Fishettibean
Established Member
Ofgem has increased the cap for electricity and gas prices by 53% in April. That means an extra £693, if on the variable cap rate.
I wish I was this mythical 'average household' - coming off a fixed rate and then having a 53% increase in addition to what I'll move on to is not going to be fun - at the same time as I get hit by the additional 1.25% rate increase in both Employers and Employees NI.Ofgem has increased the cap for electricity and gas prices by 53% in April. That means an extra £693, if on the variable cap rate.
Watch the prices of things rocket up now !.I wish I was this mythical 'average household' - coming off a fixed rate and then having a 53% increase in addition to what I'll move on to is not going to be fun - at the same time as I get hit by the additional 1.25% rate increase in both Employers and Employees NI.
Still - I'm incredibly fortunate that whilst the extra several hundred pounds will be felt each month, it won't cause the financial distress it will some others.
Just did a comparison and Sainsbury's Energy was cheapest Fixed for my usage - they're talking 33p per kWh for electricity and 9p per kWh - so even the updated price cap looks a better option, until it changes again in 6 months.Found this: From 1 April the equivalent per unit level of the price cap to the nearest pence for a typical customer paying by direct debit will be 28p per kWh for electricity customers and 7p per kWh for gas customers
From here:Price cap to increase by £693 from April
The energy price cap will increase from 1 April for approximately 22 million customers.www.ofgem.gov.uk
I've noticed for a while that groceries are increasing in cost - and not everyone has the luxury of buying in bulk to make the small savings. Just now, food and energy billing are going to cripple families and it's an utterly depressing situation - it must create such despair for those impacted worse.What the prices of things rocket up now !.
What about the old people in care homes etc.
This cost will be passed onto the bill payer.
Bless them, they don’t ask for much.
Just to be kept warm, regular meals and looked after !.
Council run care homes will pass on the increase to the rate payers, and so on it goes.
Paid our usual trip to the supermarket yesterday ( Tesco ) picked up a box of cereal.
It had increased in price for £4.00 to £4.50 in one week.
Under neath the price it said :-
“Lower everyday prices”.
They really are taking it !.
Probably have 10,000 boxes in the warehouse, that they bought months ago at a £1 a box !.
Everybody in the world will now be paying for the money lost in the pandemic.
Just shop at Lidl / Aldi - better products, much lower prices, just a narrower range.What the prices of things rocket up now !.
What about the old people in care homes etc.
This cost will be passed onto the bill payer.
Bless them, they don’t ask for much.
Just to be kept warm, regular meals and looked after !.
Council run care homes will pass on the increase to the rate payers, and so on it goes.
Paid our usual trip to the supermarket yesterday ( Tesco ) picked up a box of cereal.
It had increased in price for £4.00 to £4.50 in one week.
Under neath the price it said :-
“Lower everyday prices”.
They really are taking it !.
Probably have 10,000 boxes in the warehouse, that they bought months ago at a £1 a box !.
Everybody in the world will now be paying for the money lost in the pandemic.
Families will be skipping things like house and contents insurance to help pay their energy bills !.Just did a comparison and Sainsbury's Energy was cheapest Fixed for my usage - they're talking 33p per kWh for electricity and 9p per kWh - so even the updated price cap looks a better option, until it changes again in 6 months.
I've noticed for a while that groceries are increasing in cost - and not everyone has the luxury of buying in bulk to make the small savings. Just now, food and energy billing are going to cripple families and it's an utterly depressing situation - it must create such despair for those impacted worse.
BT / Sky / Mortgages etc etc.As a double kick in the plums, EE just emailed me to say my mobile bill is going up in line with the RPI, which is now 7.5% - vs the 3.5% increases they were asking for a few years ago.
I guess the thing to weigh up right now is Fixed rate and cheaper 4 hours at night, total cost, vs price cap 24 hours.
Hi biffo, be very careful solar panels yes deafO to that one if your home is suitable for the them, really you need to mount them facing south or south west to get the best from them. I have had them now for going on 8 years 3.9kws and they have been worth every penny, best investment I ever made up to my EV coming along, but I’m not to sure about a battery, the reason for this is I like you still have a water tank with an Immersion heater fitted and use that for around 7/8 months of the year rather than my gas boiler I turn my gas boiler off in the spring and summer don’t need it, also I have the car now so charge that at home during the day as much as I need to, washing machine tumble dryer plus other electrical items try to use them in daylight hours where possible, so by doing this there’s not much left to charge a home battery I have look into them as my son has one with his solar array around 5.5kws but the cost I don’t think is worth it for me right now, if your out of the house a lot during the day and have solar then it might well be worth the extra cost but not in my case I don’t think.Time to arrange an updated Home Energy survey and start the process of applying for Energy Savings Trust loans for solar panels - possibly battery too but perhaps not given I WFH and have a hot water tank which excess electricity can be diverted to, saving gas - although the energy assessor will
Affordability is key issue - luckily Scotland has 0% loan over 10 years for solar panels and/or battery - which should cover most of the cost. Luckily my Home Energy Report provider has three EVs, solar panels and their partner works with EV battery technology so hoping their recommendations match my limited knowledge - I share your view on batteries, might not quite work for my use case. Also got a four sided roof, facing South, East, etc. Available surface area may be an issue but time will tell ?Hi biffo, be very careful solar panels yes deafO to that one if your home is suitable for the them, really you need to mount them facing south or south west to get the best from them. I have had them now for going on 8 years 3.9kws and they have been worth every penny, best investment I ever made up to my EV coming along, but I’m not to sure about a battery, the reason for this is I like you still have a water tank with an Immersion heater fitted and use that for around 7/8 months of the year rather than my gas boiler I turn my gas boiler off in the spring and summer don’t need it, also I have the car now so charge that at home during the day as much as I need to, washing machine tumble dryer plus other electrical items try to use them in daylight hours where possible, so by doing this there’s not much left to charge a home battery I have look into them as my son has one with his solar array around 5.5kws but the cost I don’t think is worth it for me right now, if your out of the house a lot during the day and have solar then it might well be worth the extra cost but not in my case I don’t think.
I have just read through this thread and what is written here is correct and very up to date and after just watching the news again for about the 3/4 time today it is very worrying for a lot people how they are going to manage they homes and bills.
With regard to shopping as pointed out by LovemyEV prices for almost everything are rising week on week, but no one has mentioned the cost of fossil fuels which is still on the increase, (thank god i got rid off that), a friend of mine is a Courier driver and he was telling me only a week back that his fuel bill for his medium size van has gone up by around 40% in the last few months and it must be the same for the HGVs that deliver items to our shops and supermarket so it’s not all down to gas & electric prices.
God help us if a war kicks off in the east, the price of gas will shoot up that you can bet on, we might even get cut off completely so if you can get solar and your home is right for it and of course you can afford it, go for it now I say to you.
Les
I think what I’m getting is a Home Energy Assessment which includes an Energy Performance Certificate - the thing you need to provide or receive when selling/buying a house.@biffo - can you share the process about the Home Energy report please? I'm interested in that but no nothing about it so would appreciate hearing from someone first hand![]()
Unlike energy companies you can still shop around for mobile. When you find a good deal tell EE and they will give you an offer. If they dont, leaveAs a double kick in the plums, EE just emailed me to say my mobile bill is going up in line with the RPI, which is now 7.5% - vs the 3.5% increases they were asking for a few years ago.
I guess the thing to weigh up right now is Fixed rate and cheaper 4 hours at night, total cost, vs price cap 24 hours.
Unlike energy companies you can still shop around for mobile. When you find a good deal tell EE and they will give you an offer. If they dont, leave
Sim only as if you are rolling over your contract you are happy with your phone.
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Hi again Biffo, that green deal you have in Scotland looks great wish we had it in England and yeh has arealhuman has said above please share with us how you get on as that would be interestingI think what I’m getting is a Home Energy Assessment which includes an Energy Performance Certificate - the thing you need to provide or receive when selling/buying a house.
I’m using someone that a friend recommended - they did a survey for government loans for replacement windows, etc - not sure of your location but I imagine there are lots of companies doing impartial Renewable Technology Surveys and recommendations.
These are the prerequisites for applying for the Green Deal 0% loans and grants in Scotland - not sure of the equivalent in the rest of the UK
nextgenergy.co.uk
It's what happens when governments use the magical money tree. Rampant money printing (well, just numbers in a ledger) is what gives us inflation. So many extra billions globally created out of thin air, end result is inflation. Big gov spending always ends this way.BT / Sky / Mortgages etc etc.
All heading down the same path, just like sheep ? !.
All getting in on the race to grab your cash !.
Workers then demanding higher pay increases to keep their heads above the water.
The merry-go-round starts up again !,