ivan edake 13 #1 Posted March 2, 2021 It would seem that Ofgen,backed by the government, has allowed energy companies to increase their prices twice this year already. Firstly they have been allowed to increase every customers bill by around £25 per year. Unbelievebly this has been allowed to compensate the companies for the massive increase of payment defaulters. Secondly the price cap has been increased, and this will add about £95 per year on the average bill. The final nail in the coffin for consumers is the fact that the majority of companies will not allow customers to have a lower price deal unless they have a smart meter fitted. So I assume that as so many customers couldn't pay their bills last year there will be even more this year. We really are choosing between eating and heating now, thanks to our caring government. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Thirsty Relic 202 #2 Posted March 2, 2021 If this is right, then it's disgusting. OFGEM says you have a choice as to whether you have a (so-called) smart meter fitted. It sounds as if it's getting to be Hobson's choice and pure discrimination. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
speleo1 10 #3 Posted March 2, 2021 Smart meters don't save you money you know if you are using to much energy, Ours lost its signal to the meter so I called the energy company which replied move it nearer to the meter, then said just put it in a draw and don't use it it's only a Gimmick for customers to use. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
willman 10 #4 Posted March 2, 2021 i had smart meters installed and then unpugged the plug in bits. I suspect you need a meter with built in sim to send the information back as none of them connected to my wifi. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Thirsty Relic 202 #5 Posted March 2, 2021 I understood that the smart meters all came with built in sim to send readings every half-hour or so from the meter, with no connection to your wifi or whatever. Not everybody has internet of course. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
El Cid 194 #6 Posted March 2, 2021 When wholesale prices fell sharply last year in the wake of the first lockdown, the level of the price cap fell by £84 in October to its lowest level yet for the current winter period. Ofgem announced that from 1 April 2021 the price cap will return to pre-pandemic levels, principally as a result of changes in wholesale energy prices. Big increase in wholesale energy prices push up price cap by £96 to £1,138 to pre-pandemic levels Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Anna B 1,365 #7 Posted March 2, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, ivan edake said: It would seem that Ofgen,backed by the government, has allowed energy companies to increase their prices twice this year already. Firstly they have been allowed to increase every customers bill by around £25 per year. Unbelievebly this has been allowed to compensate the companies for the massive increase of payment defaulters. Secondly the price cap has been increased, and this will add about £95 per year on the average bill. The final nail in the coffin for consumers is the fact that the majority of companies will not allow customers to have a lower price deal unless they have a smart meter fitted. So I assume that as so many customers couldn't pay their bills last year there will be even more this year. We really are choosing between eating and heating now, thanks to our caring government. Free Market Economics, as brought in by Margaret Thatcher, means governments no longer involve themselves by 'interfering' in situations such as this. Same as how they won't interfere in housing markets by putting a cap on rents. (They do however put a cap on housing benefits...) And many other situations where the consumer always seems to come off worst. Many Businesses however are quick to take advantage of these lax or non-existent regulations, by exploiting them in their own best interests. So prices rise unabated. Don't think that a change in government will help either. Both main parties are fully signed up to the Free Market Economics mantra. The government doesn't care about us, which is why we're in the state we're in. We're on our own folks so suck it up.... Edited March 2, 2021 by Anna B Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
tinfoilhat 11 #8 Posted March 2, 2021 1 minute ago, Anna B said: Free Market Economics, as brought in by Margaret Thatcher, means governments no longer involve themselves by 'interfering' in situations such as this. Same as how they won't interfere in housing markets by putting a cap on rents. (They do however put a cap on housing benefits...) And many other situations where the consumer always seems to come off worst. Many Businesses however are quick to take advantage of these lax or non-existent regulations, by exploiting them in their own best interests. So prices rise unabated. Don't think that a change in government will help either. Both main parties are fully signed up to the Free Market Economics mantra. We're on our own folks so suck it up.... If memory serves didn't a Tory government (can't remember if it was may or johnson) promise to cap energy prices? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Anna B 1,365 #9 Posted March 2, 2021 4 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said: If memory serves didn't a Tory government (can't remember if it was may or johnson) promise to cap energy prices? When was that? Did it happen? In my experience the Conservatives are very good at saying all the right things, making promises etc, but very poor when it comes to actually delivering. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Arnold_Lane 0 #10 Posted March 3, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, Anna B said: When was that? Did it happen? In my experience the Conservatives are very good at saying all the right things, making promises etc, but very poor when it comes to actually delivering. 2019. Energy price cap comes into force - BBC News 10 hours ago, Anna B said: Free Market Economics, as brought in by Margaret Thatcher, means governments no longer involve themselves by 'interfering' in situations such as this. So that interpretation is wrong. Edited March 3, 2021 by Arnold_Lane Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Arnold_Lane 0 #11 Posted March 3, 2021 (edited) 15 hours ago, ivan edake said: It would seem that Ofgen,backed by the government, has allowed energy companies to increase their prices twice this year already. Firstly they have been allowed to increase every customers bill by around £25 per year. Unbelievebly this has been allowed to compensate the companies for the massive increase of payment defaulters. Secondly the price cap has been increased, and this will add about £95 per year on the average bill. The final nail in the coffin for consumers is the fact that the majority of companies will not allow customers to have a lower price deal unless they have a smart meter fitted. So I assume that as so many customers couldn't pay their bills last year there will be even more this year. We really are choosing between eating and heating now, thanks to our caring government. Some car insurance companies don't give their best price (especially to young drivers) unless a black box is fitted. Or they give better prices if a dashcam is fitted. What's the difference? The consumer doesn't pay to have the smart meter fitted. Calling it the final nail in the coffin is somewhat dramatic. Edited March 3, 2021 by Arnold_Lane Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
enntee 10 #12 Posted March 3, 2021 (edited) 22 minutes ago, Arnold_Lane said: .................................... The consumer doesn't pay to have the smart meter fitted. Calling it the final nail in the coffin is somewhat dramatic. The individual consumer may not have to pay for a smart meter to be fitted, but all the costs of smart meters are being met by approved increases in tariffs, nationwide, for this purpose. In fact, the requirement for energy companies to pursue the installation of smart meters has led to funds, from such increases in tariffs, being used to install equipment that is not fit for purpose and to pay for advertising campaigns that have been disingenuous. Edited March 3, 2021 by enntee Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...