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Post by karatestu on Jul 28, 2022 6:19:29 GMT
Just seen Martin Lewis' tweet about how much the price cap is expected to go up in October. Jesus, this is going to be awfully oainful for lots and lots of people. As Nartin says, intervention is needed.
Quote
"Last week I recorded this warning to u and to Conservative leadership candidates that a financial cataclysm'd hit the UK this winter unless there is action.
Then the Oct price cap was predicted to rise 65% taking typical bills to £3,240/yr. Now, its UP 77% to £3,500"
As energy is used by everyone (residential, and commercial) then we will be hit with crippling home energy costs plus every business will be increasing prices to cover their increased input costs. Thus is the perfect storm. Pensioners freezing and going hungry, business going bust. Riots and demonstrations in the streets especially when the middle classes start to feel the pinch and then can't afford the little luxuries.
For me and my family this is going to pose some problems and difficult choices will have to be made. Holidays will be the first to go, not that we have many. Then days out with the kids. Any unnecessary spending will be stopped - it has already been curtailed somewhat. As others do this then the economy is going to really tank. Scary stuff. At least this is on the back of the worst government I have ever known and will hopefully severely damage the nasty party just in time for a general election
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Post by John on Jul 28, 2022 6:31:18 GMT
Yes, a scary proposition. It's not even being talked about in the leadership race in any real depth. Yet it will mean millions of people heading into hardship
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Post by MartinT on Jul 28, 2022 7:54:59 GMT
The cost of our heating oil has gone up by 100% and electricity by 12% and rising.
The cost of petrol for me has risen to £500/mo.
The only utility remaining stable is our mobile provider.
Needless to say, any salary rises in the next year don't even cover it.
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Post by ajski2fly on Jul 28, 2022 8:12:14 GMT
Unfortunately the 77% hike is very unlikely to be the end of the matter, if predictions are correct then in April next year gas could increase by a further 40%, so just under £5K household energy bills could be incoming. Petrol/Diesel has eased back at present but again analysts in this business sector are predicting large increases by the end of the year, which could make an 10K miles a year in an average family car cost around £3-3.5K in fuel. Then if you add in increases for food a family of 4 can expect £500-600/month (if very careful), so around £6000 a year. Other bills a month, house/car insurance, phones, water, rates, will be at least £500/month, or £6K/year.
Add all that up and its £20.5 to £22k a year, considering the average household income is £32-34K/year gross, after NI/Tax it is around£26-28.5K, after bills it leaves around £4.5 to £6.5K for mortgage/rent, car bills, clothes, and anything else you can think of.
It is no wonder people are suffering already let alone in 6 months time!
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Post by MikeMusic on Jul 28, 2022 8:59:26 GMT
Everyone has to get draught proofing and insulating as a start.
Adjustment to how (some) people live will also help
We currently have a family of 4 staying with us
The amount of waste staggers me, but I think that is normal for most people
Classic is filling a kettle full of water to boil and wandering off. No way a full kettle was required for whatever was needed.
Putting 2 or 3 items in the washing machine to wash
Running the dishwasher a third to a half full (I never use it)
Using both ovens on the double oven when the small one would be fine
Running water while spending a looooong time soaping hands
As for the food being binned and the diet for 2 little girls
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Post by MartinT on Jul 28, 2022 9:15:54 GMT
Everyone has to get draught proofing and insulating as a start. I think that's overstated, Mike, unless you live in an old house. Modern houses are well insulated and draught excluded, there is little you could do to improve on it. Our problem is not insulation, it's the vast volume of air to heat. We do our best by closing off unused rooms and running the heating as low as we dare - kitchen/dining warmest, bedroom coolest. |
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Post by brian2957 on Jul 28, 2022 9:52:59 GMT
Yup, similar situation here. lights being used in broad daylight and left on. Washing machine programmes (2+ hours) being used when not required. Drier being used on sunny days. Far too much food being thrown out here too. Long long list of changes which will have to be made. Heating will also be turned down, but it can get pretty cold here in the winter so I'm afraid heavier jumpers etc. will be the order of the day. EDIT We only had a dishwasher fitted for the first time a couple of years ago. TBH it's a total faff IMO and I could quite easily (and do) manage without it  |
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Post by julesd68 on Jul 28, 2022 12:17:19 GMT
Anyone reducing their hifi consumption?
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Post by MikeMusic on Jul 28, 2022 12:38:29 GMT
Everyone has to get draught proofing and insulating as a start. I think that's overstated, Mike, unless you live in an old house. Modern houses are well insulated and draught excluded, there is little you could do to improve on it. Our problem is not insulation, it's the vast volume of air to heat. We do our best by closing off unused rooms and running the heating as low as we dare - kitchen/dining warmest, bedroom coolest. Our house was gutted and redone in 2009. Leaks almost like a sieve. Up to insulation spec and building regs approved. Sloppy builders. Modern front door has a huge draught in Winter. Put the back of your hand to an outside door lock in Winter. Cold draught here. Handles are connected in and outside. Inside handle very cold in Winter. Front bedroom very cold, kitchen diner poor. This, system room not bad. Room next door and immediately above very cosy in Winter and cool in Summer Closing internal doors makes a hell of a difference. speedysteve has gone around his modern build blocking up all sorts Looking at the insulation in detail shows a 95% job. Joints in insulation, plasterboard, light fittings, power sockets need sealing to stop draughts View from a double glazing repair company None of the doors or windows are up to much at all |
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Post by MikeMusic on Jul 28, 2022 12:40:58 GMT
Yup, similar situation here. lights being used in broad daylight and left on. Washing machine programmes (2+ hours) being used when not required. Drier being used on sunny days. Far too much food being thrown out here too. Long long list of changes which will have to be made. Heating will also be turned down, but it can get pretty cold here in the winter so I'm afraid heavier jumpers etc. will be the order of the day. EDIT We only had a dishwasher fitted for the first time a couple of years ago. TBH it's a total faff IMO and I could quite easily (and do) manage without it Get serious about draughts Brian It is amazing what leaks and where. Minimum close internal doors |
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Post by MikeMusic on Jul 28, 2022 12:46:00 GMT
Anyone reducing their hifi consumption? TAD D-1000 turns itself off after 15-20 minutes. If I'm away for longer than that I turn it off TAD M2500 has a turn off feature that doesn't work. I lie. It works randomly turning off when in use but can stay on all might. I now turn it off if away for an hour plus. Bluetooth adaptor turned off at night and only on when I use it Almost hifi : Freeview box unplugged when Tivo doesn't need it. |
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Post by MartinT on Jul 28, 2022 13:04:40 GMT
Anyone reducing their hifi consumption? Only in switching the power amp off as it takes a few minutes to come on song. |
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Post by MartinT on Jul 28, 2022 13:17:40 GMT
Our house was gutted and redone in 2009. Leaks almost like a sieve. Our barn was converted about 17 years ago to a very high standard. There are no leaks anywhere that we can feel. Walls are very thick and double-glazing is standard. There would be little else we can do to the structure of the place. It's simply very large. |
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Post by brian2957 on Jul 28, 2022 14:12:16 GMT
Yup, similar situation here. lights being used in broad daylight and left on. Washing machine programmes (2+ hours) being used when not required. Drier being used on sunny days. Far too much food being thrown out here too. Long long list of changes which will have to be made. Heating will also be turned down, but it can get pretty cold here in the winter so I'm afraid heavier jumpers etc. will be the order of the day. EDIT We only had a dishwasher fitted for the first time a couple of years ago. TBH it's a total faff IMO and I could quite easily (and do) manage without it Get serious about draughts Brian It is amazing what leaks and where. Minimum close internal doors I live in the extension at the rear of the house (8m x 3m) Problem is it's always around 3 degrees cooler than the main house in winter. If I set the temp in the main house to 18 degrees it will be 15 degrees in the extension. I will have to have a serious look at the window and doors for draughts. The other problem is the lower floor in my house is open plan (no doors except into the extension) and all the heat just goes upstairs. How do you stop that apart from putting up partition walls and installing doors and that ain't gona happen. I also have a front porch which stops draughts through the front door. I will have a look at the upstairs windows and things like the loft hatch. To check the loft insulation I would have to empty the loft and lift the flooring. Project for the rest of the summer is to get the loft emptied  |
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Post by Slinger on Jul 28, 2022 14:54:49 GMT
I hope everyone has got LED bulbs throughout, including tubes to replace those old fluorescent lights?
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Post by MikeMusic on Jul 28, 2022 17:21:15 GMT
Our house was gutted and redone in 2009. Leaks almost like a sieve. Our barn was converted about 17 years ago to a very high standard. There are no leaks anywhere that we can feel. Walls are very thick and double-glazing is standard. There would be little else we can do to the structure of the place. It's simply very large. I was horrified to see the report on our thermal survey Way worse than I could have imagined Some YouTube clips from the US show what is really needed to stop all draughts Lots of work |
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Post by MikeMusic on Jul 28, 2022 17:32:20 GMT
Get serious about draughts Brian It is amazing what leaks and where. Minimum close internal doors I live in the extension at the rear of the house (8m x 3m) Problem is it's always around 3 degrees cooler than the main house in winter. If I set the temp in the main house to 18 degrees it will be 15 degrees in the extension. I will have to have a serious look at the window and doors for draughts. The other problem is the lower floor in my house is open plan (no doors except into the extension) and all the heat just goes upstairs. How do you stop that apart from putting up partition walls and installing doors and that ain't gona happen. I also have a front porch which stops draughts through the front door. I will have a look at the upstairs windows and things like the loft hatch. To check the loft insulation I would have to empty the loft and lift the flooring. Project for the rest of the summer is to get the loft emptied Include both front doors, letterbox, all outside doors and windows, ceiling light fittings, light switches, sockets. Loft hatch must have insulation, our builders weren't doing it until I told them they must. Look around for some Cellotex being given away. Seal the edges with draught excluder strip. Can you lift part of the loft floor first ? If you do strip it out seal all the cracks in plasterboard and between ceiling and walls. Do you have wall cavity insulation ? |
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Post by brian2957 on Jul 28, 2022 17:49:01 GMT
I live in the extension at the rear of the house (8m x 3m) Problem is it's always around 3 degrees cooler than the main house in winter. If I set the temp in the main house to 18 degrees it will be 15 degrees in the extension. I will have to have a serious look at the window and doors for draughts. The other problem is the lower floor in my house is open plan (no doors except into the extension) and all the heat just goes upstairs. How do you stop that apart from putting up partition walls and installing doors and that ain't gona happen. I also have a front porch which stops draughts through the front door. I will have a look at the upstairs windows and things like the loft hatch. To check the loft insulation I would have to empty the loft and lift the flooring. Project for the rest of the summer is to get the loft emptied Include both front doors, letterbox, all outside doors and windows, ceiling light fittings, light switches, sockets. Loft hatch must have insulation, our builders weren't doing it until I told them they must. Look around for some Cellotex being given away. Seal the edges with draught excluder strip. Can you lift part of the loft floor first ? If you do strip it out seal all the cracks in plasterboard and between ceiling and walls. Do you have wall cavity insulation ? Yup got cavity wall insulation years ago Mike. I'll have a look for draughts and ill fitting areas. |
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Post by brian2957 on Jul 28, 2022 17:51:15 GMT
I live in the extension at the rear of the house (8m x 3m) Problem is it's always around 3 degrees cooler than the main house in winter. If I set the temp in the main house to 18 degrees it will be 15 degrees in the extension. I will have to have a serious look at the window and doors for draughts. The other problem is the lower floor in my house is open plan (no doors except into the extension) and all the heat just goes upstairs. How do you stop that apart from putting up partition walls and installing doors and that ain't gona happen. I also have a front porch which stops draughts through the front door. I will have a look at the upstairs windows and things like the loft hatch. To check the loft insulation I would have to empty the loft and lift the flooring. Project for the rest of the summer is to get the loft emptied Include both front doors, letterbox, all outside doors and windows, ceiling light fittings, light switches, sockets. Loft hatch must have insulation, our builders weren't doing it until I told them they must. Look around for some Cellotex being given away. Seal the edges with draught excluder strip. Can you lift part of the loft floor first ? If you do strip it out seal all the cracks in plasterboard and between ceiling and walls. Do you have wall cavity insulation ? |
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Post by karatestu on Jul 28, 2022 19:40:46 GMT
I have a bit of a dilemma. I have lots of free logs to burn on my woodburning stove but it's not exactly environmentally friendly. The other option is the oil boiler and that is going to be very expensive.
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