Utility Bills Gone Crazy

Mike

Mike

Well-known Member
Location
London
I got an Email from my Gas and Electricity supplier, my
current deal ends at the end of April and they want increase
my price from £668 to £1005, increasing my monthly payment
from £58 to £83.

I changed all the lights to LEDs, buying new fittings in many
cases, each light costs 1 penny per hour when switched on,
part of the deal included is the daily use of their infrastructure,
at the moment I pay, 26p a day for gas on top of the amount
that I use and 24p for electricity, the new deal has the gas up
to 27p, but they are increasing the electricity to 42p a day, so
I have wasted money getting new lights that use less energy
as they have almost doubled the daily rate to compensate
for me using less, I believe.

This is not the final figures either, it is rumoured that it will
all happen again in September, unless something drastic is
done, we won't be able to use any of their services!

Mike.
 

Modern life is quite the paradox, isn’t it though?

Here’s a thought that I have. Since most if not all persons are now using lights and appliances that are more energy efficient, that means that not as much “product” is being consumed. In turn, for the utility companies, not selling as much of their products means a decrease in their revenue. When most businesses notice a decrease in revenue, they tend to raise the price charged for their good or services to maintain or increase revenue.

I agree that it’s not easy to afford every necessity these days but with the system in place as it is, there doesn’t seem to be any easy solution to things not continuing as they always have.
 

Yep it's the highest increase in 50 years.... as from the 1st of April Utilities bills will rise by more than 50 %.. aand national insurance contributions will rise as well.. Fuel is at an all time high. and Inflation has risen by 8 %, and pensioners have only got a 3 % rise in their state pensions.. this is going to be a horrible time for those who are living on a limited budget, on basic pesnions and those on basic wages , it's genuinely is going to have to be a choice between heat or eat for millions of people
 
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Mike said:
I pay, 26p a day for gas on top of the amount
that I use and 24p for electricity, the new deal has the gas up
to 27p, but they are increasing the electricity to 42p a day, so
I have wasted money getting new lights that use less energy
as they have almost doubled the daily rate to compensate
for me using less, I believe.
Click to expand...
So are your utilities just based on a per day charge? Or is usage factored in?

Our gas and electric are completely based on usage, so if we use less we pay less, if we use more we pay more. Water, sewage, and garbage are different. I have not noticed ours going up, but they probably will, when it does what we will see is an increase in unit rates.

Your costs per month are a lot lower than mine, but your house may be smaller.
 
hollydolly said:
Yep it's the highest increase in 50 years.... as from the 1st of April Utilities buill will rise by more than 50 %.. aand national insurance contributions will rise as well.. and Fuel is at an all time high. and Inflation has risen by 8 %, and pensioners have only got a 3 % rise in their state pensions.. this is going to be a horrible time for those who are living on a limited budget, on basic pesnions and those on basic wages , it's genuinely is going to have to be a choice between heat or eat for millions of people
Click to expand...

Life is full of choices. Unfortunately, not all of them are easy ones though. I can’t see into the future but I’d be willing to bet that ten years from now, the cost of utilities will be higher as will the amounts paid to pensioners.

When the people who sell what others eat see their profits decreasing because so many people decided to use their limited funds to heat (which would likely only be a seasonal occurrence) instead of to eBay food to eat, maybe that industry will pressure the utility sellers to cut their prices.

Or when fewer people need heat, because they perished from not eating, maybe both industries will re-think their pricing strategies because people not living have no need for food or heat. It’s a hardship now and may always seem a hardship but in colder climate countries, there’s not much news of people freezing or starving, yet. It may happen in time but that time isn’t now. Summer's coming soon. You won’t use as much heat then.
 
jimintoronto said:
A thought. If the number of electric vehicles continues to rise year after year, how will the electrical infrastructure manage to supply that increase in use ? Here in Canada we sell excess electrical power to the Americans on a daily basis, especially to the New England states. JimB.
Click to expand...

How indeed? But once Canada needs the surplus they now are selling …
So many unanswered questions there are. Only time will tell, I guess.
 
Alligatorob said:
So are your utilities just based on a per day charge? Or is usage factored in?

Our gas and electric are completely based on usage, so if we use less we pay less, if we use more we pay more. Water, sewage, and garbage are different. I have not noticed ours going up, but they probably will, when it does what we will see is an increase in unit rates.

Your costs per month are a lot lower than mine, but your house may be smaller.
Click to expand...
In my case, I rarely use the minimum amount of electricity or natural gas included in the monthly service and delivery charge so there is no incentive to reduce usage.

So far, the cost has been around $50.00 - $60.00 per month for electricity and cooking gas. My heat and hot water are included in my monthly rent.

In this area, the utility has to apply and be approved for a rate increase by a government agency.

It made me sad when our local utility was purchased by National Grid headquartered in England.
 
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Chris P Bacon said:
How indeed? But once Canada needs the surplus they now are selling …
So many unanswered questions there are. Only time will tell, I guess.
Click to expand...
I will point out that the majority of Canada's electrical power is generated by hydro electric generation using our vast network of raging rivers, plus safe nuclear power using the CANDO reactors. Here in my Province of Ontario we no longer burn coal to produce electrical power. With a total population of about 37 million people, Canada is well supplied with electrical power for today, and into the future. Jimb.
 
Where i live, and i believe in many rural areas of USA the electric company is a Co-Op and essentially every user/customer is also part owner. There is a governing board, revenue goes into maintenance and improvements. (such as supplemental solar power).

There is no incentive for price gouging because if it ever turns a profit (not likely till planned solar farm complete) those profits would be returned as dividends to Co-Op members in percentages based on how much we've paid in over the years for service. Yes that means businesses and those with fancy homes would get more back, but they've paid more in over time. It is much more equitable and palatable than some corporate board of people that live very different lifestyles and have no stake in the community except profiting off us get it.

Plus we have options and safety nets. Nobody's power gets cut off in winter months. There are state assistance programs to help pay for power (household income based). And if you set up 'Budget pay plan' your minimum due each month is the same, so in mild months you build up extra to go toward the heavier use winter bills. The budget pay each year may vary because not all winters as bad.

Even when they drop our budget pay for a coming year we keep paying them the higher amount we paid first year that fits our budget well, so we build up extra for really difficult winters. If we had an emergency and couldn't pay the monthly on time we have enough credit in account to cover it. Most years we don't use all the buildup by spring and as the useage drops we see our 'credit' start to build up again. Edit, adding-- and that feels better then i've felt about othet types of electric suppliers.
 
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Europe, especially, is vulnerable to huge Utility costs....especially now with this Ukraine/Russia mess. They have very limited means of increasing fuel and electricity, and must rely heavily on imports for fuel.

IF the "desire" to go "Green" is going to become realistic, there needs to be a Huge investment...SOON...in generating the electricity needed to achieve these goals. Otherwise, utility rates are just going to continue to rise, to the point where half the populations will be trying to light their homes with candles.
 
I feel that my Gas and Electricity bill is not that high when I compare it to other bills.

Gas and Electricity bill averages $150 a month.

PP Taxes $4,500 a year

Direct TV $95 a month

Garbage $105 a month

City Water & Sewer $50 a month ...$100 a month
in summer when watering lawn

Phone and Internet $95 a month.
 
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Trish said:
I honestly don't know but I hope there will be some help available for people who will genuinely be unable to pay their bills,heat their homes and feed themselves.
Click to expand...
I'm far away from you but let's face it, Pacific Gas & Electric (Paradise Camp fire that killed over 70 people and destroyed 3 communities and more) wants profit over anything. People, homes wildlife and land be damned.

Can profits be capped? People will scream but some of these corporations are out of control. Pharmaceuticals also.

No one seems to care. Simply watch a dumpster diving video. What I understand is that everything thrown out is a tax write off. So why give it away when throwing the food and items in the dumpster is easier and safer for them and still nets them the money.
 
Alligatorob said:
So are your utilities just based on a per day charge? Or is usage factored in?

Our gas and electric are completely based on usage, so if we use less we pay less, if we use more we pay more. Water, sewage, and garbage are different. I have not noticed ours going up, but they probably will, when it does what we will see is an increase in unit rates.

Your costs per month are a lot lower than mine, but your house may be smaller.
Click to expand...
We pay for the amount that we use, Alligatorob, the 27 pence and the 42 pence,
to pay for the use of the infrastructure, the pipes and the cables, yet these have
been in place for 100 years in many cases.

So if I don't use any electricity, I still have to pay, £153.30 a year for the wires!

Mike.
 
This applies to everybody, not just myself, lots of those
people cannot afford huge increases, I might grumble
about them, but in the end I will pay, I will have to, or no
lights, or PC, no heating or cooking either, bot gas.

Something is being looked at, because of the hue and cry
about the obscene increases.

Mike.
 
Mike said:
I got an Email from my Gas and Electricity supplier, my
current deal ends at the end of April and they want increase
my price from £668 to £1005, increasing my monthly payment
from £58 to £83.

I changed all the lights to LEDs, buying new fittings in many
cases, each light costs 1 penny per hour when switched on,
part of the deal included is the daily use of their infrastructure,
at the moment I pay, 26p a day for gas on top of the amount
that I use and 24p for electricity, the new deal has the gas up
to 27p, but they are increasing the electricity to 42p a day, so
I have wasted money getting new lights that use less energy
as they have almost doubled the daily rate to compensate
for me using less, I believe.

This is not the final figures either, it is rumoured that it will
all happen again in September, unless something drastic is
done, we won't be able to use any of their services!

Mike.
Click to expand...
WOW! Sure would hate to be a senior on a limited pension in the UK. What are utility companies trying to do? Increase the number of homeless street people to new heights?

I consider myself lucky. My hydro, garbage, taxes are just one rental bill and it's pretty reasonable. It is going up $21 CND on June 1. I can live with that! LOL
 

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