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Original poster

AIBU to be worried about rising fuel and energy costs this winter?

117 replies

HonorBound · 18/09/2026 19:24

on Monday went past Sainsbury and fuel was £1.61, went past Tesco tonight and its £1.70 - I'm guessing they've all put their prices up and there are 3 supermarkets within 1.5 miles

I'm leaving the car at home as much as possible, and certainly used less fuel than I normally would have by half way through the month

gas is going up on 1 October along with electric

things are going to be tight this winter

OP posts:
Original poster
HonorBound · 20/09/2026 09:05

WhitegreeNcandle · 20/09/2026 07:49

No I’m not. My point was that there isn’t much give in the system. It’s not always big companies creaming off the profits. Every time we choose to buy imported cheap chicken,
primark clothes or stationary made in china we are not backing our own system. If we don’t back our own system it doesn’t work. Every time the price of food goes up people get upset. Two of the driving factors right now are wages (and like I said, they’re not great wages) and fuel. Someone upthread thought supermarkets were blaming food price rises on fuel. Of course they are! We shut Billingham in 2023 and now rely completely on imported AN. As a country we just do not care that when we can’t afford to do things we export it to places that do it cheaper. What’s a country going to do when nitrogen is short? It sure ain’t going to sell it to us cheap is it.

Show quote history

My point is there is give in the system, the supermarkets
Tesco reporting a £1.7bn profit after tax to me is “give”

OP posts:
Asuitablecat · 20/09/2026 09:03

HonorBound · 20/09/2026 08:57

If you’re putting £200 in fuel in the car each month - can you get an electric lease car for £200 a month and trade in your other car as the down payment?

Edited
Show quote history

I don't want a lease. Always bought second hand and saved for them. I also love this little car. I just resent having to pay so much to go to work. Fuel shortages could make my job interesting- it'd be back to zoom lessons.

Original poster
HonorBound · 20/09/2026 08:57

Asuitablecat · 20/09/2026 08:21

The trouble is, lots of people are already doing all they can to economise on heating.

The fuel thing is ridiculous. I do 200 miles a week to get to work. Never going to be any wfh.More if there are inevitable roadworks or traffic jams and i have a diversion.

I guess an electric car is the answer, but i can't afford one! Especially if all my money is going on getting me to work.

If you’re putting £200 in fuel in the car each month - can you get an electric lease car for £200 a month and trade in your other car as the down payment?

OP posts:
Original poster
HonorBound · 20/09/2026 08:54

NotPerfectlyAdverage · 19/09/2026 22:35

12 year old Zafira

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it makes a big difference the type of car, mines 12 years old but a smaller car, still get 2 child seats in and a double pram.

ive still got half my fuel left and hope to get into October before refuelling

OP posts:
NotABlessedFruit · 20/09/2026 08:25

I am properly fumimg that while my next fix would have very similar kwh price, the standing charge is going up 50% if I move fix now. At the same time as they are spouting "you will save 5% because of vat cut❤️"

Ihateboris · 20/09/2026 08:23

supiciousminds · 20/09/2026 08:12

I’m really worried. I live rurally and my job is very much community based and patient facing, so no option of working from home. My company voted against the 55p fuel raise to ensure their financial security and have kept our wages just about MW.
No option of changing jobs currently and 2 small primary school children.
Fuel yesterday was £1.95.

I'm in a similar situation. I'm a self employed cleaner and most of my customers live rurally and are spaced out. I've got a 13 year old inefficient car and I'm spending so much more on fuel. I can't increase my rate as I've already lost some customers who are also struggling. It's a shit show.

RosaNovella · 20/09/2026 08:21

Magicpaintbrush · 19/09/2026 22:04

Sorry if anyone has already mentioned this but Martyn Lewis has said that in Jaunary energy costs will be going up by 24% - I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but that's what he said.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B7XL4ZBfUqE

Not if you are fixed already!
Why are people not looking for a fix and relying on the EPC?

Asuitablecat · 20/09/2026 08:21

The trouble is, lots of people are already doing all they can to economise on heating.

The fuel thing is ridiculous. I do 200 miles a week to get to work. Never going to be any wfh.More if there are inevitable roadworks or traffic jams and i have a diversion.

I guess an electric car is the answer, but i can't afford one! Especially if all my money is going on getting me to work.

supiciousminds · 20/09/2026 08:12

I’m really worried. I live rurally and my job is very much community based and patient facing, so no option of working from home. My company voted against the 55p fuel raise to ensure their financial security and have kept our wages just about MW.
No option of changing jobs currently and 2 small primary school children.
Fuel yesterday was £1.95.

Ihateboris · 20/09/2026 08:07

EasternStandard · 20/09/2026 07:59

Ik it’s really tough. I’m not sure if there’ll be extra help from the gov.

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At the moment, help is only available if you claim benefits, which I'm not entitled to.

EasternStandard · 20/09/2026 07:59

Ihateboris · 20/09/2026 07:49

I won't be having mine on at all as I rely on heating oil and I simply don't have enough money for the minimum upfront 500L. I work full time so won't be home during the day. I worry for the elderly and vulnerable who are home all day.

Show quote history

Ik it’s really tough. I’m not sure if there’ll be extra help from the gov.

tiredtiredd · 20/09/2026 07:52

I saw fuel at £1.95 at a service station we drove past yesterday. Obviously they’re the extreme prices but it’s madness.

Ihateboris · 20/09/2026 07:49

EasternStandard · 20/09/2026 07:46

Leaving the heating on all day is costly though. I wouldn’t be surprised if quite a few people couldn’t do that.

Show quote history

I won't be having mine on at all as I rely on heating oil and I simply don't have enough money for the minimum upfront 500L. I work full time so won't be home during the day. I worry for the elderly and vulnerable who are home all day.

WhitegreeNcandle · 20/09/2026 07:49

HonorBound · 19/09/2026 19:25

so you are ok with working for NMW and having all that experience and overtime, unsociable hours disregarded ?

Show quote history

No I’m not. My point was that there isn’t much give in the system. It’s not always big companies creaming off the profits. Every time we choose to buy imported cheap chicken,
primark clothes or stationary made in china we are not backing our own system. If we don’t back our own system it doesn’t work. Every time the price of food goes up people get upset. Two of the driving factors right now are wages (and like I said, they’re not great wages) and fuel. Someone upthread thought supermarkets were blaming food price rises on fuel. Of course they are! We shut Billingham in 2023 and now rely completely on imported AN. As a country we just do not care that when we can’t afford to do things we export it to places that do it cheaper. What’s a country going to do when nitrogen is short? It sure ain’t going to sell it to us cheap is it.

TheRoyalInkPot · 20/09/2026 07:47

We've never had it on all day .
Morning . Booster hour in afternoon when DH works from home and a few hours in pm

EasternStandard · 20/09/2026 07:46

Ihateboris · 20/09/2026 07:32

This is just awful. No one should be living like this.

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Leaving the heating on all day is costly though. I wouldn’t be surprised if quite a few people couldn’t do that.

Ihateboris · 20/09/2026 07:32

dustabsorber · 19/09/2026 22:37

I will just have the heating on for 2 hrs in the morning and 2 hrs at night. During the day, I will go to the library or the leisure centre and they can keep me warm.

This is just awful. No one should be living like this.

dustabsorber · 19/09/2026 22:42

BurntBroccoli · 19/09/2026 11:27

But that NMW is needed for people to be able to live and afford rent, utilities and food.

More housing needs to be built so the relative price of housing falls over time and people feel better off. Public transport prices also need to drop.

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I doubt the government can build enough houses to cover the annual increase in population due to immigration.

TimeFlysWhenYoureHavingRum · 19/09/2026 22:41

Hopefully people around the world will finally wake up and stop voting for the rightwing governments that are causing all this

dustabsorber · 19/09/2026 22:37

I will just have the heating on for 2 hrs in the morning and 2 hrs at night. During the day, I will go to the library or the leisure centre and they can keep me warm.

NotPerfectlyAdverage · 19/09/2026 22:35

HonorBound · 19/09/2026 20:49

So are you only getting 8 miles to the litre?

what car are you driving

I must admit Im very careful with lifting my foot off the accelerator, not speeding off from traffic lights or junctions to conserve fuel, but I get 64 miles to the gallon on a trip, so 14 miles to the litre

Show quote history

12 year old Zafira

summater · 19/09/2026 22:27

It's probably best to fix now if you haven't on one of those comparison websites because of the January price

FindingMeno · 19/09/2026 22:23

Magicpaintbrush · 19/09/2026 22:04

Sorry if anyone has already mentioned this but Martyn Lewis has said that in Jaunary energy costs will be going up by 24% - I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but that's what he said.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B7XL4ZBfUqE

Bloody hell 😳 😫
Absolutely horrific prospect for anyone who has vulnerable household members and can't turn the heating down/off.

Magicpaintbrush · 19/09/2026 22:04

Sorry if anyone has already mentioned this but Martyn Lewis has said that in Jaunary energy costs will be going up by 24% - I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but that's what he said.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B7XL4ZBfUqE

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B7XL4ZBfUqE

SoftBoiled · 19/09/2026 20:58

HonorBound · 19/09/2026 07:42

wages are to low and if we were angry rather than passive, we’d be protesting about the low wages.

when you e got the likes of Starbucks putting staff on salary instead of hourly paid, so they don’t get paid for overtime

tesco, staff 50p over nmw (they employed 330,000 total staff) and £937 million paid to shareholders, yet a large proportion of the staff claim UC. So we pay tax which indirectly goes to a large company to top up their wages. Wages need to be raised to lower the tax burden

when are we going to be frustrated enough to protest about the greed of keeping workers on handouts

Yes, this is cynical beyond belief -people in employment having to claim benefits, the taxpayer subsidising corporations who pay insufficient wages. Ditto rents being so high that again, the taxpayer funds payments to landlords through benefits. It's immoral. Capitalists literally banking on the state filling in the earnings gap. It should be possible to pay for housing, utilities and food out of a living wage.

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