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Big Squeeze.

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    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
    HAYSIE said:

    Essexphil said:

    HAYSIE said:
    I had found it. Trying to help others.

    The 2-year-fixed? Either way, it is a massive gamble, either to take it or not.

    If I could predict the future, I would be a rich man. My guess? I would be (and am) on a variable rate for now. And review it every 3-6 months. Because that is the big advantage of variable rates-flexibility. But I could be spectacularly wrong.
    Water bills in England and Wales to rise from April



    https://uk.yahoo.com/finance/news/water-bills-england-wales-rise-132945857.html
    I wouldnt have posted this if I had read the article first.
    The increase is not very significant, although it is yet another cost of living increase.

    However it did draw attention to the fact that I am paying more than double the average.
    I am currently paying £880 per year.
    I am reluctant to get a meter, as one of my neighbours did this, and ended up paying more.
    I think it is strange that my wife and I will be paying for water at the same rate as the family of 6, a couple of doors down.

    The increases will take the cost of my electricity, gas, and water, to more than £4k per year.
  • Options
    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
    Essexphil said:

    Like a lot of poker players, I like Maths. So-apologies to anyone who thinks this is blindingly obvious.

    In October 2021 the fuel cap went up by 12%. In April, it will be by a further 54%. And it is believed the October 2022 rise may be a further 40%.

    I'm sure there are some people who think-increases of (12 plus 54 plus 40) is a rise of 106%. But it is far worse.

    These are cumulative increases. So a 12% rise plus a 54% rise leads to an 72% rise (£100-112-172).

    And a 12% plus a 54% rise plus a 40% rise is in reality a 241% increase. In 1 year and 1 day. (£100-112-172-241). Even a 30% rise in Oct 2022 would mean a total rise of 223%.

    And that is before every retailer and pub etc jacks up their prices as their costs go up...

    I have just looked up the deals on offer from EDF.
    The Standard Variable is £147.
    Fixed 2 years is £258.
    Fixed 1 year is £283.

    My understanding was that the price cap was brought in to stop the energy companies ripping off customers whose contract had ended, and limited what they could charge for the Standard Variable rate, and ensuring that all out of contract customers would move to this rate.

    If this is the case, then is the maximum they are able to charge on the Standard Variable rate £1971 per year?
    If so wouldnt it be pointless doing a fixed rate deal.

    Can the Tories afford another large increase in October?
  • Options
    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
    British Gas apologises after hundreds of thousands of customers paying an extra £14 a month were left without heating and hot water for WEEKS - amid backlash over the boss STILL working from home



    Many of the 3.4million customers paying an extra £14 a month for the HomeCare scheme, which provides breakdown cover and an annual service, went without heating and hot water for weeks due.


    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10479399/British-Gas-apologises-customers-left-without-heating-hot-water-weeks.html
  • Options
    CammykazeCammykaze Member Posts: 1,397
    edited February 2022
    Tend to avoid the doom and gloom of the inflation pricing that I have zero (or will ever have) control or say over.

    It's definitely concerning watching from the sidelines. Will leave it as certain industries may need to be reigned in, oil and gas for starters :grey_question:
  • Options
    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
    Cammykaze said:

    Tend to avoid the doom and gloom of the inflation pricing that I have zero (or will ever have) control or say over.

    It's definitely concerning watching from the sidelines. Will leave it as certain industries may need to be reigned in, oil and gas for starters :grey_question:

    There are so many bills set to increase it is impossible to avoid the doom and gloom.
    Just on the energy increases it seems disingenuous of Rishi Sumak to be telling us that his measures will save the day when the £200 in October is merely a loan, the result of which will be to increase bills from m2023, and the Council Tax discount, assuming you qualify, will at least be partly offset by a substantial Council Tax increase in April.
  • Options
    CammykazeCammykaze Member Posts: 1,397
    edited February 2022
    HAYSIE said:

    Cammykaze said:

    Tend to avoid the doom and gloom of the inflation pricing that I have zero (or will ever have) control or say over.

    It's definitely concerning watching from the sidelines. Will leave it as certain industries may need to be reigned in, oil and gas for starters :grey_question:

    There are so many bills set to increase it is impossible to avoid the doom and gloom.
    Just on the energy increases it seems disingenuous of Rishi Sumak to be telling us that his measures will save the day when the £200 in October is merely a loan, the result of which will be to increase bills from m2023, and the Council Tax discount, assuming you qualify, will at least be partly offset by a substantial Council Tax increase in April.
    I can get on board with that definitely. My belief is that our Politicians and particularly our current Government can easily pass the buck on a majority of the inflation/price hike issues.

    Can go further than that, if the Government or in this case Rishi was to say what is happening in a truthful way he may not be in his job. People need to hear the "nice" version sometimes even though some know it's a load of b*llocks!

    The thing that I find most concerning is where is this loss revenue, Government Schemes and other Corona related losses to Britain going to come from and how.

    Would have a guess and say it needs to come from us (at least in part). There has been Billions being spent throughout the past couple of years especially and an overstretch of spending.

    We will be feeling the pain for years to come or more, financially. We will need to strap in and call out our Government when we believe they are either overstepping or not doing enough.
  • Options
    goldongoldon Member Posts: 8,511
    So who you gonna call ........to put things right. Ghost Busters.
  • Options
    VespaPXVespaPX Member Posts: 12,029
    Keep trusting the government and their media buddies
    It's all bullsh1t
  • Options
    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
    Cammykaze said:

    HAYSIE said:

    Cammykaze said:

    Tend to avoid the doom and gloom of the inflation pricing that I have zero (or will ever have) control or say over.

    It's definitely concerning watching from the sidelines. Will leave it as certain industries may need to be reigned in, oil and gas for starters :grey_question:

    There are so many bills set to increase it is impossible to avoid the doom and gloom.
    Just on the energy increases it seems disingenuous of Rishi Sumak to be telling us that his measures will save the day when the £200 in October is merely a loan, the result of which will be to increase bills from m2023, and the Council Tax discount, assuming you qualify, will at least be partly offset by a substantial Council Tax increase in April.
    I can get on board with that definitely. My belief is that our Politicians and particularly our current Government can easily pass the buck on a majority of the inflation/price hike issues.

    Can go further than that, if the Government or in this case Rishi was to say what is happening in a truthful way he may not be in his job. People need to hear the "nice" version sometimes even though some know it's a load of b*llocks!

    The thing that I find most concerning is where is this loss revenue, Government Schemes and other Corona related losses to Britain going to come from and how.

    Would have a guess and say it needs to come from us (at least in part). There has been Billions being spent throughout the past couple of years especially and an overstretch of spending.

    We will be feeling the pain for years to come or more, financially. We will need to strap in and call out our Government when we believe they are either overstepping or not doing enough.
    The last figure I heard bandied about in respect of covid related borrowing was £400 billion.
    I dont know if this is the full extent, but we will have to start repaying this at some point.
    Any rise in interest rates obviously makes this more painful.
    The problem is that we are starting from a point of the highest taxation levels in peacetime, and the highest level anyway for about a million years.
    Also the highest inflation for many years, council tax rises, further increases in energy prices, water rates, food and petrol prices, it goes on and on.
    Add to this questions like, will the government be able to offer further assistance to help with the energy price increases next year?
    If not the poorest will have to cover the £350 government contribution paid to them this year, start repaying the £200 loan, plus any additional increases.
    It looks like doom and gloom to me.
  • Options
    EssexphilEssexphil Member Posts: 8,021
    HAYSIE said:

    Cammykaze said:

    HAYSIE said:

    Cammykaze said:

    Tend to avoid the doom and gloom of the inflation pricing that I have zero (or will ever have) control or say over.

    It's definitely concerning watching from the sidelines. Will leave it as certain industries may need to be reigned in, oil and gas for starters :grey_question:

    There are so many bills set to increase it is impossible to avoid the doom and gloom.
    Just on the energy increases it seems disingenuous of Rishi Sumak to be telling us that his measures will save the day when the £200 in October is merely a loan, the result of which will be to increase bills from m2023, and the Council Tax discount, assuming you qualify, will at least be partly offset by a substantial Council Tax increase in April.
    I can get on board with that definitely. My belief is that our Politicians and particularly our current Government can easily pass the buck on a majority of the inflation/price hike issues.

    Can go further than that, if the Government or in this case Rishi was to say what is happening in a truthful way he may not be in his job. People need to hear the "nice" version sometimes even though some know it's a load of b*llocks!

    The thing that I find most concerning is where is this loss revenue, Government Schemes and other Corona related losses to Britain going to come from and how.

    Would have a guess and say it needs to come from us (at least in part). There has been Billions being spent throughout the past couple of years especially and an overstretch of spending.

    We will be feeling the pain for years to come or more, financially. We will need to strap in and call out our Government when we believe they are either overstepping or not doing enough.
    The last figure I heard bandied about in respect of covid related borrowing was £400 billion.
    I dont know if this is the full extent, but we will have to start repaying this at some point.
    Any rise in interest rates obviously makes this more painful.
    The problem is that we are starting from a point of the highest taxation levels in peacetime, and the highest level anyway for about a million years.
    Also the highest inflation for many years, council tax rises, further increases in energy prices, water rates, food and petrol prices, it goes on and on.
    Add to this questions like, will the government be able to offer further assistance to help with the energy price increases next year?
    If not the poorest will have to cover the £350 government contribution paid to them this year, start repaying the £200 loan, plus any additional increases.
    It looks like doom and gloom to me.
    Just to add to this:-

    1. We have already had god knows how many years of Tory austerity, leading to spending being dramatically reduced
    2. The very poorest do not tend to pay Council Tax. Because they are on the streets/in hostels/in someone else's house
    3. We owe more now than before austerity
    4. We have a Government that has no apparent interest on any windfall tax on the big winners, or investigating the £billions wasted on PPE contracts to their mates, that were never put to public tender
    5. If we do not do 4 above, and previous cuts make further austerity difficult on a meaningful level, there is only 1 place left to milk. The taxpayer

    PS. Just to cheer you up, @HAYSIE

    We flogged off British Gas, so we lose out on the windfall. France, of course, do not. Because they are the majority shareholder in your energy supplier. EDF Energy are, of course owned by EDF.

    Electricite de France.
  • Options
    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
    Essexphil said:

    HAYSIE said:

    Cammykaze said:

    HAYSIE said:

    Cammykaze said:

    Tend to avoid the doom and gloom of the inflation pricing that I have zero (or will ever have) control or say over.

    It's definitely concerning watching from the sidelines. Will leave it as certain industries may need to be reigned in, oil and gas for starters :grey_question:

    There are so many bills set to increase it is impossible to avoid the doom and gloom.
    Just on the energy increases it seems disingenuous of Rishi Sumak to be telling us that his measures will save the day when the £200 in October is merely a loan, the result of which will be to increase bills from m2023, and the Council Tax discount, assuming you qualify, will at least be partly offset by a substantial Council Tax increase in April.
    I can get on board with that definitely. My belief is that our Politicians and particularly our current Government can easily pass the buck on a majority of the inflation/price hike issues.

    Can go further than that, if the Government or in this case Rishi was to say what is happening in a truthful way he may not be in his job. People need to hear the "nice" version sometimes even though some know it's a load of b*llocks!

    The thing that I find most concerning is where is this loss revenue, Government Schemes and other Corona related losses to Britain going to come from and how.

    Would have a guess and say it needs to come from us (at least in part). There has been Billions being spent throughout the past couple of years especially and an overstretch of spending.

    We will be feeling the pain for years to come or more, financially. We will need to strap in and call out our Government when we believe they are either overstepping or not doing enough.
    The last figure I heard bandied about in respect of covid related borrowing was £400 billion.
    I dont know if this is the full extent, but we will have to start repaying this at some point.
    Any rise in interest rates obviously makes this more painful.
    The problem is that we are starting from a point of the highest taxation levels in peacetime, and the highest level anyway for about a million years.
    Also the highest inflation for many years, council tax rises, further increases in energy prices, water rates, food and petrol prices, it goes on and on.
    Add to this questions like, will the government be able to offer further assistance to help with the energy price increases next year?
    If not the poorest will have to cover the £350 government contribution paid to them this year, start repaying the £200 loan, plus any additional increases.
    It looks like doom and gloom to me.
    Just to add to this:-

    1. We have already had god knows how many years of Tory austerity, leading to spending being dramatically reduced
    2. The very poorest do not tend to pay Council Tax. Because they are on the streets/in hostels/in someone else's house
    3. We owe more now than before austerity
    4. We have a Government that has no apparent interest on any windfall tax on the big winners, or investigating the £billions wasted on PPE contracts to their mates, that were never put to public tender
    5. If we do not do 4 above, and previous cuts make further austerity difficult on a meaningful level, there is only 1 place left to milk. The taxpayer

    PS. Just to cheer you up, @HAYSIE

    We flogged off British Gas, so we lose out on the windfall. France, of course, do not. Because they are the majority shareholder in your energy supplier. EDF Energy are, of course owned by EDF.

    Electricite de France.
    Patriotism was secondary to finding to the best deal I could get.
  • Options
    EssexphilEssexphil Member Posts: 8,021
    HAYSIE said:

    Essexphil said:

    HAYSIE said:

    Cammykaze said:

    HAYSIE said:

    Cammykaze said:

    Tend to avoid the doom and gloom of the inflation pricing that I have zero (or will ever have) control or say over.

    It's definitely concerning watching from the sidelines. Will leave it as certain industries may need to be reigned in, oil and gas for starters :grey_question:

    There are so many bills set to increase it is impossible to avoid the doom and gloom.
    Just on the energy increases it seems disingenuous of Rishi Sumak to be telling us that his measures will save the day when the £200 in October is merely a loan, the result of which will be to increase bills from m2023, and the Council Tax discount, assuming you qualify, will at least be partly offset by a substantial Council Tax increase in April.
    I can get on board with that definitely. My belief is that our Politicians and particularly our current Government can easily pass the buck on a majority of the inflation/price hike issues.

    Can go further than that, if the Government or in this case Rishi was to say what is happening in a truthful way he may not be in his job. People need to hear the "nice" version sometimes even though some know it's a load of b*llocks!

    The thing that I find most concerning is where is this loss revenue, Government Schemes and other Corona related losses to Britain going to come from and how.

    Would have a guess and say it needs to come from us (at least in part). There has been Billions being spent throughout the past couple of years especially and an overstretch of spending.

    We will be feeling the pain for years to come or more, financially. We will need to strap in and call out our Government when we believe they are either overstepping or not doing enough.
    The last figure I heard bandied about in respect of covid related borrowing was £400 billion.
    I dont know if this is the full extent, but we will have to start repaying this at some point.
    Any rise in interest rates obviously makes this more painful.
    The problem is that we are starting from a point of the highest taxation levels in peacetime, and the highest level anyway for about a million years.
    Also the highest inflation for many years, council tax rises, further increases in energy prices, water rates, food and petrol prices, it goes on and on.
    Add to this questions like, will the government be able to offer further assistance to help with the energy price increases next year?
    If not the poorest will have to cover the £350 government contribution paid to them this year, start repaying the £200 loan, plus any additional increases.
    It looks like doom and gloom to me.
    Just to add to this:-

    1. We have already had god knows how many years of Tory austerity, leading to spending being dramatically reduced
    2. The very poorest do not tend to pay Council Tax. Because they are on the streets/in hostels/in someone else's house
    3. We owe more now than before austerity
    4. We have a Government that has no apparent interest on any windfall tax on the big winners, or investigating the £billions wasted on PPE contracts to their mates, that were never put to public tender
    5. If we do not do 4 above, and previous cuts make further austerity difficult on a meaningful level, there is only 1 place left to milk. The taxpayer

    PS. Just to cheer you up, @HAYSIE

    We flogged off British Gas, so we lose out on the windfall. France, of course, do not. Because they are the majority shareholder in your energy supplier. EDF Energy are, of course owned by EDF.

    Electricite de France.
    Patriotism was secondary to finding to the best deal I could get.
    Fair comment.

    The only point I was trying to make was that France has kept hold of its national energy supplier (unlike us), and consequently has far easier options at its disposal.
  • Options
    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
    Essexphil said:

    HAYSIE said:

    Essexphil said:

    HAYSIE said:

    Cammykaze said:

    HAYSIE said:

    Cammykaze said:

    Tend to avoid the doom and gloom of the inflation pricing that I have zero (or will ever have) control or say over.

    It's definitely concerning watching from the sidelines. Will leave it as certain industries may need to be reigned in, oil and gas for starters :grey_question:

    There are so many bills set to increase it is impossible to avoid the doom and gloom.
    Just on the energy increases it seems disingenuous of Rishi Sumak to be telling us that his measures will save the day when the £200 in October is merely a loan, the result of which will be to increase bills from m2023, and the Council Tax discount, assuming you qualify, will at least be partly offset by a substantial Council Tax increase in April.
    I can get on board with that definitely. My belief is that our Politicians and particularly our current Government can easily pass the buck on a majority of the inflation/price hike issues.

    Can go further than that, if the Government or in this case Rishi was to say what is happening in a truthful way he may not be in his job. People need to hear the "nice" version sometimes even though some know it's a load of b*llocks!

    The thing that I find most concerning is where is this loss revenue, Government Schemes and other Corona related losses to Britain going to come from and how.

    Would have a guess and say it needs to come from us (at least in part). There has been Billions being spent throughout the past couple of years especially and an overstretch of spending.

    We will be feeling the pain for years to come or more, financially. We will need to strap in and call out our Government when we believe they are either overstepping or not doing enough.
    The last figure I heard bandied about in respect of covid related borrowing was £400 billion.
    I dont know if this is the full extent, but we will have to start repaying this at some point.
    Any rise in interest rates obviously makes this more painful.
    The problem is that we are starting from a point of the highest taxation levels in peacetime, and the highest level anyway for about a million years.
    Also the highest inflation for many years, council tax rises, further increases in energy prices, water rates, food and petrol prices, it goes on and on.
    Add to this questions like, will the government be able to offer further assistance to help with the energy price increases next year?
    If not the poorest will have to cover the £350 government contribution paid to them this year, start repaying the £200 loan, plus any additional increases.
    It looks like doom and gloom to me.
    Just to add to this:-

    1. We have already had god knows how many years of Tory austerity, leading to spending being dramatically reduced
    2. The very poorest do not tend to pay Council Tax. Because they are on the streets/in hostels/in someone else's house
    3. We owe more now than before austerity
    4. We have a Government that has no apparent interest on any windfall tax on the big winners, or investigating the £billions wasted on PPE contracts to their mates, that were never put to public tender
    5. If we do not do 4 above, and previous cuts make further austerity difficult on a meaningful level, there is only 1 place left to milk. The taxpayer

    PS. Just to cheer you up, @HAYSIE

    We flogged off British Gas, so we lose out on the windfall. France, of course, do not. Because they are the majority shareholder in your energy supplier. EDF Energy are, of course owned by EDF.

    Electricite de France.
    Patriotism was secondary to finding to the best deal I could get.
    Fair comment.

    The only point I was trying to make was that France has kept hold of its national energy supplier (unlike us), and consequently has far easier options at its disposal.
    Couldnt argue with that.
    You watched Reacher yet?
  • Options
    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
  • Options
    EssexphilEssexphil Member Posts: 8,021
    In shock news, Tesco boss says:-

    Yippee! I'm going to put prices up. And hope no-one notices when our profits rocket...
  • Options
    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
    BP boasts BIGGEST profits in eight years: British oil giant records £9.5BILLION gains while public suffers sky-high fuel bills and cost-of-living crisis - as calls grow for windfall tax on energy firms



    BP revealed it swung to a mammoth £9.5 billion underlying replacement cost profit – its preferred measure – for 2021 from losses of £4.2 billion the previous year. It also announced more cash returns for shareholders, with another £1.1 billion of share buybacks before its first-quarter 2022 results and a dividend payout of 3.37p a share for the fourth quarter. The group recovered from a torrid 2020, when the pandemic sent it slumping £13.4 billion into the red on a statutory basis – its biggest ever annual loss. Oil and gas prices have since rebounded as economies worldwide reopened following the early stages of the pandemic. But the results will also intensify pressure on oil firms as they reap mammoth profit hauls while households and businesses face struggling to pay energy bills due to soaring inflation. A sharp rise in wholesale gas prices has led to energy regulator Ofgem raising the cap that limits what suppliers can charge consumers in England, Scotland and Wales by £693 to £1,971 a year from April - with a further hike expected in October. Britons also face other demands on their income, including rising food, broadband and mobile phone costs as inflation rising to a 30-year high, while the Bank of England forecasts it will hit 7.25 per cent in April. Pictured top: Oil prices since last year.


    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10488443/BP-swings-highest-annual-profit-eight-years.html
  • Options
    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
  • Options
    EssexphilEssexphil Member Posts: 8,021
    edited February 2022
    HAYSIE said:

    BP boasts BIGGEST profits in eight years: British oil giant records £9.5BILLION gains while public suffers sky-high fuel bills and cost-of-living crisis - as calls grow for windfall tax on energy firms



    BP revealed it swung to a mammoth £9.5 billion underlying replacement cost profit – its preferred measure – for 2021 from losses of £4.2 billion the previous year. It also announced more cash returns for shareholders, with another £1.1 billion of share buybacks before its first-quarter 2022 results and a dividend payout of 3.37p a share for the fourth quarter. The group recovered from a torrid 2020, when the pandemic sent it slumping £13.4 billion into the red on a statutory basis – its biggest ever annual loss. Oil and gas prices have since rebounded as economies worldwide reopened following the early stages of the pandemic. But the results will also intensify pressure on oil firms as they reap mammoth profit hauls while households and businesses face struggling to pay energy bills due to soaring inflation. A sharp rise in wholesale gas prices has led to energy regulator Ofgem raising the cap that limits what suppliers can charge consumers in England, Scotland and Wales by £693 to £1,971 a year from April - with a further hike expected in October. Britons also face other demands on their income, including rising food, broadband and mobile phone costs as inflation rising to a 30-year high, while the Bank of England forecasts it will hit 7.25 per cent in April. Pictured top: Oil prices since last year.


    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10488443/BP-swings-highest-annual-profit-eight-years.html

    So-just checking I've got this right.

    BP should not pay a windfall tax. Not because it has not had a massive windfall. But because it needs to "protect the environment".

    BP has a tremendous record in hoovering up massive profits. Got some really misleading adverts about its green credentials. But, in an industry not primarily noted for its ecological stance, remains amongst the worst in the field.

    Let's take the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as an example in the Gulf of Mexico. Massive environmental disaster. Lied about having fixed it, while the leak continued. Agreed to pay $20 billion towards the cost.

    Or that BP was responsible for 1.53% of the entire world's industrial greenhouse gas emissions 1988-2015. And has a target to cut that to net-zero by 2050.

    People keep bleating about the fact that its income comes from around the World. OK. Stop calling yourself British Petroleum then.
  • Options
    HAYSIEHAYSIE Member Posts: 32,193
    Energy bills could soar by ANOTHER £700 a year if gas supplies are hit by Russia invading Ukraine: Watchdog issues stark warning as households brace for April's price cap lift to £1,971



    Ofgem chief Jonathan Brearley yesterday warned of a surge in energy bills - possibly another £700 a year - if gas supplies are hit by a Russia invasion of Ukraine.


    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10493043/Energy-bills-soar-700-year-gas-supplies-hit-Russia-invading-Ukraine.html

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