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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think these energy price predictions are just scaremongering now

223 replies

Butterflyfluff · 26/08/2022 20:07

The annual energy price predictions are literally going up by about £500 a day.

There’s absolutely no way most people can sustain £4/5/600 per month energy bills for any length of time.

I'm starting to think it’s all a ploy to just get people to reduce consumption - scare the shit out of people so they use less.

OP posts:
User4668430 · 26/08/2022 20:52

Dunno but I'm getting a bit fed up of TV and News presenters, some of which earn several hundred thousand a year going on about how difficult it is going to be as they almost gleefully give out the news

NeelyOHara1 · 26/08/2022 20:54

I'm starting to think that the World Economic Forum and their Great Reset will soon be coming out from the conspiracy shadows..

Gifthunter · 26/08/2022 20:59

I'm not sure people fully understand what's going on. Europe including the UK has gone to war with Russia (in all but name). They provided a large portion of European energy.

Ther is NOT enough energy in Europe to power our usual consumption this winter. As a result we will have to use less. I agree these bills aren't sustainable - people will reduce their consumption. Turning heating and lighting on less. This is supply and demand.

Inflation (usually) means people are becoming poorer - as a country by the end of next year we will have had 30%inflation in 2 years so will be one third poorer than we were. As a result we have to reduce energy consumption to adjust to our new level of wealth.

Isthisexpected · 26/08/2022 21:02

The annual energy price predictions are literally going up by about £500 a day.

^ well they're not. This is the incorrect use of the word literal.

If you're not worried though, good for you!

sst1234 · 26/08/2022 21:03

NeelyOHara1 · 26/08/2022 20:54

I'm starting to think that the World Economic Forum and their Great Reset will soon be coming out from the conspiracy shadows..

People sneer at it and call it a conspiracy when it’s described in those terms I.e Greta reset.

In reality, there’s no conspiracy, it’s just realpolitik.

Globally, the number of people living in what’s known as extreme poverty (less than $2 a day) has reduced from 35% in 1990 to less than 10% today. Global middle class is expected to grow to 5.5 billion by 2030. That is a big societal shift the world over. More people, more wealth means a bigger opportunity to re balance that wealth. And global corporations have been doing it since the dawn of time. Lobbying to shape policy that affects us all.

It’s important to call it is what is, rather than describe it as a conspiracy. It’s reality.

needthiswilderness · 26/08/2022 21:04

OP, it's not scaremongering if the scary thing is actually happening.

MongoOnlyPawnInGameOfLife · 26/08/2022 21:04

Gifthunter · 26/08/2022 20:59

I'm not sure people fully understand what's going on. Europe including the UK has gone to war with Russia (in all but name). They provided a large portion of European energy.

Ther is NOT enough energy in Europe to power our usual consumption this winter. As a result we will have to use less. I agree these bills aren't sustainable - people will reduce their consumption. Turning heating and lighting on less. This is supply and demand.

Inflation (usually) means people are becoming poorer - as a country by the end of next year we will have had 30%inflation in 2 years so will be one third poorer than we were. As a result we have to reduce energy consumption to adjust to our new level of wealth.

Mostly true, but someone sure is making a shit-load of money from the oil and gas that is available. All of that extra cash that people and businesses are paying isn’t just disappearing into thin air.

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 26/08/2022 21:09

Hmm I dunno...... They are gonna go up, but I am sick of shit on the news like 'the average user will pay £450 a month soon.' The price cap is £3.5K a year roughly, and the newsreader said THAT. The most it would be is around £300 a month. Still awful of COURSE, but not as bad as the scaremongering £450 a month. And this £3.5K price cap is the TOP END. Many will, not pay this.

I am getting sick of the news now. DH has it on every fucking time the TV shows it, so it's hard to avoid, buy yeah I do believe there is some scaremongering going on. No way in fucking HELL can people afford the projected £6,000 a year for energy bills. Someone is taking the fucking PISS!

MrsSkylerWhite · 26/08/2022 21:10

Of course it isn’t scaremongering. It’s telling it like it is.

scary, yes. Scaremongering, no.

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 26/08/2022 21:11

User4668430 · 26/08/2022 20:52

Dunno but I'm getting a bit fed up of TV and News presenters, some of which earn several hundred thousand a year going on about how difficult it is going to be as they almost gleefully give out the news

Yep this. ^ And on EVERY news bulletin is Sharon, the single mum with 4 kids who will have to choose between 'heating and eating' (SICK of this fucking saying!) and Maud who is 77 and lives alone, and will be heating her home with a candle this winter. It's not just single mums and the elderly who are going to be struggling.

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 26/08/2022 21:13

Meanwhile. Over in Russia…

Gifthunter · 26/08/2022 21:15

MongoOnlyPawnInGameOfLife · 26/08/2022 21:04

Mostly true, but someone sure is making a shit-load of money from the oil and gas that is available. All of that extra cash that people and businesses are paying isn’t just disappearing into thin air.

Some suppliers will l be making money -BUT in a supply/demand mismatch this is how you manage it. If the prices did not rise the first few energy companies/countries would buy lots of the gas - their customers would be protected but the other countries/energy companies would be left with nothing.

megacat · 26/08/2022 21:15

@WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps you do realise the 3.5k is based on an average home usage, not the maximum anyone can pay? Many will pay above that figure.

I'm not sure what I find most scary, the impending price rises or the fact so many people STILL don't understand the price cap and how it works, and how monthly/ annual figures are meaningless, it's the price per unit that is the key figure.

amicissimma · 26/08/2022 21:16

Well they're not really saying anything clear. 'Average bills', 'up to', 'as much as'. The actual per unit price is available but that's bad but not nearly so exciting. Some of us might manage to work out that with careful budgeting and energy use our bills might not be quite as bad as the Media would have us believe.

It feels to me as if they got hooked on drama with Covid 'up to x0,000 deaths', 'so many new cases a day', 'could be as many as...' etc, and just want to keep the ooh aah factor going. The price of oil has dropped by about 30% since its recent peak, so although companies have had to buy for the upcoming months at the increased rate, things will improve eventually. Then the MSM will have to find some new 'crisis' to scare us and keep us tuning in. And they will.

That's not to say hard times aren't coming. We have to pay for the variations in fuel prices, our country's own lack of planning and not using our own oil and gas to reduce our dependence on imports. We have to pay for the destruction of business due to Covid and the extra money the government paid out when they stopped us earning. We have lived very comfortably, arguably beyond our means, for decades, with food prices low at the expense of producers, importing cheap labour, exporting our heavy industry, interest rates held artificially low, a badly run health service, huge and rising interest payments on government borrowing, etc and now a series of events have made those things harder to sustain. It would probably have been less painful if prices had risen gradually over that time, rather than all at once when the dominos fell over, but it is what it is. Politicians can tweak things and try to decrease the burden on some groups while not over-burdening others, but ultimately there's a bill to pay.

Cyw2018 · 26/08/2022 21:18

MarshaBradyo · 26/08/2022 20:30

Yes I agree it’s the cost of being in a proxy war with Russia

I have thought or hoped that winter will be the peak due to demand peaking

I can’t see the war stopping soon which is a downer

Agree, we are in the 21st century version of a medieval seige, except it's countries not Cities underseige and it's energy starvation not water or food (although it is food as well to a lesser extent). now we need to see which government choose to hold out the longest by sacrificing the most poor people or soldiers (poor people from Russia).

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 26/08/2022 21:22

megacat · 26/08/2022 21:15

@WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps you do realise the 3.5k is based on an average home usage, not the maximum anyone can pay? Many will pay above that figure.

I'm not sure what I find most scary, the impending price rises or the fact so many people STILL don't understand the price cap and how it works, and how monthly/ annual figures are meaningless, it's the price per unit that is the key figure.

And many will pay LESS. The scaremongering is pissing me off.

sashagabadon · 26/08/2022 21:22

Martin Lewis has become unlistenable imo now. He has always had a dramatic style but he’s become unbearable. I can’t listen to him anymore and turn him off when I hear his voice on the radio.
Reminds me of the early days of covid and all the hysteria in the media then.

hamsterchump · 26/08/2022 21:23

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 26/08/2022 21:09

Hmm I dunno...... They are gonna go up, but I am sick of shit on the news like 'the average user will pay £450 a month soon.' The price cap is £3.5K a year roughly, and the newsreader said THAT. The most it would be is around £300 a month. Still awful of COURSE, but not as bad as the scaremongering £450 a month. And this £3.5K price cap is the TOP END. Many will, not pay this.

I am getting sick of the news now. DH has it on every fucking time the TV shows it, so it's hard to avoid, buy yeah I do believe there is some scaremongering going on. No way in fucking HELL can people afford the projected £6,000 a year for energy bills. Someone is taking the fucking PISS!

The price cap is not the top end it's only based on a household of 2.4 people using 12,000 kWh of gas and 2,900 kWh of electricity per year, that's not particularly high. Most families will use at least this unless they are very deliberately frugal. Many will use more than this and pay more as well.

MarshaBradyo · 26/08/2022 21:24

sashagabadon · 26/08/2022 21:22

Martin Lewis has become unlistenable imo now. He has always had a dramatic style but he’s become unbearable. I can’t listen to him anymore and turn him off when I hear his voice on the radio.
Reminds me of the early days of covid and all the hysteria in the media then.

Me too Martin Lewis panicking and shouty via the radio makes me switch it over

Tbh I hadn’t heard him before to know if he’s worse but I’d imagine he is

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 26/08/2022 21:24

@amicissimma

It feels to me as if they got hooked on drama with Covid 'up to x0,000 deaths', 'so many new cases a day', 'could be as many as...' etc, and just want to keep the ooh aah factor going. The price of oil has dropped by about 30% since its recent peak, so although companies have had to buy for the upcoming months at the increased rate, things will improve eventually. Then the MSM will have to find some new 'crisis' to scare us and keep us tuning in. And they will.

This. ^ The news channels/bulletins always seem to grasp onto SOMETHING to try and scare the public with. Fucks me right off it does, and I don't buy into any of it. They always exaggerate and push the worst case scenario, and some people are terrified. They should be ashamed actually. Hmm

PestorPeston · 26/08/2022 21:25

False information alert
And this £3.5K price cap is the TOP END. Many will, not pay this.

The £3.5K price cap is the average, half will pay more, half will pay less. Unless people do some serious cutting back it will be impossible for the people at the bottom and quite difficult for all but the top couple of deciles.

hamsterchump · 26/08/2022 21:25

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 26/08/2022 21:22

And many will pay LESS. The scaremongering is pissing me off.

It's not scaremongering just because it scares you and you don't want to hear it, it's reality and people need to know so they can at least have a chance at mitigating it as much as possible. If you don't want to hear you can switch off the news and stop commenting on social media about it of course?

Alaimo · 26/08/2022 21:26

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 26/08/2022 21:09

Hmm I dunno...... They are gonna go up, but I am sick of shit on the news like 'the average user will pay £450 a month soon.' The price cap is £3.5K a year roughly, and the newsreader said THAT. The most it would be is around £300 a month. Still awful of COURSE, but not as bad as the scaremongering £450 a month. And this £3.5K price cap is the TOP END. Many will, not pay this.

I am getting sick of the news now. DH has it on every fucking time the TV shows it, so it's hard to avoid, buy yeah I do believe there is some scaremongering going on. No way in fucking HELL can people afford the projected £6,000 a year for energy bills. Someone is taking the fucking PISS!

The price cap is not the maximum that anyone would pay. It's what an "average dual fuel household" will pay. If you consume more than average, your annual bill will be more.

Of course this only applies if you're on a variable tariff, not if you're on a fixed tariff.

User4668430 · 26/08/2022 21:28

This morning on BBC it was like they were practically rubbing their thighs in excitement at announcing the new price cap and of course ML waiting in the wings

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