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?

Absolutely. That's a couple of posters claiming that curtains costs thousands.

I've always had normal lined curtains. I currently have an old pair of plain unlined curtains behind each set. Total cost for curtains in my house - £260 for four windows. All floor to ceiling length. One set came from a freecycle type page, the rest from either Dunelm or Primark!

FML

For the whole house, yes it would.

Agree @Butterflyfluff The Government HAS to step in and stop this. It can't go on. I am actually getting quite worried and a bit upset now tbh. It's never ending, with no light at the end of the tunnel.

Snap.

A mansion maybe...

I can't afford this and am definitely not poor but don't have a big disposable income at all. I'm just going to have to use heating very little and rely on the log burner (thank god for it )

Freecycle?

Are you a pensioner?

If you want proper curtains to keep out the cold, it will cost you, if you can afford it, then go for it.

As for putting the heating on in November. Such a pensioner idea. It is still sometimes warm in November but absolutely bollocks freezing in March.

Set the heating to no more than 20C and to fall no lower than 12C. It ticks over to keep a constant heat when you need it.

HAVE A CUP OF TEA! that'll keep you warm.

I’m scared.
I’m a single parent of 3. Working every hour I can (without screwing myself with childcare costs) in a minimum wage job. I’m managing right now to pay my rent, my bills, put fuel in the car, do my grocery shopping, and have a little bit left for the odd kids’ treat (and I’m not talking extravagant days out, I mean the Cineworld £2.50 pocket money movies for juniors).

Come October, I’m fucked.
The trade is slowing down where I work as it is, because people aren’t drinking down the pub - their drinking at home because it’s cheaper. That will get worse. Come winter, I’m envisioning lots of nights where we’ll be closing early, meaning lost working hours I won’t be getting paid for.
I live in a small house which does retain heat quite well, but I’m thinking of starting to stock up on fluffy pjs, onesies, slippers, extra blankets etc for my kids now, because there’s no way I’m going to be able to afford to have the heating on as much as we did last winter 😔 I’m dreading hearing “Mummy I’m cold” and there’ll be nothing I can do except offer a blanket. And that will be the reality for so many families.

Yep. It really shouldn't be though.

Life in 2023 is going to be shit.

We're having our last holiday for a while in a few weeks time. The money will go on our energy bills.

I have teens, they are energy junkies with all their gadgets!

I think I'll invest in blankets and jumpers as Christmas presents for the family. We'll need it even with global warming.

The French government have recently capped energy prices there forcing EDF to take an 8 billion euro hit to their profits.

EDF, a French-owned company, supply a lot of UK energy and are now trying to recompense by charging the UK higher energy prices. I'm pretty sure Brexit won't have helped here.

We need to cap. Stop voting Tory. It's
almost as if Jeremy Corbyn had a point about nationalising energy...

They are a higher proportion of bills if you have low usage and trying to get it lower though. £22 a month when your dd is £90 and summer bills £55 is significant.

"This Tory government is a fuck up of epic proportions and are criminally inept. Truss is absolutely batshit and is alienating her own voters. Unlike some posters I think there will be civil unrest and it will begin when the weather gets bad. Long overdue perhaps."

I fucking hope so anyway. I become apoplectic with rage at the utter filth we have in government whenever I think about them. I would gladly see every tory politician's destitute and would string the cabinet ministers up from the rafters of Westminster without a second thought They are all self serving scum who deserve nothing but our deepest ire and spite.

The moment proper riots kick off I will be there front and centre. The only reason I haven't acted on my feelings yet is because I know I'd be standing mostly alone right now and would just end up in jail. Fortunately, there is a rising tide of anger and rage from the public and we're not that far from the point where quiet bubbling anger becomes broiling rolling rage.

Seriously fuck the Tory's, their members and their voters. (Assuming this will get deleted for violating talk rules but it feels good to get it out every now and then).

@WhiskersPete spot on. It doesn't have to be like this.

I was wondering about going electricity only and having gas meter out to get rid of the standing charge. I am using £10 a week now for hot water and bath twice a week. I know that I won't be able to afford to pay it and I am on prepayment meters. So it might have to just go off.

Sal

I am terrified for my dm on a state pension. She has dementia and just has the heating and fire on all day. If I tweak it down she seems to manage to turn it back up but has no capacity to understand how much it is costing. She just forgets when I tell her.

It's a catastrophe waiting to happen. I am lucky, I can afford it this year but I'm not sure all my friends and relatives can. I would like to know what I can practically do to help my older relatives because I'm very scared for them.

What if it carries on next year and the year after? A lot of jobs will be lost because the slow down in spending on days out, food, clothes etc. Care homes will go up in price but there won't be more funding available to pay it. I guess a lot of businesses will go under.

Bleak times.

Does anyone think many people are having a last hurrah this summer? Or that they aren't aware of what's coming?

I'm in the lakes this week and everywhere is packed. Everywhere in my suburb if a city seemed packed too.

you probably think I am insane; i just had an agent come in to take photos of my flat with a view to sell my flat and move to a bigger one. Rothschild said ' "Buy when there's blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own.'

Enjoy life while you can, I guess. The rises are so very enormous that missing out on a few treats when the weather is nice isn't going to make that much difference cash wise, and at least you'll have been happy in the meantime.

@Governmentscum I like your rage but if you are serious channel it into grassroots campaigning and winning hearts and minds not breaking windows. That helps no one and I was in Trafalgar Square when the poll tax riots happened and was both thrilling and frightening being attacked by riot cops on police horses. Frightening because when the mob is up terrible things can happen and did thrilling because it's the biggest adrenaline rush of your life.

That's quite a lot for just that. Is there a debt on the meter? We are pre paid meter and we use in summer about 20 now I think. Used to be 15 last year. 2 showers, hot water for washing up, cooking every day. And I am not short shower oerson. I like to ponder about life in there.

Or is my meter broken...

@vera99 the poll tax riots worked though. They finished the poll tax.

I understand the anger , but riots only increase the tax burden as someone has to pick up the cost of repairs and many shop owners are already up against it without having to pay out to fix windows or other damage that might occur to property if things did kick off.
A national strike might be a better idea , but even then it's the public that suffer , the political figures are mostly shielded from anything too disruptive. The nurses might vote for strikes , but it wouldn't be everyone and again it would be the most vulnerable who would be losing out. Whatever way you look at it , causing more disruption isn't the answer. The 2011 riots didn't really do much or change anything.
Holding the energy companies to account is the way forward, but they seem to be the ones getting away with it all and the government just say they have already spent billions on helping people with the energy windfall tax payments in October. They think this enough.