ENERGY MATTERS

[Big Kev]

We have ended up with eon as our energy supplier and they are keen to supply us with a smart meter. They have failed to turn up for 2 appointments in the last couple of weeks and we get credited £30 for each no show. Long may it go on!

Excellent stuff, keep on booking

[Stanley]

Nice one Wendy!
I am on a fixed price deal until the end of April I think. I'll check next time i put a meter reading in.

[Tripps]

Just seen a local TV item from a nearby village, which has no gas, where the price of heating oil has doubled since last week. Lady was in shock.

[Wendyf]

The heating oil price has gone through the roof with delivery companies unable to quote until they are on site ready to fill the tank. Prices of £1600 for 1000 litres being talked of locally when it would have been £600 just a couple of weeks back. Glad we got that ton of coal!

[Tripps]

That fits with the news item. I thnk she had 500 litres. She just switched thw whole system off.

There was mention of £1.50 per litre by other villagers. The only positive I can see is that it's Spring.

The village was 'Orwell' by the way. Almost poetic. . . .

[Stanley]

I remember us talking a long time ago about people who had retired to remote places where there was no mains gas and they had to have a car to go shopping. These are the people who are getting hit now, I think of villages like Alston or Leadhills... houses must be worthless.
Just thinking Peter, does your move to town look like a good one now?

[Tizer]

Just seen a local TV item from a nearby village, which has no gas, where the price of heating oil has doubled since last week. Lady was in shock.

Back around Millenium time we were living in the village and had no gas so our boiler was oil-fired. We experienced fluctuations in oil price in a range of about 25p to 75p.

[Big Kev]

Gas has started flowing, over the weekend, from a new North Sea gas field, be interesting to see if UK gas prices benefit from this. https://worldoil.com/news/2022/3/14/ne ... 20company.

[Stanley]

I hope it does Kev but I won't be holding my breath......

[Tripps]

News from Octopus that my energy bill, which had already increased by 73% in January, will increase by a further 47% in April.

So compared with last year - I have an increase of 155% .

Get fracking says I.

[Stanley]

Hard luck David. I suspect we will all be joining you before the summer is out. The government tell us it is global forces but if they had pursued a coherent energy policy over the last thirty years instead of abrogating responsibility to 'The Market' (All governments, not just the Tories.) and remembered Nye Bevan's dictum about controlling the commanding heights, we would have been in a much better place. As it is this lot will let the energy companies print money while leaving us to pay.

[Tizer]

Two examples are given here. The Gateshead one sounds good but I'm wary of the London one which involves a borehole into a deep aquifer. Interfering with aquifers can have long-lasting and serious adverse effects, not just near the borehole but far away from it.
`Could super-sized heat pumps make gas boilers extinct?' LINK

[Stanley]

That is Pie in the Sky, Grasping at Straws twaddle and we all know it. Even if it were possible it would be decades away.

[plaques]

Its worth remembering that Greenland full of hot water geysers thought about doing a similar project unfortunately they couldn't take advantage of the hotter shallow water and had to resort to deep boreholes. The cost of pumping water up from these depths exceeded the heat gained from the water. Even if heat exchangers are used using water at 15C isn't going to make it a viable project.

[plaques]

The price of diesel and petrol is one one the big drivers of inflation. The cost of transporting goods adds to the price of googs on the shelves. This being said the government is the big winner out of fuel prices. Not only do they get and immediate boost from the pump prices but gain again on those items that carry their own VAT. Laughing all the way to the Bank.

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Fuel prices. .jpg

[Stanley]

But that Nice Mr Sunak said he would help those hardest hit. So that's all right then?
PS/ BG continue to cock up my account and the smart meter still isn't working. I might get enough energy up to lodge another complaint shortly....

[Tizer]

There's been a long article in The Times about a report from the International Energy Authority advising how governments can save energy in the forthcoming energy crisis. Many suggestions but I was glad to see among them advice to lower traffic speed limits and data given for how much energy that would save. I've been saying for years now that we should lower speed limits and police them effectively because it would save fuel, reduce road deaths and injuries, lower pollution and CO2 emissions and be the only way that we can safely introduce autonomous vehicles alongside conventional ones. Then I got to the end of the article and it said The Times had asked the government for a response to the report. They got the response and it basically claimed the report was irrelevant to the UK because we are `not dependent on imported oil and gas from Europe'. So that's it. (But please will someone tell the UK government that we may not be in the European Union but we are still in Europe - unless a tectonic fault line has emerged down the North Sea and the Channel!)

[Stanley]

"the report was irrelevant to the UK because we are `not dependent on imported oil and gas from Europe'"
That is so obviously wrong that it makes you wonder about the intelligence of our leaders.
I noted the same syndrome the other day when Useless Eustise told farmers at the Oxford Conference that what was happening in the Ukraine wouldn't affect us. This is on the same level of ignorance and stupidity. Do they really believe that we are somehow insulated because of our mythical 'sovereignty'?
I'm sure the world notes these things and shakes their collective heads in awe as we demonstrate time after time how bad our political leadership is.

[Tizer]

Another critical piece of British infrastructure sold off to foreigners. It might `only' be the gas grid but we'll need it for some time yet and perhaps it will get `re-purposed' for another use in the future...
`National Grid sells 60% stake in gas network' PA news agency via Central Fife Times
`National Grid said it had sold a controlling stake in its gas grid to a group of global investors as it raises money to invest in electricity. The business said that it would pocket £2.2 billion in cash for 60% of its gas transmission and metering unit. It is a significant deal for the company, which has for decades been responsible for the pipes that funnel gas into homes across the UK. The consortium of buyers includes Australia’s Macquarie Asset Management and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation from Canada.'...

[Big Kev]

Just been having a read about electric combi boilers, they certainly look to be a viable option to gas if your property meets certain criteria.
14kw electric combi boilers are available for around £1000, certainly comparable with buying a gas combi. They're cheaper to fit, there's no flue required so a lot more options for fitting locations. No 'local' emissions either. There are 3 phase, as well as single phase, options available (I looked on the Screwfix website) I would imagine you'd need a fairly robust electricity supply.
A 14kw boiler will be enough for the average sized UK property. With electricity costs, per KWh, currently around 3 times that of gas they look to be a lot more expensive to run (compared to gas) but manufacturers claim an electric combi uses 50% less energy for the same output. If you have solar panels and are well insulated it looks like a very viable option to me. I wonder if these would be a better option than the heat pumps that are being pushed forward by the government?

[Stanley]

Well, now I know the size of the rabbit...... I have had mail from BG about the new tariff. The first thing to say is that fixed tariffs seem to be dead. I am told that "we're moving you onto our Standard Variable tariff, which is currently the cheapest available. ". Am I right in thinking that this is unavoidable, there is no alternative and I will have to grin and bear it?

Here are my new charges based on current consumption....
Old Total charge £1014 per annum. New £1760 per annum.
Old standing charge (per day) 18.236. New will be 48.527 (!)
Unit rate was 18.236. New will be 27.358.

All I can say is deep joy! If you see my conclusion of grinning and bearing it as wrong please let me know.

[Big Kev]

Well, now I know the size of the rabbit...... I have had mail from BG about the new tariff. The first thing to say is that fixed tariffs seem to be dead. I am told that "we're moving you onto our Standard Variable tariff, which is currently the cheapest available. ". Am I right in thinking that this is unavoidable, there is no alternative and I will have to grin and bear it?

Here are my new charges based on current consumption....
Old Total charge £1014 per annum. New £1760 per annum.
Old standing charge (per day) 18.236. New will be 48.527 (!)
Unit rate was 18.236. New will be 27.358.

All I can say is deep joy! If you see my conclusion of grinning and bearing it as wrong please let me know.

You are correct about fixed rates. With regard to standing charge and unit rates, are they for gas? What are the rates for electricity?

[Stanley]

You're right Kev. I missed that! Here is the complete old and new tariff.

HomeEnergy Fix Apr 2022v2
£1014.04
your annual cost
Based on paying by Direct Debit
Your fixed price tariff is ending on 30th April 2022
Click here for current terms

Gas: £440.94
Standing charge:
26.588p per day
Unit rate:
3.254p per kWh
Electricity: £573.10
Standing charge:
26.821p per day
Unit rate:
18.236p per kWh

Your new tariff
Standard Variable
£1758.77
estimated annual cost

Based on paying by Direct Debit
Variable~ rate tariff with no end date
No exit fees
Click here to read tariff terms

Gas: £868.72
Standing charge:
27.220p per day
Unit rate:
7.280p per kWh
Electricity: £890.05
Standing charge:
48.527p per day
Unit rate:
27.358p per kWh
I hadn't reckoned everything up. I think my annual charge is right.....

[Big Kev]

I'm shocked at BG's electricity tariff, the standing charge:
48.527p per day is twice what I will be paying.

This is the variable rate I will be going on for electric on April 1st

20220329_081015.jpg

[Stanley]

Put like that it's ridiculous but now is not the time for attempting to chase a cheaper tariff. This is far too complicated.
I have a suspicion that this will all be out of date in six months...... That's probably the only certainty there is at the moment.