Energy crisis and rise in costs: how to manage?

[SoSadSoSadSoSad]

i simply do not have the budget to pay for higher energy costs. I don’t know where they think consumers are going go be able magic up extra money to pay. I mean it’s predicted they will soar. All passed on to consumers naturally because we cannot allow energy companies to take a hit to their profits.

Will those who cannot pay be cut off? And simply accrue debt with the energy companies that they spend years paying off?

Fucking Trump.

Needs to be said, that so far Ed Miliband hasn't introduced a single Net Zero policy, they are all Tory policies carried forward.

Very difficult to roll back things that we have signed up to.

Actually, the shortages of fertilizers are going to lead to lower crop yields worldwide.
So you may be right.

Nothing anyone can do to stop it now.

We don't have our own uranium supply. Moving from one rare energy source to another is not exactly changing anything. Look at France and their sourcing of the nuclear fuel for their fleet.

It's said that the best cure for high prices is high prices.

The reality is that UK electricity consumption has been steadily falling since 2005 due to high prices and despite a significantly larger population the UK consumes the same amount of electricity as in 1990.

Yet at the same time Ed Milliband is continuing to subsidise more and more offshore wind and solar projects.

The average UK electricity demand is 35GW and installed capacity is 114 GW and forecast to rise to 248GW.
So supply already massively exceeds demand and is only set to get worse.

This means that when supply is meeting demand, renewable generation receives subsidies (paid for in everyone's electricity bills) and then when supply exceeds demand they get paid to turn off (again paid for in everyone's electricity bills ).

This is the insanity of net zero and renewable generation.

https://countryeconomy.com/energy-and-environment/electricity-generation/uk

Nameplate capacity ≠ average productive capacity.

It could end up like the 70s when we sat around in flickering candlelight playing Monopoly because it was our turn to have no power.

That actually sounds kinda cool. Wish I was old enough to have at least seen it.

Now, we're just going to run headlong into an energy crunch because telling people to use cars less or not have all their devices constantly in use might as well be telling people to eat their firstborn child.

I remember having a broken wrist and couldn't do games, and instead I was sent to the post office to collect one of the teacher's fuel vouchers. The Govt planned to bring in fuel rationing, but that never actually happened.

I think you've missed the point of capitalism.
Increased prices are a mechanism of rationing when demand is higher than supply. They do not expect you to magic up extra money to pay. They expect wealthy people who have plenty of extra money to pay the extra because they don't have to care, and they expect those who can't magic up extra money to reduce their demand: use the heating and hot water less, use the oven less, use the washing machine and dishwasher less, use the car less. There is no point in scarcity causing an increase in prices if no one decides to buy less.

Yeah but where's the money coming from? Taxation? Everyone is already taxed to the hilt.

This one gets it.

The premium consumer remains strong. Everyone else is sacrificial. And no, voting for blue team or red team or yellow team or green team at the next election will not change the system.

Take a leaf out of Pedro Sanchez book...€5Bill in subsidies for the short term, so people don't go under in this crisis. Love Sanchez 🙌

This is a permanent state of affairs from now on unless you decide to put boots on the ground in Iran and force them to regime change.

To which, good luck.

I had my gas cut off last year i aked them to do it. i didnt use it so no point in having it.

The US & Israel have to back off. . Boots on the ground won’t win

And even when this crisis comes to an end one way or another, there will be another round the corner. Oil, gas, petrol are incredibly succeptible to shortages as a result of global conflict or disaster. Whether that's Russia or the Gulf. It's always one thing after another. As long as we are dependent on fossil fuels we are vulnerable to events thousands of miles away.
And fuel shortages are particularly bad because you often can't choose not to use fuel (you still need to drive to work etc) so people have to pay the higher costs and therefore have to cut back in other areas of spending. Meaning oil shortages are uniquely good at creating recessions. So out while economy is vulnerable. Electric cars and a more diversified energy sector would make us less vulnerable even before next zero was achieved because it would give more options when petrol prices shoot up.

Energy sovereignty is looking more and more important and that can't be achieved with a reliance on fossil fuels, even if we nationalised North Sea oil. The more wind and solar (and nuclear) power in the mix the closer we are to achieving that.

Are you always so cheerful 🙄

There is plenty we can do, depending on circumstance. I have a log burner that provides half our heat. It's paid for itself twice over since 2013. My utilities bill in 2025 was less than £1,000 for a 4 bed house.
People with south facing roofs can fit solar panels and water heating.

We can improve insulation, block draughts, fit carpets and curtains to retain heat.

I've taken a job closer to home so I drive less than 20 miles a day. When I don't need the car for school run, I can cycle to work.

It all takes planning & investment but the price/instability of oil makes it worthwhile.

Boots on the ground and regieme change in Iran will not alter the fact that we will run out of fossil fuels in about 50 years time and there will be political instability in all oil-producing regions for many decades until some kind of post-fossil-fuel economy emerges. This is going to get worse, not better.

Well they aren't really, Putin affected gas supplies, this is true but the last time we had an oil supply/price shock was 50 years ago.

& i doubt you'd find anyone who thought it would be the Americans who would cause it.

The Gulf states must be cursing the US, all that effort and change into making their countries less oil dependent, more friendly to westerners, air and financial hubs... all gone because the US voted in a lunatic.

@CandyEnclosingInvisible Yes boots on the ground will ensure everything gets a lot worse.
I don't know when fossil fuels will run out but 50 years a whole lot better than 5 days...

I think less traffic on the roads getting people onto public transport , feet , cycles etc is a good thing . If higher fuel prices stop these banging , popping cars at night bring it on .

Whilst thats true, it wont help carers and others forced to pay to travel between clients houses because HMRC has cut mileage rates.

Plus people wont cycle or walk, most are unfit and lazy & public transport will go up in price, they use fossil fuels in most cases.

I am saying it from a selfish point of view and there are groups who should be using the roads . My irk is with people who just drive around for leisure with their popping backfiring cars . I hope they are priced off the road . Clearly for most people expensive fuel for work purposes is not good . Leisure drivers should find other transport means if possible .

I just got an email to tell me energy costs will be reduced from April.

My energy company (Octopus) have also confirmed my tariff is fixed until June but in the same email they said they aren't currently offering fixed tariffs to new customers or customers who aren't already on a fixed tariff.

Maybe other energy suppliers are different but I suspect they'll all be saying similar?

If the OP isn't on a fixed tariff already she may struggle to find one now.

And of course conveniently my tariff runs out in June. So I benefit from a pathetic 3 month reduction after all the years I've paid over the odds after the last energy crisis.

This fucking country 😒

Oh i agree 100%.... its just that i think the people will time and money on their hands will still be driving around aimlessly and it'll be everyone else who suffers.

I'll see when i go out on my bicycle tomo....

On carers, already a friend of mine who helps with her mums care, has lost 2 carers who have quit as they cannot afford the fuel costs anymore.

Its already a very low paid job and i cannot believe Reeves has not put in emergency measures to increase mileage rates, they wont be looked at again for another 5 months... it wont cost the Govt anything, as they are getting an increase in VAT from rising fuel costs.