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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU TO WONDER HOW IN GOD'S NAME PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE INRESE IN ENERGY PRICES

573 replies

Diamondsareforever123 · 05/02/2022 17:45

OK this obviously won't affect those who are lucky enough to have money - but - how are those on low incomes/benefit, poor pensioners, etc. ever going to possibly be able to afford the energy price increases? Also the increases will have a knock-on price increase effect on everything we buy - food, clothes ...... I am concerned.

OP posts:
DrManhattan · 05/02/2022 20:23

@xXwhenwillitendXx
I hope that isn't true but it sounds like something that they would do.
There are FCA regs about stuff like this. I wonder how he will get around those?

cakeorwine · 05/02/2022 20:23

@xXwhenwillitendXx

The £200 loan just seems like a money making scheme. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure I heard on Martin Lewis that If you are a family with 2 children living at home and the children then move out to their own homes, both children and yourself will have to pay back the loan
And what if someone dies?

I guess their debt gets written off as it's just added to bills every year.

So all people will just get £40 extra on their bills for the next 5 years.
Even if they never got the £200 in the first place

xXwhenwillitendXx · 05/02/2022 20:24

I'm sure that is what he said woth the excuse of everyone in the household would of benefited from the loan. I did have a toddler screaming at me at the time though.
Give it a couple of year and they will probably add interest.

cakeorwine · 05/02/2022 20:26

We are lucky that our appliances are fairly new and economical but those on lower incomes probably have no hope of replacing high usage appliances. You have to have money to save money

Absolutely.

Buy more efficient appliances - to save you £20 per year.

It could pay for itself in 10 years, but you need £200 in the first place.

So many things are expensive to buy and take a long time to recoup the investment in them versus the cost of them.

JaceLancs · 05/02/2022 20:30

I will be going to bed early with electric blanket
Will have to economise in other areas - more mince and veg meals

Justgorgeous · 05/02/2022 20:32

This reply has been deleted

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Svara · 05/02/2022 20:39

When overtime is on I can get up earlier, do an hour overtime, therefore go to bed earlier so less heating needed. Also the extra money from overtime, though it won't be much after tax, NI, less in tax credits. I'm lucky I feel comfortable at 16 degrees and DS hardly seems to feel it at all (often barefoot and no jumper).

solbunny · 05/02/2022 20:39

Okay this might be an unanswerable question but as other posters have pointed out, having your heating totally off could cause damp problems in your home.

Could anyone give an approximation of what the bare minimum amount of time/temperature I could put the central heating on and get away with no damp-related issues? 😬

For example, if I put it on to 18 for a couple of hours a day will it be okay, or do we really need to have it on longer?

YouWereGr8InLittleMenstruators · 05/02/2022 20:40

We're already really careful for environmental reasons but this is going to be terrible.
We're fit and healthy and it's no trouble for us to use a minimum amount of heating and limit excessive lighting and energy-hungry electrical devices, but not everyone is able to reduce their energy use so much.
It's still going to be shit even though we already reuse bath water on bath night, leave no devices on stand by, hang out in the same room, laundry once a week, no TV, dryer or dish washer, always turn lights off as soon as exiting a room, have the heating on for 45 mins am + 1 hour pm per day; lots of little ways to reduce our energy usage, but as our energy supplier just went bust, our new tariff with a new supplier looks steep.
We've been saving for 4 years to go abroad this summer, and I am now having major wobbles about the expense of it despite not having seen my family since 2017. It sucks so badly; we're both working in professional, albeit fairly low paid, public sector roles.
I have been wondering how a properly nationalised energy supplier would have fared in these circumstances.

Bagelsandbrie · 05/02/2022 20:42

@solbunny

Okay this might be an unanswerable question but as other posters have pointed out, having your heating totally off could cause damp problems in your home.

Could anyone give an approximation of what the bare minimum amount of time/temperature I could put the central heating on and get away with no damp-related issues? 😬

For example, if I put it on to 18 for a couple of hours a day will it be okay, or do we really need to have it on longer?

We had terrible damp issues after having a year where we couldn’t use our heating at all. We’ve slowly experimented to find the bare minimum we can get away with and it’s basically about 2 hours in the morning, then open all the windows when you turn it off for ventilation (sounds mad but necessary) and then shut all the windows later in the day and turn the heating on for another 1.5-2 hours. I guess it completely depends on the individual house though. We have an ex council 1950s semi.
LolaStrange · 05/02/2022 20:43

Agree about it being hard to cut down. DP is wfh with a powerful computer that heats the room so must cost a fortune to run. He's worked out he gets £1.20 a week from gov for wfh tax relief :/

AnotherForumUser · 05/02/2022 20:44

@cakeorwine and @xXwhenwillitendXx
you're correct. People who set up home in the next five years will be paying back this levy for a £200 they never got at £40 a year assuming it doesn't rise of it gets linked to the rate of inflation.

*xXwhenwillitendXx

The £200 loan just seems like a money making scheme. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure I heard on Martin Lewis that If you are a family with 2 children living at home and the children then move out to their own homes, both children and yourself will have to pay back the loan

And what if someone dies?

I guess their debt gets written off as it's just added to bills every year.

So all people will just get £40 extra on their bills for the next 5 years.
Even if they never got the £200 in the first place*

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 05/02/2022 20:44

@XenoBitch

Honestly? Bury my head in the sand. I have a friend who has taken to nursing cups of cheap tea all day in a community cafe. It is warm, and she can use their wifi to watch TV. She figures it is cheaper than being at home. I might do the same.
If you have a local library these are also good places to stay warm.
solbunny · 05/02/2022 20:45

Perfect thank you @Bagelsandbrie - I'm in a 1920s ex-council semi, I do not know a thing about house construction so I don't know if that means ours are similar or not! 🤣

xXwhenwillitendXx · 05/02/2022 20:47

@AnotherForumUser I thought I wasn't going mad hearing it.
I failed to mention the toddler was screaming as she was wrapped up in 5 layers and sat in the dark.

YouWereGr8InLittleMenstruators · 05/02/2022 20:47

Cake, yep, it's expensive to have no money.
We insulated our home well with thick exterior insulation 10 years ago, and this has been a really effective way to conserve energy (and definitely prevented damp problems related to reduced central heating, Solbunny!), but it was a big outlay and I think we might only just have broken even on that investment ten years down the line.

Bagelsandbrie · 05/02/2022 20:52

@solbunny

Perfect thank you *@Bagelsandbrie* - I'm in a 1920s ex-council semi, I do not know a thing about house construction so I don't know if that means ours are similar or not! 🤣
It’s worth a try! Flowers
Octomore · 05/02/2022 20:56

@Rabblesthecat

Pah!

It is what it is…….

Just about to buy car number 3

Wow
wallysally · 05/02/2022 20:56

@XenoBitch does your friend not work?

Porcupineintherough · 05/02/2022 20:59

@solbunny we ran at 15 degrees for many years 2 hours in the morning and two hours at night, plus good ventilation. What made the biggest difference though was where we dried our clothes. When we used the radiators/airers we had problems with damp. Drying outside as much as possible (pretty difficult in winter) and using a dehumidifier (more electricity but less than heating) also helped.

BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation · 05/02/2022 21:00

I wonder how the red wallers who voted tory are feeling now. Not so funny is it? Good ole Boris? Yeah, who's laughing now?
Shell by the looks of it.

I hope it's a wake up call to never vote for these callous b*stards ever again.

XenoBitch · 05/02/2022 21:04

[quote wallysally]@XenoBitch does your friend not work? [/quote]
No, she does not. Is on ESA

mjf981 · 05/02/2022 21:09

As an ex pat, it’s awful watching what is happening to living standards in the UK. Are any protests planned? People used to march for their rights. Doesn’t seem to happen as much anymore.

If I was in the UK now and young, Id be actively trying to get out. Emigrate. Most countries have their issues, but living standards are far higher in the 2 countries I have lived in since leaving the UK, for the average person.

SuitcaseOfWhine · 05/02/2022 21:10

@Gardeningcreature

We should not have to live like this that is the entire point. Both dh and I work full time. I absolutely should not have to tolerate this shit. I didn’t vote for it. I’ll say it again. You will get the ‘Let’s blame X lazy bastards, they shouldn’t live in a house with central heating/feed their children/own a pair of shoes/own a car/have a phone etc etc etc When will people wake the fuck up. This government have spent BILLIONS on their mates and giving tax payers money to their mates. They do not give one fuck about anyone who has to actually work for a living. If you have had the privilege of attending a private school which cost £23,500 PER YEAR per child plus over £1000 for a uniform, you have no idea, repeat no idea what it will mean to go out to work to earn a living. The thought that some people will not be able to give their children a hot meal or bath them due to the sheer expense is incomprehensible to entitled (usually white middle class males) who are in power. You may as well talk in Chinese for all the comprehension they will have.
This with bells on.

I fucking HATE, HATE, HATE this government. Weasely, privileged evil cunts.

Even when Boris is dragged kicking and screaming from his job we will just get another one if these in his place.

I can afford the increase, but I am half tempted to not pay because surely if nobody pays their bills at all they would find a solution pretty quickly.

PenStation · 05/02/2022 21:17

So what would happen if there is mass non-payment? Which is probably going to happen.

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