UK Power supplies Winter 2022/2023. Are you prepared ?

[brassnecked]

Its becoming a joke now

[tobyjugg2]

Whereas Teachers and nurses cant afford to go home and cook food

 

[brassnecked]

Exactly TJ, as many others on less income cannot either, meanwhile Dr North has turned a baleful eye on the King of the rip off IVA Stepchange which makes its coin in a multi million income from the fees it charges desperate debtors for setting one up..

 

Energy: self help | Turbulent Times

WWW.TURBULENTTIMES.CO.UK

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At last, politicians seem to be waking up to the severity of the energy pricing crisis. But one thing that comes through very clearly in the response to...

 

[brassnecked]

Stepchange jumping in on the act no doubt hoping to get some more customer's when they energyco's  pursue debtor's

 

 

What happens if you don’t pay energy bills? Debt charity warns of consequences

WWW.STANDARD.CO.UK

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More than 90,000 people have pledged to cancel their direct debits, according to Don’t Pay UK.

 

[honeybee13]

Good for Richard North over Stepchange.

[brassnecked]

The amount of people who come here in desperation having paid Stepchange for IVAs still paying after many debts would be SB is shocking.

 

Wonder if Stepchange will go after Richard North to try to stop him dissing them and upsetting their cash cow models?

[honeybee13]

I don't know who this baby-faced MP is [edit Dan Carden, maybe] but he sees the energy cap the same way that I do.

 

 

[theoldrouge]

Governments have to tackle the fundamental basics of providing energy and food security 

All proposals from all sides at the moment are merely kicking the can expensively down the road

For food leave farmers to it and stop rewilding the countryside and covering acres of prime land with solar panels 

Maximise North Sea resources and get fracking 

[tobyjugg2]

The Bank of America investment funds seem to be beating us to it again, and will reap the benefits and profits

 

Because of its versatility, it is estimated that hydrogen could create as much as $11 trillion in investment opportunities over the next three decades.^footnote6 “The potential for green hydrogen as an investment theme is compelling because the decarbonization agenda is real,” says Martyn Briggs, thematic investing strategist at BofA Global Research and one of the authors of the report. “As we’re seeing more emphasis to reduce the world’s carbon footprint, we’re realizing that renewable electricity, alone, can’t get us over the finish line.”

Why green hydrogen could be a game changer

Green hydrogen gas is produced through electrolysis, a process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. Widespread adoption of that technology could, in effect, create a new industry and generate increased demand for its components, such as platinum, which is a key part of both fuel cells and electrolyzers.^footnote7

 

 

 

Green Hydrogen: A Clean, Renewable Energy Source & Benefit to the Economy

ABOUT.BANKOFAMERICA.COM

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Green hydrogen is a clean energy source that is created by using renewable energy, such as solar and wind, instead of fossil fuels. Learn more about...

 

[honeybee13]

I wasn't sure where to put this. Water companies again - this is awful.

 

Sewage polluting UK beaches as swimmers warned to avoid water at 50 seaside hotspots

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

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Leisure spots at Bognor Regis, Newquay and Yarmouth have all been affected

 

[honeybee13]

Director of Ofgem resigns because she doesn't agree with how the energy cap is calculated.

 

Government 'asleep at the wheel' as Ofgem director quits over energy price cap change

NEWS.SKY.COM

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Ofgem recently changed the method it uses to determine the price cap on energy bills and Christine Farnish disagreed with giving suppliers six...

 

[tobyjugg2]

Enjoy your shitf-shellfish Southerners

 

The simple fact that the London area has both a hosepipe ban, flooding and sewage overflows should demonstrate to anyone just HOW broken this system is, and anyone squealing 'exceptional circumstances' should look at how often and much these issues are  recurring, and be aware of how little time will pass before this is likely to occur again.

 

That the boss of their promotion agencies 'answer is that everyone goes on water meters and pays more for using less, while the companies are making huge profits for a few (mainly large shareholders and top bosses) while building not a single reservoir and leaking 25% of the water they transport due to simply NOT doing even basically adequate investment and maintenance of the infrastructure says to me that EVERY SENIOR BOSS AT THESE ORGANISATIONS should be fined what they have profiteered.

 

No, they shouldn't be renationalised, they should be regulated into undoing the damage they have done with profits limited to a fixed  portion of investment and boss dividends and bonuses scrapped (and share options confiscated) until the company has rebuilt the infrastructure and cleared the debt mountain, with failure to do so acted upon as gross negligence.

 

 

That A member of OFGEM has resigned, no doubt to maintain some shred of credibility for her income, is little more than a headline

That one of the reasons is that 'they should have done more to protect energy resellers from collapsing, without qualifying that this would be better done by:

 

1. Ensuring the companies were credible to start with and not largely some mechanism to make its head a millionaire while leaving the taxpayer to pay the bill

2. Ensuring core supplies and suppliers are UNABLE to rip everyone off in a crisis (like France has - so if the Europeans can do it ...)

 

.. is telling

 

My brief experiences of 2 of those failed companies indicated they should never have been allowed to start up

- AVRO especially seemed to me to appear to be run by people and in a way that even NPower would wince at.

Special mention to the customer service manager there who made the NPower manager I ended up dealing with; after (also) overcharging, multiple unaddressed complaints and months of failure to repay a large credit balance after leaving; seem competent and professional in comparison.

AVRO went under owing 90 millio to its customers (overcharges) didn't it?

and Bulb boss continued to be payed his quarter million salary?

 

 

Safer Seas Service Interactive Map • Surfers Against Sewage

WWW.SAS.ORG.UK

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This interactive map is our online version of the Safer Seas & Rivers Service, tracking real-time CSOs (combined sewage overflows) and PRFs...

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

A southern water spokesperson said

 

"“The release is 95-97 per cent rainwater and so should not be described as raw sewage."

 

aka

'Its only between 3% and 5% sewage we are pouring into the waterways by the millions of liter,

... well with heavy downpours watering it down its only 3-5% sewage ... I wish to avoid commenting on the percentage of doodoo we are pouring into the waterways and onto the beaches  in the months long drier spells  ...

 

 

[brassnecked]

A view that will really upset the equality and Diversity coordinator's here:

 

Water: the monstruous regiment | Turbulent Times

WWW.TURBULENTTIMES.CO.UK

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It is instructive to see the Telegraph run a piece on Geoffrey Boycott complaining about a “guy from cycling reforming English cricket”. It is...

 

[theoldrouge]

Excellent article BN , a whole new industry this diversity nonsense 

Cant possibly hire anyone on merit nowadays that would never do

[honeybee13]

Possibly because you haven't been discriminated against, guys.

 

I'm old enough to remember when just being female was enough to stop you getting employment benefits that were only allowed for men. Subsidised mortgages in the insurance industry, sometimes pension schemes as I remember, etc...

 

And I once applied for a job where the manager clearly didn't want to see me but has was fair enough to say 'There are laws about this now, I suppose you'd better come and see me'. I got the job and kept it for seven years, so I guess it was on merit.

[brassnecked]

Never had a problem with women working in male domain I know several lady trucker's and my best Couriers were women, one girl I hadd as Courier could pack more deliveries in an estate car than some men could fit in a Transit

[honeybee13]

Good for you but I assure you it happened. I could go on but I won't.

[tobyjugg2]

3 hours ago, brassnecked said:

A view that will really upset the equality and Diversity coordinator's here:

 

Water: the monstruous regiment | Turbulent Times

WWW.TURBULENTTIMES.CO.UK

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It is instructive to see the Telegraph run a piece on Geoffrey Boycott complaining about a “guy from cycling reforming English cricket”. It is...

 

 

"What would be helpful to see, though, is the same degree of concern expressed about the hiring of Nicola Shaw. a “transportation” specialist, with recent experience of the National Grid, to run Yorkshire Water, despite having no relevant qualifications or operational experience in the water industry."

 

... As opposed to the useless tosspots, male or female, who have had the experience of running (into the ground) Yorkshire (and the other English) water company for the last 3 decades or so?

 

Sounds like those 'experienced' in the industry, who have 'managed' it to its current unfit state are exactly who we DON'T need eh?

- Male or Female.

 

Anyway, isn't the industry currently just harping on about transporting water from the North to the South? Something she does have experience of LOL

- Not that those proposals will help for 20 years or so anyway - and far less than actually resolving most of the 25ish% leakage from the existing pipe network.

 

Ferking hell - as they only seem to add baffles to reduce the pressure in their 'improving the system' work - why aren't they slieving the old pipes - two birds with one stone - reduce leakage and diameter?

 

 

Perhaps they want her for her experience in paying massive fines with company/taxpayer money ?? ...

 

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by tobyjugg2

[honeybee13]

Solar sheep shelters in Australia are working well.

 

Solar panel sheep farm trial ‘a complete win-win’

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

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‘They’re growing exponentially and the wool cuts are in the top 5 per cent in the district,’ farmer says

 

[brassnecked]

That's a good move that Drakeford should look at rather than getting rid of sheep for Solar panels.........

Here is Richard North's latest missive on the energy cash grabber's

 

Energy: getting the money | Turbulent Times

WWW.TURBULENTTIMES.CO.UK

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I’m marginally encouraged by Ofgem director Christine Farnish who has resigned in protest at the regulator’s action in piling additional costs onto...

 

[tobyjugg2]

too many examples throughout industry and politics of what appears to be rampant cronyism aka didoism

 

Jenricks pals being shunted around the country until they get a seat - then fleece it

Useless prats being shunted from head of industry/regulation to head of industry/regulation leaving devastation where they pass

 

Male or female - theres both

All shining examples of the broken UK system under any party  ... Corbyn included .. especially

 

There are also shining examples of competent and professional both male and female, but they do seem few and far between.

Edited August 19, 2022 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

Email from Octopus. I'm sure they wont mind me posting it.

 

 

Next Friday, Ofgem will announce the official level for October's energy price cap. It will be a further huge rise on already high prices.

Your tariff isn't changing right now. Today, I'm writing to you to share what I know, including notes on Government support and everything we're doing to help you prepare for it as best we can. For more on how the cap works, and which tariffs are affected, check our blog.

Make no mistake, this is a fossil fuel crisis. As a direct result of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, global gas prices are astronomical — currently around eight times higher than usual. And because of the way the UK's energy system works, the price of electricity (even renewable electricity) is largely set by the price of gas. I've spoken more about this here. This needs to change — a review is underway, but it won't change things quickly enough to address the crisis.

Gas prices have been like this for almost a year now, but as the energy price cap is based on past wholesale costs, the worst of these rises have not yet passed on to customers.

It is October when this impact will truly hit bills.

Our team help around 30,000 customers a day and we know what this will mean. There is some government support, especially for those who need it most, but a lot more is needed.

We have spent the last year working with other companies and experts to bring ideas to the regulator and government which we hope they will implement. But time is running out and until we hear what the government might do, we want to help our customers prepare. We've recently updated our online Balance Forecast tool with “Crystal Ball mode”. This shows customers on our Flexible Octopus tariff the impact of likely price changes and factors in the government rebates already announced. While it can't be fully accurate, it should hopefully provide some perspective.

To date, Octopus have absorbed over £150m of increases, to keep our costs lower for existing customers, but we simply can't absorb it all. Putting it in perspective — in a normal year, we'd usually pay £1.5bn for the fuel we supply to customers. This year it's more like £9bn. There's more about this below — but to be clear, we have never made a profit and won't do this year.

No energy supplier can solve this problem — this isn't an industry issue, it's a consequence of war. This is why we've been calling on government help for all customers, regardless of who their supplier is.

October's Price Cap in context and Government support currently available

• We don't yet know what the October price cap will be, but it's likely to be around £3,500 for a typical home. This is 80% higher than the same time last year and well over twice what it was last winter.
• In May the government announced £400 support per household, which will reduce the impact of the October rise to about 50% more than current prices. This will take the form of an automatic monthly credit of £66 or £67 between October and March for all electricity customers, and where appropriate, an automatic reduction in your monthly payments. You don't need to apply for this and we will pass it on automatically — we'll also provide a way for anyone who wants to donate their credits to those who need it more to do so.
• Many low-income households received £326 directly to their bank accounts (usually marked "DWP Cost of Living") in July, with a second payment of £324 due in the autumn.
• Those on tax credits will also receive £650, but have to wait until autumn for their first payment of £326, followed by a second payment in winter
• Anyone receiving disability benefits will automatically receive £150 in September — this will be in addition to the £650 payment where relevant.
• Those on a pension will receive an additional £300 winter fuel payment

We speak to 140,000 customers each week — more than we ever have — and know first hand the stress and worry this is already causing, and how many people face genuine difficulties in paying this winter.

We'll keep doing everything we can to help. We've increased our Octopus Assist fund from £5m to £7m and are helping those who need it most in a number of ways including:

• Direct financial assistance
• Payment plans
• Free electric blankets over Winter (using electric blankets to stay snug on your sofa can save £400 on your energy bill).
• Loaning thermal cameras to spot heat loss around the home

To help everyone find simple ways to save by using less energy:

• Our Winter Workout is coming back in 2022. This gas-saving initiative helped hundreds of thousands of customers cut their gas bills by 12% on average last Winter — collectively, their energy savings would reduce bills by about £10m over just 12 weeks.
• Smart energy savings are on the way, where you could be paid to use less electricity at certain times. We'll share more detail about these soon. If you're interested, you'll need a smart meter — join the list to get one here.
• Our simple energy saving tips could help a typical household save £400

If you do one thing, please, please check your boiler flow temperature (tip number 1). It's easier than it sounds — takes less than a minute — and could save you hundreds of pounds without affecting your comfort at all. It helped our customer Abigail cut her gas use by 16%.

But it's clear, given the scale of the problem, that only the government can provide sufficient help to make a big enough difference. In effect, Putin has weaponised energy — and it's right that the government helps with this. We do expect more support and will continue to put ideas to the government. For some of our thoughts, read the questions at the end of this email.

Unless the government intervenes, here's the expected events for the coming weeks:

• Aug 26th: Ofgem announces cap level
• Sep 6th: New Prime Minister takes office
• Sep 13th: Octopus starts sending personalised messages with your tariff and estimated details (this will take several days)
• Sep 17th: Octopus starts updating direct debit (these will be delivered to those affected over time, based on account status and usually you can adjust them if you think we are wrong)
• September 30th - October 6th: You can send us a meter reading at any time — if you'd like to submit one for the changing prices you can do that right up until October 6th. Online is best — you can do it online in seconds.
• October 1st: New price cap comes into effect

If you are having difficulty paying, head to this page to find out about the support available and how to access it. You're always welcome to contact us, but we will be busy — very busy. We don't use error-prone “voice recognition”, endless “push button menu” systems or frustrating chatbots. Whether you email or call, you'll deal with real people who're here to help and experiencing the same difficulties as everyone else.

During these times our team will be stretched — even though we've recruited and trained many new team members — so remember you can update your payments, see your bills, take a look at your balance forecast, or move house all from your online account, and doing so will free up our team to help those who need it most.

This is not the sort of email anyone welcomes, but I hope it is helpful. Thank you for your time — if you have a moment, I'd appreciate your thoughts on this email and the crisis — this simplest way is via this very quick survey.

Finally, a word about our team. It's not easy being on either end of calls at the moment, and I'd like to say thank you to the vast, vast majority of customers who have been so thoughtful and have shown such understanding to our team during these times. It makes a huge difference and lets us employ people who really care — thank you.


With regret and determination,
Greg Jackson
Founder, Octopus Energy


What's caused this?
After the lockdowns around the world, global supply chains suffered from shortages, pushing prices up. But Putin's invasion of Ukraine sent gas prices skyrocketing to unprecedented levels and they've only got worse.

Where's the money going?
Put simply, oil and gas extractors. Whilst the cost of extracting gas hasn't increased, the global shortages have increased prices from 60p/therm to £4.80/ therm. To put it in perspective - the UK usually spends £11bn buying the gas to deliver to homes, and to generate electricity for them. This year that's more like £51bn.

Why is renewable electricity more expensive?
The UK has a single wholesale price for electricity — whether renewable or not. Indeed, renewable electricity costs more because we need to pay for certificates on top of the wholesale price. This is bonkers and we have frequently called for reform. This may happen but not in time for this year.

Is Octopus making a profit on this?
No. We've never made a profit, nor paid our shareholders a dividend, and won't do this year. Instead, we have put everything into helping customers.

For perspective, we'd usually pay £1.5b to buy all our customers' energy for a year. This year it'll be more like £9b.

What could the government do?
We were pleased when the government announced its existing support package in May, but since then prices have escalated and that means the package is hundreds of pounds less effective than it was originally intended to be. And with January prices likely to be dramatically higher still, it's clear that the existing support package is not enough.

Whilst there are many ideas, Octopus agrees with other energy companies that the best plan is to freeze the price around the existing cap level. This would be paid for by an industry-wide fund. We'll blog details shortly, but in short — while wholesale prices are higher, companies use the fund to deliver the price freeze and when wholesale prices drop, companies pay back into the fund. This would see prices at current levels for 2-4 years, and then fall over the next decade - especially as cheap renewables come online and market reform passes the savings to customers. Crucially, it would also reduce inflation by about 3.5%, helping reduce other costs across the economy.

Surely the government can't support energy bills forever?
Absolutely right. The markets expect global gas prices to come back down in two-ish years, or sooner if the war in Ukraine resolves. This is because right now, gas storage is being increased and supply chains are being built and re-routed globally so that the UK and Europe get more reliable and resilient access to gas.

At the same time, renewable projects are being accelerated in the UK and across Europe, and electricity markets will be reformed to help bring electricity prices down via cheaper renewables. The long-term thinking in the plans we propose helps absorb the volatile and high market prices in the short term and then bring prices down as gas and electricity markets improve. We don't need magic money, we need shock absorbers and market reform.

Are prices going up more in the UK than in Europe?
Wholesale prices are very similar across Europe but government response varies by country.

This very clear Reuters article is a good summary of the differences in government actions by country.

Is there hope?
Yes. The price freeze proposal would stabilise prices whilst we get long-term solutions in place. And then prices will drift down to not much more than half current levels over the next decade. We will continue to work extremely hard with the rest of the industry, government and other organisation to try to make this - or alternative solutions - a reality.

[brassnecked]

All well and good TJ until you take into account UK Gov and HM Opposition fully buy in to Net Zero, so gas is to be phased out anyway.

[theoldrouge]

The sooner someone has the guts to drop net zero the better

But then of course the elite don’t want you to have any choice in the matter 

You will be forced eventually to buy what amounts to a useless battery on wheels , no electricity to charge it of course,

a heat pump that doesn’t work, don’t you dare eat meat etc etc

As for Drakeford, @brassneckedYou will soon be having to walk in front of your car waving a red flag

20mph on the bypass genius