Governments across Europe are telling people and businesses to reduce energy use. Do they know something we don't?

[cakeorwine]

It feels like Covid again. Warning signs of an issue. But no action taken.

I know there are people who will reduce usage because of the increased costs.

But there is still a lot of waste and things where energy usage can be reduced to ensure that we have enough gas and electricity available during a demanding winter.

The media has advice on reducing use. There are schemes to encourage people to use electricity outside of peak time.

But shouldn't the Government be leading on this?

Did you miss the bit where your bill is being largely paid by the public finances and not by you?

If you're paying the full cost of your energy yourself for some unusual reason then sure, crack on, but I suspect you're not.

So those on a fixed tariff can crack on? I can work with that.

@cakeorwine actually the government produced some advice on reducing energy consumption.
Trusss blocked it ‘because this is too much like nanny state telling people what they should do’. Apparently there is enough info out there fir people to do the right thing Wo telling them again.
So that’s an ideological decision.

Then you have the fact she probable doesn’t want to tell people how shit it’s going to be. I mean there isn’t anything good that has come out if her month as a PM. I’m sure she doesn’t want to add yet another level of crap.

We are all on a fixed tariff now.

But it doesn't help if :

a) The Government has said that the cost of energy to households / businesses is this and we will pay any difference. If the demand doesn't go down, then the price will go up and the subsidy increases

b) Being on a fixed tariff does not stop there being blackouts

All the Government is doing is fixing the cost of energy and subsidising the difference by borrowing money that we will pay back in the future.

Yes, helpful and heartwarming

@Metabigot I don't think it as simple as saying that Centrica have gas storage capacity, it's more of a working towards situation.

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-31/centrica-moves-closer-to-restoring-key-uk-gas-reserve-for-winter

Re rationing
There has been talk of giving people £10 off if they have a smart meter and only run their washing machine etc… at night (out if peak demand).

There must be some gas storage as it's not a 'just in time ' gas supply.
At least, I hope it isn't.

We need gas to generate electricity. If there is reduced demand for electricity, then gas power stations keep the gas stored. Then they fire up for when we need it.

I hope it's the same for winter. Please tell me that we have gas stored in the UK for winter - or are we just hoping for our gas drilling and imports to continue.

A ‘fixed tariff’ doesn’t mean you can use as much as you like for a fixed price.

It means the unit price is fixed…..

No, of course not. I'm on a fixed tariff set from this Jan until March '24, and not one bailed out by the government. And of course it makes no difference to the amount of energy supply in the country.

You do realise there is the real risk of blackouts this winter, right? No amount of money is going to keep the lights on in your house in those circumstances.

I do wonder where everyone has been living if this is actually coming as a surprise to people.

I'm well aware of the terms of my contract and my fixed unit prices, thanks.

You will find that your tariff will reduce as the Government is subsidising the fixed rates as well.

There is also the £400 subsidy as well.

And saying "But I'm on a fixed rate' will not protect you from blackouts.

No it doesn't because my fix has unit prices well below that of the unit prices currently fixed by the government.

Well - it won't protect you from blackouts. There is also the wider effect on gas supply in the country - so reducing your usage will ensure that there is enough gas to go around.

I was listening to a very interesting podcast about this.
It's basically as pp have said above, that she doesnt want to be seen to be telling people what to do, as they know what's best for them. They also dont want to come across as tin eared given their large wages vs how people are actually coping at the lower end if the income spectrum.
It was suggested that someone like martin Lewis or attenborough do the talking instead. They dint want to be seen as finding th flip flop boris did, so have chosen to basically stick their heads in the sand as to what the electorate are feeling.

The government are hoping that the sick and elderly die off. It was the Covid plan until they realised how many HCPs would die if they went ahead.

So they're treating us like mushrooms, kept in the dark and fed shit. This Tory government is a fucking disgrace.🤬🤬🤬

Exactly. Makes no sense.

french govt ad here, not a sad face in sight…. Friends in Ireland are also being asked not told or hectored, to reduce use: not for reduced bills but to avoid cuts.

Well, yes. But my initial response was a ridiculous gesture to a pp presumptive comment about everyone being bailed out by the government - as if that engendered some kind of moral obligation to cut usage.

Imagine the country that supplies us / or our reserves in the North Sea.

If we reduce the rate we use it, then there is more available to supply us later. As the country that supplies us could run low / refuse to supply us.

The Rough storage facility ceased because it needed a lot of maintenance and repair to allow it to store gas at pressure. That work will still be required.

But gas is still being extracted from there, so I guess it is possible to store some gas in there, at lower pressures, before carrying out work to increase pressure again - which I imagine will take more time.

Imagine Norway supplied us with less gas.
Or our imports from elsewhere got disrupted,
Or our electricity connectors from Europe got disrupted or Europe refused to supply us.

We would be kicking ourselves if we hadn't taken steps to reduce their energy usage.

Does Liz Truss really want a return to the 70s with energy blackouts?

OMG - tap dancing might just be the answer!!!!