To think £6,000 a year energy bills are completely unsustainable

[Butterflyfluff]

Following on from this thread but quite unbelievably the projected figure has gone from £4,200 to £6,000 now.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4607670-to-think-that-very-few-people-can-manage-ps4200-energy-bills?page=40

Where will this all end?

If that’s what we’ll be paying, that’s 1/3 of my entire salary. Being a sole parent on one income really can suck sometimes

www.bbc.com/news/business-62630787

This is around £500 in electricity bills per month.
I’m with you, is scary to think where the money will come from.
We will have to go back to the old times and use candles. This is ridiculous and unsustainable in the long run.
unless salaries goes up the same way, which is a joke, I am not sure where we will end. Move countries ?

😢😢

Tragically (speaking as a Clinical Psychologist with 30+ years experience), I believe this ‘cost of living crisis’ will directly cause a large number of suicides. I am not given to assigning a single cause for suicide, but this is a entirely different ball game. It’s clear that being unable to be able to afford to keep warm and buy enough food will lead to severe depression. Factor on top of that being unable to keep-up mortgage payments or rent and that’s a recipe for despair and suicide.

As for ‘the Government don’t understand’. They would have to be interested in order to understand and they are only interested in the votes of ordinary people, not in their lives.

Seriously?

Please could you help me understand where households who simply don’t have an extra £4 or £5k to spend on energy, are going to suddenly magic this from? I’m not talking about people who can cut back their discretionary spending - I mean those who simply don’t have this money.

And how leisure / retail / tourism / beauty businesses are going to survive the double whammy of their energy costs soaring whilst demand declines because those who can afford to pay the increased energy costs can only do so by massively cutting back their expenditure in these areas.

My concern is that the government will provide support only to the elderly and those in receipt of benefits. If that happens there will be millions of people who fall between the cracks.

There plainly has to be a freeze of the price cap at the very least.

If that doesn't happen then people will die.

Yes mine too

Yes I am very worried about the working poor and especially those with children - the number of children falling into poverty is increasing all the time.

Leaving aside the horror of children struggling for food and warmth this year, this is so stupid from a national strength POV, as we will never be able to make up these years and we are weakening our greatest resource.

@Mary54 I am surprised at your assertion that £4k+ is and has been the average for a German household - did a bit of Googling and there's nothing to show it's been that high. Can you furnish me some links?

My take home pay is £1300 per month. £500 would be a massive chunk of that obviously. As would £400. £300 would be difficult and over double what we're paying now.

Perhaps the current Government are using the excess PPE to cover their eyes!

I think the plan is to burn the PPE stockpile, which at least will provide free fuel for a bit.

I am really worried about the knock on effect of such poverty. An increase in gas explosions as people don’t get their boilers serviced as they can’t afford to, an increase in people leaving teeth problems until they develop sepsis or severe abscesses because they can’t afford nhs dental prices (I’m in that boat right now, I can’t afford the £20 odd quid initial consultation price!), people not going to a and e when they should because they can’t afford the petrol / taxi / transport to get there (or ringing an ambulance in the hope of getting there for free when they don’t actually need one but do need to get to a and e), people not eating properly, children being stuck in homes where parents are so stressed and depressed by the situation that they’re shouted at or worse and have nothing to look forward to or enjoy. No toys. Nothing.

This is the UK 2022. It’s shit.

Kill off the poor, elderly and disabled.
Financially cripple the middleclasses.
Finish off killing off all small businesses and the economy.
Do whatever else they please.
While we all sit o. Our arses waiting for someone else to act.

@Catfordthefifth

I agree about labour. Where are they? I strongly suspect they haven't said more because....they know there is nothing they can actually do.

I mean if there was a solution wouldn't all labour be screaming it from roof tops,flooding the media?

Tory show do this?

Let's hope Labour develop a backbone eh?

I really, really hope that IF the bastards that are currently in power do swoop in at the last second and “save the day” somehow that people do not forget the shit storm that is happening now and the sheer fear that is affecting so many people. We should not remember them as saviours no matter what happens from now on in.

@AnnieSnap I've prepared several exit strategies for DD, elderly DP and me. At least I have control over that.

I am scared of candle's, are there any good battery candle but not harsh lights?

Halloween they sell those battery operated tea lights. Good shout what with all the ooodies and stuff.

Labour’s current policy would be to freeze the price cap at its current amount. If you aren’t hearing that it’s because you are choosing not to hear it.
It is completely affordable if the country wanted to.
Remember we suddenly had the money to pay a huge percentage of the country 80% of their wages at the drop of a hat with furlough.

Um we have a low wage service economy - deliberately by successive arsehole governments

Even if it's true in Germany they get PAID PROPERLY (and property is half the cost of here)

@chillipenguin I was thinking a brighter light than that

Exactly.

This is what must happen.

Tax revenue would've been cut too much.

That's when they'll start worrying.