is. 


No I'm not bitter at all, those who want smart meters are welcome to them, I was smart meter for the first 2 years, no complaints,  dumb now but if I was asked to have one I would not refuse, some will and thats their choice. 

I have nothing against an EV but 1) I wouldn't pay that much for a car and 2) I live in a flat so no possibility of charging, I am also happy with what I have, a car that doesn't emit as much crap in a year as a tank does in a day but thats another story, with that even if the whole country went electric tomorrow it wouldn't stop us breathing the air coming from China, India and Russia, the answer to that will be every little helps but it doesn't, not that little. 

 Yes I have posted on smart meters and the EV thread 

What I don't like is the one sided view that the eco warriors have, sling facts and figures about that are not all true but make out they are. Say smart meters should be mandatory plus, ICE cars should be banned and we should be forced into electric.

 We don't know what lies ahead and we should be careful what we wish for. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Magnitio said:

Looking at what you posted, your energy usage has actually decreased each year. So has mine.

I'm not an ECO activist, but do care about the environment and my children/grandchildren.

Here's some news for you: it is possible to make electricity without fossil fuels and has been for over 200 years.

Don't worry the oil companies have been investing heavily in plastics to ensure their product remains viable in a world of increasing green energy production. 

As long as there is a profit in it the oil will continue to be sucked out the ground until it runs out and in the process will cause vast environmental devastation, just not here but out of sight in other countries which the media won't tell you about very often, instead they will distract you will articles on politics and house prices or interest rates.  

Both your and my children/grandchildren are doomed to live in a world where every single scrap of recourses is plundered without thought of the wider consequences to the environment, biodiversity or the impact on our fellow human beings living in misery, because profit is always paramount. 

OP I don't have usage figures, we keep our energy use pretty much the same, we used to pay around £600-700 a year now we pay around £1400 which is about right as prices have doubled.

I've read prices should dip in April which will obviously have a knock on effect in terms of cost but ultimately we need to cook, put the lights on and heat the water, apart from keeping a check on things on standby and hanging the washing out when the weather permits I can't image the energy used for luxury (basically TV, PC and charging phones) amounts to much.

We got £600 from the government (£400 everyone got plus £200 for not being on mains gas) which was nice, beyond that we budget best we can to pay the bills, the energy bills don't bother me too much, the council tax increases do and the increases in the cost of food are a bit much but what can you do? 

EssexHebridean

Mike it should also be pointed out for those who aren't familiar with the background here that your energy use and living arrangement is not typical for the vast majority of folk, and certainly not for the vast majority of folk you age. For most pensioners, your bills would be the thing of dreams, and are just not possible if heating their property to a comfortable and safe-for-them temperature. 

I can't recall having seen anyone on the energy board who I would describe as an eco-warrior either. As a rule those who misrepresent facts from either side get pulled up on it by the forum regulars. 

Allowing that this is a money saving forum, I think it's fair to say that sneering at those who make choices based on a money saving smaller than we would bother with ourselves is a bit poor, to be honest. Sort of "reverse snobbery" in a way. Probably the best suggestion here is to take away what suits us, and move on from that which is not for us.