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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you’re planning to refuse to pay energy bills?

138 replies

Gruffalocrumbles · 28/07/2022 13:35

I’ve seen a few posts here and there on social media about collectively refusing to pay energy bills when the price hikes in October.

I was wondering if many people are on board/planning to do this?
(YABU = not refusing to pay, YANBU = refusing to pay?)

Most recent post I have seen is by a page called ‘dontpayuk’ on Instagram www.instagram.com/p/CghIfyeseTv/?igshid=YzAyZWRlMzg=

I am really concerned about how our household is going to manage to keep up with bills this winter.

OP posts:
Bubblebubblebah · 28/07/2022 15:21

@catgirl1976 same here. It rose a bit but nowhere near xxx hundred pounds people on DDs are reporting

MsFrenchie · 28/07/2022 15:24

SeptimusWarrenSmith · 28/07/2022 15:17

@MsFrenchie lol in a bent market clustered around bent states profits are everywhere. Suppliers and wholesalers run by the same companies "buy" and "sell" and "negotiate with" themselves globally and domestically and the entire corrupt edifice is built on shady Gulf State set ups. If only the entirety of what these chancers are taking from us was £20, it would be a dream.

I do love a good conspiracy theory, please do tell more!

NewBootsAndRanty · 28/07/2022 15:25

catgirl1976 · 28/07/2022 15:12

I’ve got pre payment meters. They were here when we moved in and I couldn’t be arsed to change them and I’ve never been more glad of them. My tarrif isn’t much more than people on direct debit (19p a kWh for elec) and I’m not subject to crazy monthly direct debits. I know exactly how much I’m spending and the moment in a three floor four bedroom house I’m spending about £50 a month in elec and £25 a month on gas. Obviously this will go up a huge amount in the winter with extra usage and further price increases but I’ve seen people with 500 and more a month DDs and I actually feel quite in control on the meter. I’m still worried about heating the house in winter of course but we are insulating where we can, buying onesies now while they are on sale, stocking up on wood for the wood burner and everything else we can do

My electric unit price on a direct debit tariff is 27.35p/kWh!

TopSec · 28/07/2022 15:28

Gruffalocrumbles · 28/07/2022 13:35

I’ve seen a few posts here and there on social media about collectively refusing to pay energy bills when the price hikes in October.

I was wondering if many people are on board/planning to do this?
(YABU = not refusing to pay, YANBU = refusing to pay?)

Most recent post I have seen is by a page called ‘dontpayuk’ on Instagram www.instagram.com/p/CghIfyeseTv/?igshid=YzAyZWRlMzg=

I am really concerned about how our household is going to manage to keep up with bills this winter.

I definitely wouldn't refuse to pay my bill but we did refuse to up our direct debit to the amount they wanted which was over 110%. We said we would put it up by the amount of the rise in April which was, I believe, 54%. If we needed to put it up again in October, we will, depending on how much it goes up. Martin Lewis said to do this on his programme as utility companies were putting up direct debits far higher than they needed to, to fill their own coffers, which I think has been proved by Centrica (British Gas?) today announcing an increase in profits of £1.34 billion - a 5-fold increase - and this is only for the first 6 months of the year. I would recommend anyone to query how much their utility company puts up their direct debit as they are taking money for no reason.

Sweatinglikeabitch · 28/07/2022 15:28

Well they'll just cut off the power to everyone saying they can't afford to run it because protests over paying. We can't win. They have the power. Be prepared for blackouts

Crimeismymiddlename · 28/07/2022 15:29

I will be cancelling the direct debit and paying for what I use. However if the rises continue I might not have a choice about not paying in a few years.

MsPincher · 28/07/2022 15:33

Plumtreebob · 28/07/2022 14:03

Even if you cut your usage to the bare minimum you will still have to pay standing charges which are even higher if you aren’t using a certain amount of gas and electricity.

I do think vital resources (water, gas, electricity, even internet) should be nationalised. No one should be making a profit off people’s basic necessities.

Surely food, housing and clothing are necessary too. So pretty much you believe in nationalization of everything? Does it bother you that that has never worked in the past?

SeptimusWarrenSmith · 28/07/2022 15:35

@MsFrenchie no conspiracy, just business. 🤷‍♀️

One arm of a business sells, the other buys. The buyer generates profits and funds to buy by charging the end consumer. The seller generates profits by charging the buyer lots of money. Is the buyer negotiating a fair price? From a seller owned by the same person as the buyer? Why on earth would they?

Blossomtoes · 28/07/2022 15:36

Does it bother you that that has never worked in the past?

It worked perfectly well in the past. France has just renationalised EDF and most of the railways here are now back in public ownership. The reason we currently have strikes is because the Secretary of State for Transport is refusing to do the job he’s paid for.

Sartre · 28/07/2022 15:37

If they really do increase the cost as much as they have said they will then we’ll have no choice because we can’t afford it. It will literally be a choice between paying that and having a home.

sashagabadon · 28/07/2022 15:38

Refusing to pay is a terrible suggestion.

TheFormidableMrsC · 28/07/2022 15:39

I'm just paying for what I use. My energy company wanted 300 pcm. I just don't have it. My DD is £90. It's just me and 11 yo DS. I have cut usage back to the bare bones and haven't had the oven on since around March (bought an air fryer). I don't even have the TV on anymore. My usage is now around £120 a month. So I just pay the excess. It's nowhere near £300. I'll just carry on like that.

TabithaTittlemouse · 28/07/2022 15:40

@apwkLmws do you have any tips for things to do now/buy now?

JadeSeahorse · 28/07/2022 15:45

TheFormidableMrsC · 28/07/2022 15:39

I'm just paying for what I use. My energy company wanted 300 pcm. I just don't have it. My DD is £90. It's just me and 11 yo DS. I have cut usage back to the bare bones and haven't had the oven on since around March (bought an air fryer). I don't even have the TV on anymore. My usage is now around £120 a month. So I just pay the excess. It's nowhere near £300. I'll just carry on like that.

I do exactly this too!

Some of these dd's are outrageous!!

Definitely won't be refusing to pay our bills but am hugely worried for people who are already living on a very tight budget.

SweetPetrichor · 28/07/2022 15:47

Refusing to pay gets you absolutely nowhere. You will end up with debt to pay, higher costs in the future because you have the debt to repay on top of regular use, and if you keep refusing to pay they will fit a pre-payment meter.

You could move from DD to just paying usage, as long as you are ready to absorb winter rises. Not all tariffs require DD payment. We use octopus and unit rate/standing charge is the same regardless of payment method.

Funinthemud · 28/07/2022 15:50

apwkLmws · 28/07/2022 15:09

Nope, stopping paying isn't a good idea. This is what I am doing instead:

  1. reducing my usage - changes I've made have already made a massive difference as you can see on the photo.
  2. planning for winter - buying things that will help now when they are cheaper.
  3. keeping my DD at a higher but affordable level now so I'm going into winter in a good amount of credit.
  4. fixed my plan a while back, so I'm paying slightly more than the current price cap but come Octobers rise I should be at a lower rate.

That's quite impressive

What differences have you made?

My electric goes down a bit during summer but not massive

I have gas heating and that goes down a lot

I've started giving my kids baths rather than electric showers, I have a hot water tank so paid for the hot water anyway

I stop using the dryer in summer, though think this winter will not be able to use it

Sunnysideup · 28/07/2022 15:52

It’s a bit daft isn’t it. Doesn’t matter the reasons, not paying increases the debt and has the bailiffs at the door. The fact it’s a political statement doesn change that.

Monika007 · 28/07/2022 15:52

I'm going to do it. And I won't sit in a cold home with a little kid. I always try to save energy as much as I can so thats nothing new, but there is a limit. We need national protest. At the moment this goverment doing basically nothing to help people.

WinterMusings · 28/07/2022 15:53

MsFrenchie · 28/07/2022 14:51

I wonder how many of those thinking of refusing to pay gave a TV subscription, drink alcohol, or get takeaway food.

I’d bet good money that it’s the majority.

What's that got to do with anything????

it's being done as a PROTEST.

I personally won't be doing it. I'm fond of my good credit rating. I think many people will feel the same and so not enough people will do it, for it to be a clear protest.

I really hope people don't put themselves into a worse position supporting this protest.

Sofedupofitall · 28/07/2022 15:54

Apparently lots of people are looking at £500 a month in energy bills from January onwards. It’s absolutely crazy.

SeptimusWarrenSmith · 28/07/2022 15:56

@Sunnysideup they can't send bailiffs to everyone.

Better to force some action on all this price fixing and cartel like behaviour than for us all to be sat around in fucking slankets trying to convince ourselves that we're "cosy".

SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 28/07/2022 15:57

That's not a protest any sane and sensible person would consider.

By the time it all came out in the wash you'd have trashed your credit rating, built up fuck only knows what level of debt and quite possibly have had your meters changed, tariff raised and your name blacklisted.

It's not like a civil protest. It's proposing you receive goods and services and not pay for them.

BigWoollyJumpers · 28/07/2022 16:00

It's being done as a PROTEST

But a protest at what? The globe waking up after Covid, the Russians turning off their supplies, the reduction in the use of coal? A scarce resource is in high demand. What is the solution?

Bubblebubblebah · 28/07/2022 16:01

Fuck me. Just went to see aome fixed rates for my prepayment and while I am currently on 27p for leccy Coop (the cheapest fix) offered 63p😂 Cunts.

Variable it is then I guess

Sunnysideup · 28/07/2022 16:01

SeptimusWarrenSmith · 28/07/2022 15:56

@Sunnysideup they can't send bailiffs to everyone.

Better to force some action on all this price fixing and cartel like behaviour than for us all to be sat around in fucking slankets trying to convince ourselves that we're "cosy".

They don’t need to becayse not everyone is daft enough not to pay.
the debt will escalate, be sold on, she will have a shit credit rating, moved to prepayment and end up with bailiffis. It would be th biggest own goal. You can’t steal energy they always get their money back. Even if it means a burly bloke taking your tv.