Gas bills

[strange6]

Scottish Power increasing them by 19 percent I see. Makes you wonder when the cost of living will cease to increase because at this rate most of us will be just working to keep a roof over our heads with nothing left to spend. It's really getting beyond the joke now.

 

[CarterUSM]

Scottish Power increasing them by 19 percent I see. Makes you wonder when the cost of living will cease to increase because at this rate most of us will be just working to keep a roof over our heads with nothing left to spend. It's really getting beyond the joke now.

That is disappointing, but not unexpected. I should look at changing my supplier, but they all cost a bleeding fortune. What a racket the power game is!

 

[strange6]

That is disappointing, but not unexpected. I should look at changing my supplier, but they all cost a bleeding fortune. What a racket the power game is!

Somebody, somewhere is making big money out of fuel in general. I'm just not convinced that these ever increasing prices are justifiable. I smell market manipulation somewhere and the poor are paying for it as usual.

 

[CarterUSM]

Somebody, somewhere is making big money out of fuel in general. I'm just not convinced that these ever increasing prices are justifiable. I smell market manipulation somewhere and the poor are paying for it as usual.

Weren't some of these companies found guilty of price fixing a few years ago?

 

[Greenback]

Scottish Power increasing them by 19 percent I see. Makes you wonder when the cost of living will cease to increase because at this rate most of us will be just working to keep a roof over our heads with nothing left to spend. It's really getting beyond the joke now.

Some of us already are!!!

I wish I could afford to invest in solar power.

 

[142094]

Quick to blame it on the increased wholesale cost of gas production, yet when the market price went down they weren't as quick to pass on the savings.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

We changed our electricity from E-ON and we are now on Duel Fuel with British Gas. We have the WebSaver special account that guarantees a reduction of at least 7% on the standard tariff and all we have to do to justify this is to send the meter-readings once a quarter to them by e-mail.
They now give NECTAR points for every reading we submit.

 

[Zoe]

That's the free market for you. Anyone remember the "Tell Sid" about British Gas shares for sale? Someone should have told Sid that by doing so gas supply would not be a service for the people but run for shareholders. Higher gas prices can be expected as part of profit maximization.

 

[HST Power]

Are British Gas hiking prices as well? I haven't had time to look at a newspaper or listen to the radio in the past day, so this 19% rise is news to me. All the same, I'm not suprised. It's all about the money. All across the world, the cost of food and commodities continue to rocket. Gas, electricity and water will inevitablty do the same.

 

[Zoe]

Gas, electricity and water will inevitablty do the same.

The question has to be asked as to why this is this case. The utilities are no longer public services but are run by private companies where the priority is to make as much money as possible for shareholders.

 

[HST Power]

The question has to be asked as to why this is this case. The utilities are no longer public services but are run by private companies where the priority is to make as much money as possible for shareholders.

I can see where this is heading, so I'm going to avoid any talk of the P word before I send yet another thread into one of Tory vs Labour, Nationalisation vs Privatisation, AV vs FPTP, ect.

 

[Madge Wildfire]

If you scroll a little down this web page, you will find a graph of wholesale v retail gas prices.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/bargai...icle.html?in_article_id=532935&in_page_id=510

It is a scandal, that retail prices have remained way above wholesale for well over a year, but no one seems to have the guts to do anything about this blatant profiteering.

 

[SS4]

I can see where this is heading, so I'm going to avoid any talk of the P word before I send yet another thread into one of Tory vs Labour, Nationalisation vs Privatisation, AV vs FPTP, ect.

Agreed (but can I use deregulation )

That been said I'd like to see at least some form of government control. Something like only being able to charge +1% of the moving average over the last two years.

 

[flymo]

Can I ask how much is the 'unit' price for gas now in the UK?. Is it still Cubic Metres ?

 

[yorksrob]

Can I ask how much is the 'unit' price for gas now in the UK?. Is it still Cubic Metres ?

The unit for gas and electricity is the KiloWattHour (kWh). An electricity meter will measure consumption in kWh's, however because gas is a gas it has to be measured in volume, i.e cubic metres, or, if you have an older meter, 100's of cubic feet. There is a calculation on the back of the bill to convert these into kWh's.

There are plans for smart meters to be rolled out by the energy companies which will work all of this out on the meter. The unit price will depend on what the energy company is charging for a kWh.

 

[flymo]

The unit for gas and electricity is the KiloWattHour (kWh). An electricity meter will measure consumption in kWh's, however because gas is a gas it has to be measured in volume, i.e cubic metres, or, if you have an older meter, 100's of cubic feet. There is a calculation on the back of the bill to convert these into kWh's.

There are plans for smart meters to be rolled out by the energy companies which will work all of this out on the meter. The unit price will depend on what the energy company is charging for a kWh.

Thanks for that, very informative.

 

[yorksrob]

Thanks for that, very informative.

you're welcome

 

[142094]

Thank God I move out of my rented accomodation at the end of teh month/ No more bills to pay!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

If Scottish Power say 19 per cent as their rise, will the warnings about cartels have any effect on the other companies? Some could see this as a marketing ploy, to say we are only increasing our charges by 10 per cent...why don't you switch to us?

 

[SS4]

Were Scottish power significantly cheaper before?

A 20% rise (to make the maths easier) on £100 is £120 whereas a 10% rise on £110 is £121.

Moral of the story: percentages are very misleading which is why marketing and media love to use them. Always look for an absolute value

 

[DarloRich]

That's the free market for you. Anyone remember the "Tell Sid" about British Gas shares for sale? Someone should have told Sid that by doing so gas supply would not be a service for the people but run for shareholders. Higher gas prices can be expected as part of profit maximization.

The sitation with utilites should show you what privitaisation is all about. Werent we supposed to get more competitio and lower prices?

What a load of bo**ocks - kin Tories :roll:

We a re bieng ripped off and it is a disgrace. And people still vote for those Juan Kers. The havent even got the decency to apologise for the mistakes they made!

How long will it be before people are deprived light, heat or water becuase they simply cant pay.The price of fuel for your vehicle is already becoming prohibitive to any none essential car usage The utility companies answer? Go on a token meter (which costs you MORE!) Batstewards!

Utilites, the railways, and NHS should be in public ownership. Run as not for profit companies

 

[Zoe]

Utilites, the railways, and NHS should be in public ownership. Run as not for profit companies

Don't forget the buses, in many areas there is no competition and you have a single company like First or Stagecoach running almost all services. Also of note is that Royal Mail privatization is getting a step closer today with the passing of legislation.

 

[Ferret]

The theory about competition leading to lower prices works fine so long as the 'competing' companies don't operate a blatant cartel.

Our problem is we stand for this nonsense. DarloRich, your rant about the Tories is noted, but then these ludicrous rises began on Labour's watch, and they did nothing about them. To me, that makes them complicit in the rip off that is happening. I completely agree that they should be in public ownership and run as not for profit organisations, but neither the Tories or the 2nd Tories [sorry, Labour] are actually going to do it.

 

[Zoe]

One issue though is that Thatcher didn't really get going with the privatizations until her second term so if people had hated the idea that much they could have shown here the door in the 1983 election. Were most people at the time sold on the idea that privatization was a good thing?

 

[flymo]

I think the '83 victory was more to do with seeing the Argies off the Falklands than anything to do with any privatisations

 

[DarloRich]

One issue though is that Thatcher didn't really get going with the privatizations until her second term so if people had hated the idea that much they could have shown here the door in the 1983 election. Were most people at the time sold on the idea that privatization was a good thing?

Yes - becuase all the middle england tories got a chance to buy and then sell shares( becuase that is IMPORTANT!)

We are in this position because we have no control over the service or supply. The companies are simply ripping us off. I WONDER WHY THE PRICE NEVER COMES DOWN!

We should just refuse, collectivley, to pay for utilities.

oh an always have you gas meter INSIDE your house. They need a court order to gain access to cut you off.

 

[Zoe]

The questoion is also who should be paying for investment in green technology. I would say this is something which benefits everyone so the government should pay for it but if you rely on the private sector then it will be the customers that will have to pay through higher bills.

 

[DarloRich]

Zoe - that to me is a cover to sting us for even more money.

We pay enougth. The compnaies and thier shreholders can cover the costs. Funny they arent asking the shareholders to raise the extra capital

 

[Zoe]

We pay enougth. The compnaies and thier shreholders can cover the costs. Funny they arent asking the shareholders to raise the extra capital

Why should they though when they can get the customers to pay more and have more money for themselves. Unfortunately this is the reality of privatization and exactly why the utilities should never have been privatized.

 

[DarloRich]

Zoe - agreed