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AIBU?

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Original poster

Surely they can’t expect us to pay 240 per month for power!

999 replies

Ellie198712 · 08/03/2022 18:33

Just read Martin Lewis’s latest email and it’s predicting average bills of £2900 per year!! Surely the government will need to step in and subsidise this cost. Our current bill is about 100 per month, and this just seems untenable for the vast majority

OP posts:
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6
LittleRen · 08/03/2022 22:59

Thermostat not thermometer… auto correct fail doh!

Cocomarine · 08/03/2022 23:00

@Whatamesssss you can use the computer at my local JobCentre+, or sit at the desk and have an advisor talk you through a UC claim, as you apply, every step of the way.

Cocomarine · 08/03/2022 23:01

Not that I’m saying a mobile isn’t pretty much essential now! But it isn’t the only way to apply for UC.

StarCat2020 · 08/03/2022 23:09

JobCentrePlus is such a shit name for a place that does not have any jobs

Ff10n · 08/03/2022 23:09

@HereComesSpringAgain

£240 a month is equal to our sky tv and mobile phone costs

so its a choice we will need to make

You are fortunate to have a choice and somewhere you can easily cut back.
GettingStuffed · 08/03/2022 23:11

We have solar panels and a battery but we've turned the heating off, I'm sitting on the sofa with a wearable blanket over me. We're living on DH's pension. I'm going to look for a job to ease things.

echt · 08/03/2022 23:11

You are fortunate to have a choice and somewhere you can easily cut back

How very dare someone have a choice.

Hmm
Ff10n · 08/03/2022 23:13

@Batinhernightdress

Our work bill will be going up by £500 a month so this will be passed on to our customers, as we are barely breaking even after covid. This is going to be the same for every single business that uses energy.

So not only will we not be able to pay for heating and lighting we won't be able to buy anything. This is the single most scared I've been about rising costs and I'm no spring chicken.

Not just businesses, but community facilities such as schools, hospitals, libraries etc. All places which struggle financially already.
Backtomyoldname · 08/03/2022 23:13

Making some assumptions……

I think we all need to move away from expecting to live in a shirt sleeve environment at home to wearing jumpers etc?

To move away from every room being at 20+°C to a low background heat and topping up the heat in the room you are in?

My OH was bought an electric over blanket/shawl. Smaller than than a bed sized blanket and covered in fluffy fabric. Great to cover legs when watching TV. Its the future!

MadameTuffington2 · 08/03/2022 23:13

So many societal problems to come eh ladies …

Ff10n · 08/03/2022 23:16

@echt

You are fortunate to have a choice and somewhere you can easily cut back

How very dare someone have a choice.

Hmm

It was a statement of fact. A household who can afford to spend £240 on phones and TV in a month is indisputably in a better position going forward than one which is already struggling to put food on the table. It's quite a chunky leeway.
Whatamesssss · 08/03/2022 23:18

[quote Cocomarine]@Whatamesssss you can use the computer at my local JobCentre+, or sit at the desk and have an advisor talk you through a UC claim, as you apply, every step of the way.[/quote]
You can't do that at our "local" Job Centre, it is 5 miles away (Greater London) and even if you could have help filling in the initial application, how would people be able to stay on top of their job search commitments?

They would be sanctioned very quickly if they don't show they have applied for however many jobs. That means no rent, no food for at least 3 months for a first "offence". Offences can range from being 5 mins late to an appointment or being in a coma in hospital and unable to attend.

Broadband/Mobile are now essential.

alltheapples · 08/03/2022 23:20

@Backtomyoldname

Making some assumptions……

I think we all need to move away from expecting to live in a shirt sleeve environment at home to wearing jumpers etc?

To move away from every room being at 20+°C to a low background heat and topping up the heat in the room you are in?

My OH was bought an electric over blanket/shawl. Smaller than than a bed sized blanket and covered in fluffy fabric. Great to cover legs when watching TV. Its the future!

I am not on benefits and already wear jumpers at home. I have one on now.
Rupertgrintismyguiltypleasure · 08/03/2022 23:20

There’s 8 of us in our house, gonna be an interesting future, unless I win the lottery I won’t be moving because even if I had enough saved the costs are too high to be able to live..

alltheapples · 08/03/2022 23:21

@Cocomarine you need access to an email address and to be able to upload your journal. The cost of public transport to a job centre to do this every day or at least every two days would be more than a sim card.

Tanith · 08/03/2022 23:21

[quote Clarabe1]@labyrinthlaziness that’s true. I remember old people dying from the cold. I think we children were more resilient. A 70s child was always out playing but I certainly remember the old and infirm suffering.[/quote]
My grandfather died of hypothermia in the early 80s. He couldn't afford to put the heating on and was too proud to admit it. So he froze, just before Christmas.

ExcuseeeeMe · 08/03/2022 23:22

The new rises coming in will come out of our fun money . So no more cinema . No day trips for the kids . But if it goes up again in October I will need to take the money out of our food budget. It’s currently only £60 just now. So looks like I will need to feed all 5 of us for £10 or £20 a week.

alltheapples · 08/03/2022 23:23

We can afford the rise. But yes it will come out of fun money, so we will have very little.

Blinky21 · 08/03/2022 23:26

The government could tax energy companies to reduce bills but they don't because they cate about their cronies not ordinary people.

OfstedOffred · 08/03/2022 23:28

I've got friends who have their homes at 23.

I walk in and the heat hits you! Their bill is going to rocket.

Sportslady44 · 08/03/2022 23:32

Just had letter to say a rise of £700. Its not on. What will happen if ppl can't pay. Its just too.much.

greyhu · 08/03/2022 23:35

Our energy costs are fairly minimal fortunately, that's the only reason we'll be able to manage big price rises. We're in a modern 2 bed flat in London, so temperatures tend not to get too cold compared to most of the country, and apartment living means we piggyback off our neighbours heating - we usually only have it on for a month or two through the year. I tend to wear a fleece and joggers at home, that's normal for me.
We only have space for a small fridge and freezer, and don't have a tumble dryer. Batch cook for convenience, but it also means we don't use the oven daily. We could get better at turning appliances off, we tend to leave the TV and computers on standby.
We're car-free too and mainly walk for school/work, so don't worry too much about the petrol price rises.

Ff10n · 08/03/2022 23:36

@bluetongue

As an Australian I’m not an expert in UK heating but the one thing I noticed every time I’ve visited the UK (and most other European countries) is how high the temperature is inside in winter. Most of the time the first thing I do when I get to a hotel room is turn the heat down. It’s stifling!

Perhaps this is the result of my frugal upbringing but I’ve always only used heating or cooling when really needed. Now my house is probably too far on the other end of the spectrum. One gas heater in my living room and single glazed, old, wooden framed windows. Winter overnight temperatures get down to single digits where I am. I’m not suggesting everyone live like this but there must be a happy medium. Put a jumper on and put a rug over you when you watch TV. Turn the heating temperature down a bit.

This is pretty much how I've kept my bills at £105/month until now. The cheapest fix I can get once my fixed rate expires at the end of the month is around £310/month
Funforeveryone · 08/03/2022 23:36

@Backtomyoldname

Making some assumptions……

I think we all need to move away from expecting to live in a shirt sleeve environment at home to wearing jumpers etc?

To move away from every room being at 20+°C to a low background heat and topping up the heat in the room you are in?

My OH was bought an electric over blanket/shawl. Smaller than than a bed sized blanket and covered in fluffy fabric. Great to cover legs when watching TV. Its the future!

Definitely. Global warming, anyone? A positive of this is that people will be forced to cut their energy use. I work from home and I wear a thermal vest, top and 2 warm jumpers, thick trousers and warm socks. Hot water bottle at night. If you dress like that, 15 degrees feels really warm.
BambinaJAS · 08/03/2022 23:39

@Beancounter1

It is worth pointing out that most pension schemes, including the auto-enrolment ones, have a lot of shares in the gas and electricity companies. So if they aren't making good profits then the value of your future pension goes down.
This is spectacularly and laughably incorrect.

They are less than 2% of assets.

Tiny, tiny portion of a diversified portfolio.

I speak as a professional in that field. There is so much ridiculous disinformation floating around which people like yourself latch on to (due to ignorance or bias. Hard to tell sometimes).