Energy bill price cap predicted to go to £3850 - 3 x what it was a year ago

[cakeorwine]

There is an AIBU here - but really it's posting for traffic

Russia is having 'maintainance issues' so has reduced the gas flow to Europe to a low level.

Gas prices have soared again.

Price cap prediction - £3850 - about 3 x what it was a year ago.

This is going to affect all of us

www.theguardian.com/money/2022/jul/27/uk-energy-bills-forecast-to-hit-3850-pounds-russia-cuts-gas-supply-further-europe-pipeline

I would also happily pay for NHS services, a subsided rate but I don't think it's just money that needs to solve the issues it's smaller but significant things like no one qualified to scan babies on a Saturday (womb) no one to scan on a weekend m. Consultants all off!

Illness, problems, babies heart beats don't slow just because it's the weekend??!!

The sheer volume of time I've witnessed wasted on endless pointless phone calls etc...

I’d pay a small amount for GP, I grew up with that as the norm

But we don’t use it often, and other people may really struggle with the cost

And I do appreciate free at point of delivery

I do get the aging population massive issue. I think if there was a change I’d like to see it’s a healthier population rather than a few

"Shell paid no tax on its UK oil and gas production last year – despite making a £14.7bn profit
While millions of UK households face huge energy bill increases, Shell’s annual report shows the oil giant paid no tax on its North Sea production in 2021 – and even got a £92m tax refund from the government."
www.bigissue.com/news/environment/shell-got-a-92m-tax-refund-from-the-uk-government-last-year-despite-making-14-7bn-profit/#:~:text=Shell%20paid%20no%20tax%20on%20its%20UK%20oil%20and%20gas,tax%20refund%20from%20the%20government.

I see the title of this thread is out of date now because the cap is predicted to be over £5000 from April.

Are they baiting us? 🤔

Eyeopening Twitter thread about just how in bed with the energy giants the Tories are
twitter.com/seaninsound/status/1557679849761898497?t=14ya3ZK587KGFLrVb0LiUQ&s=19

Just because someone works it doesn't mean they can easily afford to pay. I presume it would only be if you're lucky enough to see your GP and not for a telephone appointment? And is it only for the GP? What about minor injuries or A&E?

So far this week I've been to the walk in centre and A&E, nearly had to go back to A&E and also had two GP telephone appointments and might need a face to face next week. If I had to pay for all those appointments I'd struggle despite working full time especially taking into account parking and prescription costs as well.

The problem with small medical charges is that the people who need the services most will be charged most and also be sick enough not to work much but it takes a while to get the diagnosis to support that.

Currently I'm having treatment for a cancer. I haven't been able to work since January. I've been to hospital twice this week for blood tests and that's not unusual for me. £3 parking charge each time and frequently needing to grab lunch whilst there.

My husband died of a hard to diagnose cancer. Same hospital. He didn't have a diagnosis until a couple of weeks before he died but we knew he was dying. Because there was no diagnosis the rules said we weren't entitled to a free parking pass - I had to find a nurse prepared to look aside and write one. Otherwise a charge every single day as I visited and tried to keep him alive.

The last thing you need when struggling with "yeah its bad but we don't know exactly what it is" is to be charged for thar indecision.

Already have working age patients decline prescriptions they can't afford even with discussions of prepayment certificates in England. Charges won't solve a problem, just make things worse but will be fodder for tabloids and Conservative voters.

Just went on this as looking for energy cost thread, and see that it’s turned into a debate on adding cost for nhs care.

why are we not focussed on what todo regarding these disgusting profiteering energy companies and our government which does nothing to protect and help us.

what will it take?

have signed up to no pay Uk and enough is enough- but the numbers are pretty small and the whole country, bar the elite few, are and will be suffering this thievery

have signed up to no pay Uk and enough is enough- but the numbers are pretty small and the whole country, bar the elite few, are and will be suffering this thievery

Numbers are probably pretty small because people don't want to end up with a shot credit rating and pre payment meter!

If everyone switched from monthly direct debit to quarterly pay for use, the energy companies would get a cash flow shock.

Why should we not pay as we go? I have a monthly fixed debit of 140 pounds and currently I am using it up every month. I don't know why people are paying massive DDs unless they see it as a form of saving up for the Winter.

Paying as you go is fine, but many people either can't or don't want to pay the higher winter bill in one go.

People seem to overlooking this benefit of paying by equal monthly direct debit.

There is no benefit of paying equal monthly direct debits if you can’t afford them

This is why I pay £250 when bills 150/180

I think it might depend when you start paying. I joined Octopus in April so almost immediately went into credit. With my previous company I joined in november so for November through to about July I was in arrears and then about right in August September and so it went on. Level payments but not in loads of credit.

I need to submit a reading as I'm pretty sure we are well in credit now as we were just about level in April, I think we might have been about £20 in debit so will have been overpaying since then and we have done our best to cut back, no tumble dryer, lower temperature for washing machine, turned the heat setting down on the boiler so the water is a bit cooler but in all honesty we used to use the mixer tap alot to add cold water so now it is about right. DH doesn't want to reduce payments as he'd like to build up some savings for next April when our deal ends. If it's in his bank he will spend it so it is safer to leave it.

But if you can't afford £200 pm in the summer, you certainly won't be able to pay £400 pm in the winter?

Correct - those numbers are completely unaffordable for the average person