To switch off the power at 10pm tomorrow night

[Narwhalelife]

Just seen this on Instagram.

I’m at the stage anything has to be worth it. Il probably do it, it’s just as I go to bed anyway so why not.

I’m not suggesting it will solve the issue, but might piss a few people off?

Anyone else?

Tiger has finished his round at the Masters, so I'm happy to turn off the telly and laptop and go to bed now...it's been a long day (from 5.30am from the Aussie F1 GP)
what Knobber thought having those on the same day was a good idea? have they no concept of "sleep"?
😴

These social media plans are to show solidarity

You think? I would say they’re trolling exercises designed to waste the time and energy of vulnerable, frightened people by giving them false hope that a stunt like this is somehow going to help with their problems.

The best way to stick it to companies is to absolutely reduce your energy consumption across the board.

Unfortunately when tactics and suggestions are made as to how to do that, you get people complaining that people are being patronised and told to wear more layers.

Yes wear more layers, Im sat here with a blanket over me and no heating on. Cold hands but not cold anywhere else.

@lemmein

Why are people so fucking condescending? Laughing at people who are shitting themselves at how they're going to afford to live over the next 12 months is pretty low. People are desperate - ok, not 'Mumsnet desperate', obviously on here the cleaner using your coffee pods, or the nanny charging fuel is worthy of hysteria, however, in the real world people are becoming increasingly desperate about how they're going to afford to feed their kids. These social media plans are to show solidarity, to show the strength of feeling amongst the public. For some they won't have to even make an effort to reduce energy consumption, they just won't have access to it in the first place.

Laughable that people are taking the piss out of the idea, yet think 10 minutes is going to ruin the food in their full freezers

Point out the flaws of the plan, fair enough - ridiculing people? Not so much.

People who don't struggle won't get it. Or you will get the people who had 1 bad month in their life time who think they get it.

Food bank use will probably go up. People might have to get rid of Internet/broadband. Meaning children can't do their home work. People don't care as long as they are OK.

In 2020, the main UK energy providers made £1.25 trillion in profit alone (it will be much more now due to rising prices but this was the most recent accurate number I could find

Trillion or billion?

Yes wear more layers, Im sat here with a blanket over me and no heating on. Cold hands but not cold anywhere else.
Done that. Sitting here in jeans, top and jumper. No blanket, 15 feels comfortable to me now. Already doing only two washing loads a week, short showers. What next?

@Bumtum126

In 2020, the main UK energy providers made £1.25 trillion in profit alone (it will be much more now due to rising prices but this was the most recent accurate number I could find

Trillion or billion?

Trillion. Yeah, really. See graph here:

www.statista.com/statistics/478088/generation-profits-big-six-energy-suppliers-united-kingdom/

Why are people so fucking condescending? Laughing at people who are shitting themselves at how they're going to afford to live over the next 12 months is pretty low.

I'm in that boat myself. I'm not laughing at people for worrying I'm laughing at people for being gullible idiots. It's not the same.

Oh gosh sorry @Bumtum126, I’m mixing up pre-tax revenue and profit, my apologies - so will be billions in profits. Sorry about that, will report my own post 🤦🏻‍♀️

@bellac11

The best way to stick it to companies is to absolutely reduce your energy consumption across the board.

Unfortunately when tactics and suggestions are made as to how to do that, you get people complaining that people are being patronised and told to wear more layers.

Yes wear more layers, Im sat here with a blanket over me and no heating on. Cold hands but not cold anywhere else.

I'm maybe being dense here, but, even if you reduced your consumption by 50% you'd still be paying the same as you did before these ridiculous increases wouldn't you? Reducing energy consumption isn't a bad thing; but it is a very MC thing - those in poverty have been painfully aware of their energy consumption for years. Having 20p left on your meter for overnight when you've already used your emergency is a situation a shitload of people already face in this country.

www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/uk-big-six-energy-firms-one-billion-pounds-profit-cost-of-living-increase/

This suggests billions , I can't read your link it's behind a paywall.

I live in Spain and I've never heard of this, and I certainly wouldn't do this !

@bellac11

The best way to stick it to companies is to absolutely reduce your energy consumption across the board.

Unfortunately when tactics and suggestions are made as to how to do that, you get people complaining that people are being patronised and told to wear more layers.

Yes wear more layers, Im sat here with a blanket over me and no heating on. Cold hands but not cold anywhere else.

Will this have an impact on the increased standing charges? You can reduce your usage to practically nothing, but still have to pay those…

I'll be doing it. I'll try anything, I've spent the weekend in a very anxious state worrying about increasing costs, just waiting for my landlord to raise the rent.

Oh gosh sorry @Bumtum126, I’m mixing up pre-tax revenue and profit, my apologies - so will be billions in profits. Sorry about that, will report my own post 🤦🏻‍♀️

I thought as much , tricky stuff much like adjusting a cooker clock I'd guess.

People are pretty much only going to be switching off their fridge, freezer and oven clock, which don't use much electric anyway.

The overall size of the UK economy is just over two trillion so no, energy companies did not make £1.25tn in profit alone, no matter what your graph may say.

In 2020, the main UK energy providers made £1.25 trillion in profit alone

Did they now?

That's over £40k profit per household for a service that people pay around £1-2k pa for. That's pretty impressive.

I'm maybe being dense here, but, even if you reduced your consumption by 50% you'd still be paying the same as you did before these ridiculous increases wouldn't you?
I think it would be by about 35% to keep costs the same (54% rise, 100/154=0.65). Still unachievable for those who already have low usage. Then likely October rises. Even if you could keep costs the same, an affordable monthly payment now may be unaffordable next winter if everything else has gone up too.

@NippyWoowoo

I'll be doing it. I'll try anything, I've spent the weekend in a very anxious state worrying about increasing costs, just waiting for my landlord to raise the rent.

🙏🏻 Hopefully it’s a start to bigger things. This can’t go on.

@Bumtum126

Oh gosh sorry *@Bumtum126*, I’m mixing up pre-tax revenue and profit, my apologies - so will be billions in profits. Sorry about that, will report my own post 🤦🏻‍♀️

I thought as much , tricky stuff much like adjusting a cooker clock I'd guess.

fully deserved that!

Yes yes guys I said I’d got it wrong and have reported my comment and apologised… I’m suitably ashamed! I maintain that the energy providers are in no way, shape or form going to feel the sting from a handful of social media followers turning off their fuse box for 10 minutes, even if they do want to repeat it every Thursday a la ‘clap for the NHS’.

This article illustrates how sudden, unexpected spikes or drops in electricity actually can have a massive effect on the national grid, costing millions of pounds. Sounds reasonable to me. https://brokenbritain.co.uk/can-the-bigpoweroff-protest-make-a-difference

Oh I agree non of the suppliers will notice really. The national grid might notice. The only way to reduce bills is use less or have the government pay in some way which we will then pay for in some way at some point.