To think that very few people can manage £4200 energy bills

[Butterflyfluff]

news.sky.com/story/energy-bills-forecast-to-rise-even-higher-than-previously-thought-12668906

This simply isn’t manageable for the majority of people.

Where’s this going to end?

The average UK energy bill in 2020 was £1,287 per year and plenty of people were struggling then.

As the article says, the energy cap isn't fit for purpose. Most people will struggle to meet bills of that amount.

Its simply entirely impossible.

is that an average, i would think most people wouldnt be paying that much?

If it's an average, a lot of people will be paying more as well as less. Ours is always above average (5 people) and we live in an ex council house not a mansion. It's preposterous. Our bill has already gone up 80% and our usage is less than in 2020/21.

This would put my monthly DD up from £150 per month (was £85 before all this kicked off) to £350. We just cannot afford that increase. We don't have an extra £200 per month. Not when everything else is costing so much.

We've already cut back on all big expenses (we don't have a car anymore live in city centre and we don't have any luxuries) there is nothing else we can squeeze to make up the shortfall.

We both work, have free childcare (after school kids go to grandparents).

All we have is DC3 DLA savings. Obviously we don't want to use that but it would be our only option. And we're "lucky" to have that as many people won't have any savings.

By October my bills will be 3x higher than they were in 2021, now I see a predicted 19% rise in January too.
We are very lucky, just 2 of us in a well insulated house with an efficient boiler. My bills will ‘only’ be £250 a month where I was paying £75 and we can afford it.
Not only will it push millions further into poverty, it will wreck the economy, people can’t afford to go out and spend and businesses will close due to lack of customers plus higher bills.

We can afford it but I don't want to, I don't want to be paying so much money for gas and electric and not spending it on a nice holiday or home improvements! Quite apart from loads of people being in poverty which is the most important think It's totally shit for the economy as even people who can afford it will not be spending their money on anything but energy.

It's one thing after another. First of all a pandemic which stop you doing anything fun and even free social activity and stuff that keeps us human is criminalised, then when things open up - Haha! You have no money to do anything as you must give it all to the energy company.

I don't want to believe in the super rich trying to create a tiny elite with everyone else as slaves but if there were a conspiracy it really couldn't be going any better for them.

It depends on usage and plenty of people will be paying that much, or a lot more.

The cap isn't a huge amount and it will certainly be a prompt for us to be more careful with what we use, which is a good thing of course, but the price increase is now simply insane, especially alongside increases in food, petrol and mortgages and will simply serve to keep inflation high despite interest rates being increased. Plus the help announced up to now just isn't going to make a dent in the price increases.

Also what do they mean by war pushing up prices? They mean that energy is harder to get so the owners of it are overcharging and profiteering, surely? Nothing else explains why British Gas and Shell, for example, are now reporting such humongous and unprecedented profits.

I think some people can’t afford that but a lot will be able to absorb the cost. It will just mean less meals out, holidays etc.

I will be paying far more than that as I need overnight heating in winter. So ridiculous amounts, almost mortgage money.

I don't want to believe in the super rich trying to create a tiny elite with everyone else as slaves but if there were a conspiracy it really couldn't be going any better for them.

It's not a conspiracy, it's just the logical outcome of unbridled capitalism : )

YANBU OP

The government can scare up billions to pay for half price pub mains, they can scare up billions so that people don't have to choose between heat and food

It's terrifying me. We're in a hugely lucky position that we've just been able to pay the mortgage off - but with the cost of fuel, food and bills we're going to be significantly worse off than this time last year when we had a mortgage. How can that be right? I am honestly quite scared about how things are going to go.

I think most people will be able to make savings on energy. Things such as turn the heating down, not put it on until November, buy a slow cooker, get thicker curtains, an electric blanket and other measures that involve a small outlay. It will still cost more but I think energy use in homes this winter will drop. Any new appliances people buy will most likely be the most energy efficient .

The people who are really stuffed are the ones who already have no reserves to get the slow cooker, or who already hardly have the heating on and they are probably in the poorest quality housing with the most inefficient insulation, heating, hot water and appliances.
there used to be home improvement grants for new boilers, double glazing, insulation etc but not anymore

The government can scare up billions to pay for half price pub mains, they can scare up billions so that people don't have to choose between heat and food

Indeed. First of all they could nationalise energy, the market has obviously totally failed.

It's classic supply and demand. Less supply, more demand, price goes up.

If you had 100 apples in a world where the apple harvest had failed, would you still only sell them for 20p each? Of course not. You would sell them to the highest bidder.

We are paying £500 p/m for gas and electricity at the moment. Dread to think what it will be from October.

Not helped by having two teenagers who never turn lights off and think 20 minute showers twice a day are a human right.

We can afford it but it will mean cutting back on holidays, days out and meals out. Which I dont see how can be good for the economy.

There's a man in the East who could lower your prices.

And there's a cost for doing the right thing. Our hardships are nothing compared to others.

I suspect a lot of people won’t be paying that because they will choose not to heat their home.

Disagree with you OP, I suspect most people will be able to cover it, no doubt at the cost of other expenditure (holidays, Xmas etc.).
There will be of course, millions who won't be able to afford it, but they are still in the minority.

It is a nightmare scenario for many people and deeply uncomfortable for almost all. It requires strong and decisive leadership from government but they are all distracted with fannying about with a leadership contest lasting longer than a general election, or have buggered off on holidays with dubious financing.

I don't think a lot will be able to absorb the cost. I think for many people this is going to be a horrendous winter, the like of which they may struggling to come back from (financially, mentally, physically).

We will cope - assuming these prices don't go on and on for years - but are having serious discussions about what and how we cut down energy usage to the absolute minimum.

Do you mean you are ACTUALLY using that amount, or your direct debit is that amount? That is a huge amount per month. I just got £1000 back from BULB. They had been overcharging for months, and I hadn't got round to getting a reading in. Not only was I overpaying my monthly dd (which I had tried to get reduced for months, without success, the system doesn't allow you to drop below a certain level), but their estimates were way out.

I am now paying £250 with a credit still on account of £350, five bedroom house, two teens, DH working from home.

No they can’t. My fuel predictions are £10k going forwards (5 bed detached) so much higher usage than normal. People were troll hunting myself and others on other threads who said their supplier forecasts from supplies were this high. I am no sure why when average bills are now expected to head towards £5k it’s just getting higher and higher.

It will totally fuck the economy as we are service one and people won’t have any disposable income.