British Gas Planning 10% Rate Rise

[SHERWICK]

Chickens coming home to roost!

The housing stock in the UK is old and efficient, just like the political and banking systems. There needs to be a national plan to demolish the old Victorian and 1930's housing stock and replace it with energy efficent housing with parking and other modern convinces.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_efficiency_in_British_housing#Existing_housing_stock

Er no thanks! I'm not going to change my high ceilings, large rooms Victorian flat for an 'Executive' new-build rabbit hutch.

No Siree!

[RDW]

The housing stock in the UK is old and efficient, just like the political and banking systems. There needs to be a national plan to demolish the old Victorian and 1930's housing stock and replace it with energy efficent housing with parking and other modern convinces.

Building on green belt is absolutely necessary, of course this will not happen and gas bills will be circa £5k per year for your average BTL s poorly insulated terrace.

http://www.greenbuildingpress.co.uk/article.php?category_id=1&article_id=1559

The average energy efficiency of new homes in England has dropped from last year, official figures reveal. Figures released by the Communities and Local Government department on Friday indicate the average energy efficiency Standard Assessment Procedure rating for new homes – as required by the building regulations – for England was 79.5 the second quarter of this year.

[slacker]

Do you remember the utilities pre-privatisation?

I've come full circle on this, I grew up during Thatcher and was the first to buy in to free-markets.

After watching something pretty far from capitalism for last 30 years evolving in to the unashamed corporatism we have now - I'm reassessing all my views on this.

I no longer see anything fundamentally wrong in having some mammoth nationalised institutions like British Gas that are heavy on bureaucracy, low on efficiency, but employ lots of people on less-than-private-sector wages (not the daft management salaries/pensions we see currently). Same with some big state building projects (tunnel to ireland, grand canal from north to south, Thames airport etc.)

A bit of that coupled with good tax incentives for private sector entrepreneurs would sort a lot of our current economic issues out.

[MartinE]

People pay scant regard to the price of heating when buying.

Be years of more rises to change attitudes.

[Pindar]

Surely rising prices is a good thing. Your money's safe in gas'n leccy. If only we had more energy price ramping on TV, then we could all share in the joy with other energy users.

[Guest eight]

The housing stock in the UK is old and efficient, just like the political and banking systems. There needs to be a national plan to demolish the old Victorian and 1930's housing stock and replace it with energy efficent housing with parking and other modern convinces.

Building on green belt is absolutely necessary, of course this will not happen and gas bills will be circa £5k per year for your average BTL s poorly insulated terrace.

Pathfinder II here we come. Turf people out of homes they already own and stick them into smaller, more expensive ones that just coincidentally we can also provide a mortgage for!

For their own good, naturally.

[Guest eight]

Energy still is a natural monopoly. You can change the billing provider but at the end of the day everything else comes via the same private monopoly system.

Heh, you don't need to convince me. I am and always have been in favour of state control of water, energy and some transport (principally, railways). I mean, if you're going to have a state, what else should it be for?

[interestrateripoff]

Excellent news; rising prices are a positive sign that the economy is improving.

Yes it will ensure more spending and improve GDP.

[interestrateripoff]

Heh, you don't need to convince me. I am and always have been in favour of state control of water, energy and some transport (principally, railways). I mean, if you're going to have a state, what else should it be for?

Allowing the elite to skim off the top and get free stuff?

[MarkG]

Energy is a natural monopoly.

********. I can go and buy a generator tomorrow and not have to worry about what the electricity company decides to do.

To the extent it's a monopoly, it's only because of the fixation on a 'national grid' rather than local production. When you create a centralized distribution system, you can't then complain that you have a centralized distribution system.

[campervanman]

Do you remember the utilities pre-privatisation?

Growing up as a child in the late '70s and '80s, I remember phone charges so high that a 3-4 minute conversation with relatives in south Wales was a rare treat. If you were unlucky enough to live in a property without a phone line and wanted one put in, you joined a 3-4 year waiting list. Gas and electricity was a lot cheaper in real terms than it is now, but that is because North Sea oil was only just becoming available. Supply interruptions were frequent due to a combination of decaying infrastructure and strike-happy workforce. A large supply of candles and a paraffin heater was standard equipment in every home during this period, and they saw regular use.

The main reasons utility bills are spiralling out of control are:

1. North Sea oil is running out

2. Governments of both colours failed to anticipate and plan for this, e.g. by building large-scale storage facilities for imported gas and replacing the UK's nuclear power stations

3. The large-scale taxation on energy to fund 'green' sources of alternative energy production that fundamentally don't work, principally birdie blenders.

Utility companies' profit margins are not a significant component of the overall bill compared to these three factors.

You only need to look at the cost of telecommunications and the range of telecom services available now compared to when British Telecom was a state monopoly, and the cost and range of passenger air travel services available now compared to when British Airways had an effective state monopoly on most routes realise that privatisation is not in itself the problem.

But how many would trade an affordable house, pay rises keeping up with inflation and being able to afford the basics in exchange for pre privatisation Britain? Face it, the "benefits" of the free market, technology and privatisation have not made most peoples lives better than they were.

[MarkG]

Face it, the "benefits" of the free market, technology and privatisation have not made most peoples lives better than they were.

Those are the only things that have made most peoples' lives better than the 1970s, where Britain was on the verge of social and economic collapse. The government has ******ed up all the rest.

Edited September 21, 2013 by MarkG

[@contradevian]

Those are the only things that have made most peoples' lives better than the 1970s, where Britain was on the verge of social and economic collapse. The government has ******ed up all the rest.

In your parallel universe maybe.

[chronyx]

********. I can go and buy a generator tomorrow and not have to worry about what the electricity company decides to do.

To the extent it's a monopoly, it's only because of the fixation on a 'national grid' rather than local production. When you create a centralized distribution system, you can't then complain that you have a centralized distribution system.

He said 'energy', so also includes fuel. What's your generator going to run on? Rainbows?

Edited September 21, 2013 by chronyx

[Ulfar]

I live in a well insulated house and like it cold anyway.

Thermostat set for 15 degrees and won't change. Showers 5 mins only, lessens water and gas usage. In case of cold put on thermals, jumper, warm socks, other warm clothing.

My only problem is electricity, but rather than turning on main computer only router has to be on and can use tablet for browsing. Ebook is also loaded with loads of books. time to catch up on reading.

The downside is if we all do this then they will just ramp prices further, but that will increase protests more.

[byron78]

Do you remember the utilities pre-privatisation?

Growing up as a child in the late '70s and '80s, I remember phone charges so high that a 3-4 minute conversation with relatives in south Wales was a rare treat. If you were unlucky enough to live in a property without a phone line and wanted one put in, you joined a 3-4 year waiting list. Gas and electricity was a lot cheaper in real terms than it is now, but that is because North Sea oil was only just becoming available. Supply interruptions were frequent due to a combination of decaying infrastructure and strike-happy workforce. A large supply of candles and a paraffin heater was standard equipment in every home during this period, and they saw regular use.

The main reasons utility bills are spiralling out of control are:

1. North Sea oil is running out

2. Governments of both colours failed to anticipate and plan for this, e.g. by building large-scale storage facilities for imported gas and replacing the UK's nuclear power stations

3. The large-scale taxation on energy to fund 'green' sources of alternative energy production that fundamentally don't work, principally birdie blenders.

Utility companies' profit margins are not a significant component of the overall bill compared to these three factors.

You only need to look at the cost of telecommunications and the range of telecom services available now compared to when British Telecom was a state monopoly, and the cost and range of passenger air travel services available now compared to when British Airways had an effective state monopoly on most routes realise that privatisation is not in itself the problem.

Pretty ropey analogy to be frank.

The telephone/airline comparison is frankly nonsense - these have got better in the developed world the world over. That's industrial progress and has bugger all to do with privatisation (plenty of countries with state owned telecommunication/airlines have miraculously also enjoyed similar sector improvements).

We have an energy sector that is almost entirely foreign owned, with prices rising in line with these private companies profits.

I'd vote for renationalisation of most things now to be frank. Privatisation has been a disaster for consumers.

[Saving For a Space Ship]

So people are going to start being cold in winter, so that Carney can keep his stupidly low interest rates. People going hungry should not be far behind. For their own good, of course. The people of Britain being cold and hungry is a small price to pay for a 'healthy economy'.

Wait for the winter headlines 'Massive Increase in Retail Footfall, Recovery Continues '.........Oh, its just the poor after the free heat

[MartinE]

I live in a well insulated house and like it cold anyway.

Thermostat set for 15 degrees and won't change. Showers 5 mins only, lessens water and gas usage. In case of cold put on thermals, jumper, warm socks, other warm clothing.

My only problem is electricity, but rather than turning on main computer only router has to be on and can use tablet for browsing. Ebook is also loaded with loads of books. time to catch up on reading.

The downside is if we all do this then they will just ramp prices further, but that will increase protests more.

Pah, I set my thermostat to 5 just to keep ice off the ceiling. Showers are for wimps - I have a bucket on the window ledge that gets warmed by the sun. Next to that is a solar panel for charging my tablet.

Need no more than that.

When it gets cold , I do bench presses outside. Then I go out looking for homeless complaining about ice on the streets and let them know they have it EASY.