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

[Ellie198712]

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

I'm putting £80 a week in my meter. I cannot continue doing this but I have a baby in the house to keep warm. We have no gas, only electric

@Blossomtoes

Less than 10% of you folks are educated

I take it this is a reference to fewer than 10% of those born in the 20 years after 1945 being graduates. Education isn’t limited to universities and many of that generation were very well educated in grammar schools. I’d say the generation least susceptible to social media disinformation is the boomer generation, it’s the group that uses social media least.

Higher (tertiary) education is important. Few people went before because you had to qualify for a place (most never did) even if it was taxpayer funded. So only the smartest attended (10%).

Tertiary education is also specially important when you live in a developed country with a service based economy, which is why the University sector was opened up via the addition
of more places. Now we have 45% going to University, which is the highest it has ever been.

Primary and secondary education improves over time by quite a large factor. What you learned in school at 10 kids are now doing at 7. This then allows far more complex subject matter to be added to the curriculum later, which you were never exposed to.

Your "views" about older folks being less susceptible to social media manipulation are also wrong.

They are by far the largest group that thinks what they read on FB is real. Those age groups are targeted by disinformation campaigns via the use of false anecdotal stories (which then go viral).

The Daily Mail is also a master manipulator when it comes to this group as well. The narrative by anecdote works on the older folks quite well. Thats precisely why they use it.

This was studied in the US (due to Trump and FB disinformation) and the UK (due to Brexit disinformation).

[quote badlydrawncat]@BambinaJAS
Drying clothes inside in front of a dehumidifier works wonderfully. We don't own a tumble dryer, we dry outside most of the year. Even in winter the wind takes a lot of the moisture out of clothes then finishing off in front of a dehumidifier. Even in rainy days I can dry 4 washing loads completely in front of the dehumidifier in a day. Ours costs about 4p an hour to run.[/quote]
Thats interesting. Thanks.

I am going to try this out as we do have a dehumidifier at home.

Few people went before because you had to qualify for a place (most never did) even if it was taxpayer funded. So only the smartest attended (10%)

More nonsense. Fewer people went to university because there were fewer places available. Are you seriously suggesting that subsequent generations are more intelligent? Standards have dropped - decades ago only a tiny fraction of graduates got firsts, in 2020 35% did. Not because they were more intelligent or better educated but because standards are lower.

Are you seriously suggesting that subsequent generations are more intelligent?

Why do you think subsequent generations are less intelligent?

I don’t 🙄

@Blossomtoes

Few people went before because you had to qualify for a place (most never did) even if it was taxpayer funded. So only the smartest attended (10%)

More nonsense. Fewer people went to university because there were fewer places available. Are you seriously suggesting that subsequent generations are more intelligent? Standards have dropped - decades ago only a tiny fraction of graduates got firsts, in 2020 35% did. Not because they were more intelligent or better educated but because standards are lower.

On the whole, the population now is definitely more intelligent. Yes. Many factors contribute to this (nutrition, health, etc.) over the decades. Or did you honestly think IQ levels remain static over time at the population level?

Only on planet boomer would you seriously think the 1940 to 60s folks were intellectual behemoths in the UK vs now. Amazing.

Pro-tip: they weren't.

Also, don't confuse grade inflation now vs what is actually being studied in the aggregate.

Making a course "easier" does not mean the curriculum now in 2020 is easier vs 1950.

Again, it isn't.

I went to school in the UK & US (2 UG degrees and 2 PG degrees) done in the 90s and 2000s.

The academic work you did back in the 50s was quite easy by comparison.

What has actually happened is that academia got progressively harder until about 2008/9 (year when Universities became trully commercialised). Since then, they have become watered down but only at the old poly level (the elite schools have still maintained reasonable standards).

I went to school in the UK & US (2 UG degrees and 2 PG degrees) done in the 90s and 2000s

That would explain your lack of life experience.

The academic work you did back in the 50s was quite easy by comparison

I did my academic work at university in the 80s. Past papers from the 60s and 70s were comparable in difficulty. Unfortunately that university was only founded in the early 60s so comparison with the 50s was impossible.

@Blossomtoes

I went to school in the UK & US (2 UG degrees and 2 PG degrees) done in the 90s and 2000s

That would explain your lack of life experience.

The academic work you did back in the 50s was quite easy by comparison

I did my academic work at university in the 80s. Past papers from the 60s and 70s were comparable in difficulty. Unfortunately that university was only founded in the early 60s so comparison with the 50s was impossible.

I grew up internationally. In 8 different countries. And I speak four languages.

Lack of life experience.....

You boomers never cease to amaze me.

Age does not make you special. Its time you realised this.

Age does not make you special

Nobody said it did. What relevance does the number of languages you speak have? Presumably you’re equally arrogant in all of them.

@Blossomtoes

Age does not make you special

Nobody said it did. What relevance does the number of languages you speak have? Presumably you’re equally arrogant in all of them.

You just stated I lack life experience.

You know how you learn languages?

By living in different countries and immersing yourself in the language.

One of my parents worked as a Diplomat so I ended up with an incredibly varied life experience by the time I was 30.

Which is also why your comment made me laugh out loud.

Few people went before because you had to qualify for a place (most never did) even if it was taxpayer funded. So only the smartest attended (10%)

I'm not in the UK, but that wasn't the case here. The majority of people didn't go to uni simply because it was so easy to get a job, why would people want to spend several years studying to do something when they didn't need to?

I do hate this attitude that simply having a degree makes you intelligent. I worked with people of all ages in my last job, and was appalled at the lack of of knowledge of some of the graduates Studying means you learn all about your chosen subject - it doesn't mean you know anything at all about anything else. I know many people who left school at a young age but would run rings around subsequent generations in intelligence.

What would happen if nobody paid up?

@Ahardyfool

What would happen if nobody paid up?

I'd love this to be the case , but it would need a huge percentage of the population to agree and cancel direct debits and people wouldn't do this. Protests do not work , the entire country saying enough is enough might though Will never happen though and people need their cars too much to boycott petrol stations or stop using cars altogether. They have us all over a barrel in every way unless you can live off grid.

Rather than indulging those who like to divert every thread to a discussion about how they personally are the bees knees, it’s probably best to ignore and stick to the topic

TwoBigNoiseyBoys
If you get in touch with your supplier you can get a rebate if your recovering from cancer. Or you could at one point. I think it is only the big five though but wirth a try.

This thread is getting ridiculous. I hi are people blaming and attacking baby boomers. They have nothing to do with oil prices.

Direct your anger at the pandemic
Putin and the oil companies

And the govt for selling off North Sea oil.

The situation with fuel is shocking and out of control but for those who are really worrying, remember that the figures are a prediction based on current usage. That doesn’t mean you will have to pay that figure. The vast msjority of us will have scope for reducing our usage since we’ve got into the habit of leaving things on, running unnecessary items etc. I know I’ve been able to go around and do things like switch out extension leads with lights on, turn off devices that are left plugged in or on standby, make sure items aren’t charged overnight if they actually only take an hour to charge etc. I’ve also become inclined to chuck everything in the Tumble dryer all year round which is completely unnecessary, keep outside lights on for longer than needed, not put lids on saucepans etc. Reducing usage is possible for most.

Ultimately I think it’s another factor, along with high house prices and likely high interest rates, that will push us back to multi generational living which until very rectify was the norm

Some people on this thread are so up their own arse. Insufferable know it alls.

Having said that, have you tried drying clothes in the UK during the winter time using a drying rack and minimal heating?
I dry mine in front of the radiator. I don't know what you class as minimal heating. Mine was on at 16 for three hours a day and clothes dried within 24 hours. Now at 15 but I've had the clothes outside the last couple of weeks so I don't know if it makes a difference. If it does then next winter I will run heating higher or for longer when I have washing. I don't have constant washing though, two loads between us.

Wow @BambinaJAS you do talk rubbish!

No choice but to tumble dry? We are a family of 5. I have used the tumble drier once since October.

I hang clothes outside unless actually raining. Most clothes dry like that.

I have a dehumidifier and it dries clothes incredibly quickly- if I can't hang them outside they go in one room with the dh. Leave them drying for about an hour, then run the it for an hour or two to pull the moisture out of the air. I could run the dehumidifier for 10 hours for the same price as 1 hour tumble drying. It usually only takes 2 hours.

And my kids know that clothes don't all get washed after one wear.

Except @User76745333 some of us are already doing that and have been for years.

@badlydrawncat

We have a 4 bed semi built around 1900, and spent 2013-15 insulating the walls internally, insulating floors, ceilings and the roof, draught proofing, new doors, windows and boiler and adding a smart thermostat and controls. Other than adding solar panels or a turbine, we did everything we could think of. We're hugely more comfortable and it's taken until this month for our energy costs to climb back up to the level that we were paying before doing all the work. So yes, insulating and energy efficiency does work but it doesn't come free either (it was still worth it though). Our dual fuel DD has just gone from £70 to £118.

Your increase is manageable. It sounds like you have carried out all the improvements EPC s recommend. Did you do the work yourself and what was your budget please?

I think you will already know this but I will say it anyway. We have been advised to take a photo of your meters on the 31 of march and give a meter reading. Also give a reading in now and another on 31st. This is so your supplier cannot estimate your bill on new higher rate, before that date. Photo is proof! you can send if needed. My friend tried to get a new tariff it went from £1500 per year to just under £4000. He now realises he will need to lower his consumption by at least half. I'm stocking up on wood from the storms, been laughed at shoving branches in my car but dont care. I've got three hot water bottles at the ready. One last thing do not let your house go below 12 its not good for your home.

Does nobody ever stop to consider us Gen X-ers?

Just quietly plodding on with the music of our youth playing in our heads. Hits such as:

1. SHUT THAT DOOR
2. TURN OFF THE BLOODY LIGHT

The horrible sacrifices suggested by some are risible. Many of us are already careful/stingy/not spending cash when we don’t need to.

There have been some truly nasty comments on this thread by someone who you’d think with all that knowledge, experience and presumably divine intervention- should probably know better.

For me? I’m considering sticking a meter in and just not playing their stupid games. I’ve always refused a monthly DD and deal with the bill when it comes.