Energy tariffs/price rises. What are you doing to lessen the impact?

[AlternativelyWired]

Shamelessly posting here for traffic.

I currently pay £140 a month which includes some arrears otherwise it would be £110 a month. If I go on a fixed tariff it would increase by £50 on a 1 year fixed tariff and £80 on a 2 year fixed tariff.

I'm trying to figure out what to do for the best regarding the tariff. I've already stopped using the tumble drier and use a clothes maiden instead (no chance of drying in my garden unless it's summer). The shower isn't electric and just uses the hot water from the tank that gets heated twice a day for an hour. The heating is on minimally with an hour in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon/early evening. It's set at 18 degrees. There are 3 of us with another dc visiting regularly for a few nights. It's a modern house with double glazing and I have thermal curtains on the front door and patio doors. Curtains are always closed once dark. I'm on UC and I can't see it being increased to allow for the energy increases.

I calculated my heating energy use, it's cheaper for me to use a small oil filled radiator and heat one room during the day and eve than it is to use gas (I dont' have heating that's easy to change and faffing around to turn it off in different rooms several times a day is a pain in the butt). The cost saving is about £2 per day, so quite significant. The radiator is a 1.5kw one and costs about 80p a day. It is well worth doing this kind of thing if you can be bothered to faff a little reading the meters while you do some testing.

And we're supposed to be the sixth or seventh largest economy in the world.
Growing up we had no central heating and it was miserable in winter. Looks like we're going back to ice on the inside of the windows and freezing when you come out of the shower (no bath because it's too expensive).

As for the £200 he is taking the piss. Giving a loan to people who are already struggling and then making them pay it back while their bills double in price in some cases.

I doubt many of the Tories bringing this in will be sitting with heated throws and thermal socks on. This country really shows how the rich are getting richer and the poor are being stuffed.

It's only going to get worse and I find it really depressing. Makes you wonder what the point is.

One tip that's not strictly about lowering usage is to make sure you keep an eye on your meter readings. Try taking one every week, preferably at the same time of day, so you can see if your usage is changing.

I've done this for a few years now so I've got the data to back up the fact that cutting the use of my central heating is lowering my usage. Even though I'm still paying more because the prices are higher, of course. It's a small comfort when I'm shivering, that at least the bills aren't as high as they could have been. My suffering is saving a few quid!

The price rise isn't a problem for us, but it's awful how this is being handled, more than awful. I don't have words. So many people are going to literally be unable to heat their homes, and all that's being done to help is a couple of useless gestures that aren't actually helpful at all.

They get us all working from home then penalise you for having the heating on.

I was just thinking how to digest this news for my own personal useage, However all I can think of is whats to come.So in my mind I can save money to pay for the fuel,however to do this I will not be tripping off to the cinema,going out fo ra meal,random clothes shopiing or hairdressers.I will also cut down on using very expensive public transport to take the kids out,I will cut down on my car use to save money and not nip into the pub or starbucks,Now this is all ok if one person does this but if millions do this too then I sincerely hope the chancellor is ploughing millions into the benefit system because people will loose their jobs and businessess will close, shops will shut,cinemas will close,pubs and entertainment,hospitlity is hanging on by a knife edge anyway,I forsee the DWP being very busy and the courts seeing bankruptsies raise, That lot will cost the chancellor way more than this meagre offering,

oh and I probably won;t be going on holiday either!

At least they are helping everyone, not just those on benefits. We will be paying 1.25% more NI for the privilege of working whilst those on benefits get an increase via CPI inflation, of about 3.1%, not exactly an incentive to work more! Everyone is suffering.

The new standard rate will be 28p kWh for electric and 7p kWh for gas.

NOTE this is just the 'typical' rate. ASAIK the actual capped cost per kwh varies depending where in the country you are. Making it almost (and suspiciously) impossible for anyone to link the cap to their actual usage, or know for sure what it means for their current rates until their energy provider tells them.

@Iputthetrampintrampoline

I was just thinking how to digest this news for my own personal useage, However all I can think of is whats to come.So in my mind I can save money to pay for the fuel,however to do this I will not be tripping off to the cinema,going out fo ra meal,random clothes shopiing or hairdressers.I will also cut down on using very expensive public transport to take the kids out,I will cut down on my car use to save money and not nip into the pub or starbucks,Now this is all ok if one person does this but if millions do this too then I sincerely hope the chancellor is ploughing millions into the benefit system because people will loose their jobs and businessess will close, shops will shut,cinemas will close,pubs and entertainment,hospitlity is hanging on by a knife edge anyway,I forsee the DWP being very busy and the courts seeing bankruptsies raise, That lot will cost the chancellor way more than this meagre offering,

The ONS was saying that 50% of adults are making savings on non-essentials in this manner to absorb inflation on the essentials. So, I think you are right. It's already happening and will get worse.

Pp mentioned adverts for foil behind radiators

Ordinary tin foil does the same, don't pay for anything extra

Also, make sure draughts are all covered up.

I think there's some suggestion that the standard charges under the new cap are in for a jump, along with the hike in unit charge for gas and electricity.

I’ve started filling the mug with as much water as I need, then just boiling that.

There is nothing more I can do to reduce my energy use. I already work 18 hours a day to try to increase my income and that's not enough either. I'm broken and there is really no hope for me.

@FourTeaFallOut

I think there's some suggestion that the standard charges under the new cap are in for a jump, along with the hike in unit charge for gas and electricity.

The standing charges have already jumped massively as are at 50p a day just for them.

@lonelyapple

At least they are helping everyone, not just those on benefits. We will be paying 1.25% more NI for the privilege of working whilst those on benefits get an increase via CPI inflation, of about 3.1%, not exactly an incentive to work more! Everyone is suffering.

Jobseekers Allowance is going up a full £2 to £77 a week. How do you think people on that will cope with the increased costs?

The one silver lining is that usage will be less in a month or two, though of course it will be a big whammy in October. Fingers crossed for a decent spring and long summer and can I just take this opportunity to say a great big fuck you to gas and electricity producers. Sheer greed is fucking up the world economy when everyone could otherwise be doing pretty nicely.

We have reduced temp on thermostat. Been more strict with lights with the kids, which we should be anyway! Heated blanket for Xmas which is a god send we all love it!

Financially have gone through our direct debits and cut some albeit very small charity contributions. Also we paid council tax over 10 months as I always liked the savings we got in Feb and March but but have now requested to change that to 12 months.

Other things have done is just clear some debts. I work locum shifts so I have been doing a lot more over the last 2 months to just clear the costs. I think we have managed to reduced outgoings by £140 pm and our energy costs will be increasing by around £100 pm.

This is really my worst nightmare. I grew up in poverty, eating by candlelight because the meter had run out and payday wasn't until Friday. All heating was electric. The only thing I wanted as a child was to own my own house with a tree (and not live on the council estate) and to be warm and fed when I wanted to be. The idea that I've gone through university on the promise of bettering my situation with the reality that I can neither afford my own house and soon perhaps not afford even to be warm is extremely upsetting.

I too saw this comment, I didnt add to it as some people are just way too thick to reply to. I thought today of all days we could not have benefit bashing but sadly not, Kicking people who are vulnerable says so much about the kind of person this poster is, I am embarrassed and ashamed for her, I dont recieve any benefits luckily but there for the grace of god I might not always be so blessed,

Honesty some people have no idea if you think £2 covers your increase in gas electric
Transport water and food phone or wifi charges in a week. Get over yourself

I pay old fashioned quarterly bills. It'll be warmer from April and the heating will be off, so for me the bills won't rise until the Autumn . I already use a log burner and stack/dry my own wood all year so we have some free heat. I'll make sure we stack plenty this summer.

I dry clothes on an airer, don't use a tumble dryer. I've doubled up on loft insulation, laying it myself this winter. We'll cope, I think.

Where I live, it will be at least May before I don't need to heat the house at all. I'm already only eating on alternate days and telling the kids I ate earlier. I have nothing left to sell. I expect there is a solution somewhere, but I've honestly tried everything I can actually do and all that's left is despair.

The standing charges have already jumped massively as are at 50p a day just for them

There's mumblings on other boards that the discrepancy between the new average house price cap and the announcement on unit charges may mean that the sc for both gas and elec under the new cap may be as high as 43p.

Each