Shock!

M

Matesrates

Well-known member
I’m currently with British Gas for both gas and electric. I was paying £87 a month, then they put it up to £156 last month. Now they’ve emailed me to say my current contract ends on 30th April and it’s going up to £348 per month on a variable rate.

I’ve tried to find alternatives and most say they can’t quote at the moment due to uncertainty in the market. Money supermarket quotes a re over £100 a month more.

Any suggestions? As a pensioner this is terrifying.
 
In the meantime, Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murthy, avoids paying a single penny in UK income tax as a result of her “non-domiciled” status even though she lives here 365 days of the year.
www.independent.co.uk

Revealed: Rishi Sunak’s millionaire wife avoids tax through non-dom status

Exclusive: Akshata Murthy could have saved millions of pounds in tax on foreign earnings over several years, sources claim
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
To quote John Lyndon... “Ever get the feeling you’ve been had?”

On a personal note, my sympathy, pensioners are getting the rough end of this situation as I well know. But I am surprised they want to increase your DD by that much. It’s worth keeping up to date with your account balance in case with the increase you are soon running a hefty positive balance which is unnecessarily to BGas’ benefit. You should be able to set the DD amount yourself on their website, surely?
 
On a practical note, I would suggest you make sure every light you have is a low-wattage LED. Don’t use the electric oven, use the microwave. Cook large pots (curry, stew etc) on the stove, freeze in packs for later microwaving. Don’t boil full kettles. Heat hot water immediately before using it (shower etc) and add extra tank insulation (if not on a combi boiler). Sorry to sound patronising, you’ve probably considered all this.
 
Archibald Knox said:
In the meantime, Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murthy, avoids paying a single penny in UK income tax as a result of her “non-domiciled” status even though she lives here 365 days of the year.
www.independent.co.uk

Revealed: Rishi Sunak’s millionaire wife avoids tax through non-dom status

Exclusive: Akshata Murthy could have saved millions of pounds in tax on foreign earnings over several years, sources claim
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
To quote John Lyndon... “Ever get the feeling you’ve been had?”

On a personal note, my sympathy, pensioners are getting the rough end of this situation as I well know. But I am surprised they want to increase your DD by that much. It’s worth keeping up to date with your account balance in case with the increase you are soon running a hefty positive balance which is unnecessarily to BGas’ benefit. You should be able to set the DD amount yourself on their website, surely?
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You can set your own level but they are not forced to accept it.
 
Archibald Knox said:
On a practical note, I would suggest you make sure every light you have is a low-wattage LED. Don’t use the electric oven, use the microwave. Cook large pots (curry, stew etc) on the stove, freeze in packs for later microwaving. Don’t boil full kettles. Heat hot water immediately before using it (shower etc) and add extra tank insulation (if not on a combi boiler). Sorry to sound patronising, you’ve probably considered all this.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice, and yes, I’m doing all that, but this concentrates the mind. I’m looking at what else I can cut. My season ticket next year is at risk right now.
 
Archibald Knox said:
In the meantime, Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murthy, avoids paying a single penny in UK income tax as a result of her “non-domiciled” status even though she lives here 365 days of the year.
Click to expand...

Not entirely true, non-doms are taxed on the remittance basis, so unless she hasn't brought any money into the UK at any point, she will have paid at least some tax.
 
What’s the betting she has transferred money from India to other tax havens where tax rates are much lower? Guernsey, Caymans etc. But, in the meantime, she enjoys the full benefits that all the rest of us tax payers fund, without paying a penny. Does she attend the Royal Opera House and other concert venues (heavily subsidised), does she visit the great museums in London (free entry). “Non-domiciled” is a tax status, but does it affect residency rights, such as the NHS?
 
Matesrates said:
I’m currently with British Gas for both gas and electric. I was paying £87 a month, then they put it up to £156 last month. Now they’ve emailed me to say my current contract ends on 30th April and it’s going up to £348 per month on a variable rate.

I’ve tried to find alternatives and most say they can’t quote at the moment due to uncertainty in the market. Money supermarket quotes a re over £100 a month more.

Any suggestions? As a pensioner this is terrifying.
Click to expand...
Sorry to read this Mates, it's similar to us in that our fixed price deal ended in October so we reverted to standard rates, which in turn went up 50 plus percent on 1 April. We could get alternative quotes back in October but they were much higher than the standard rate, so please be assured that you haven't missed out on a good deal just because your deal ends soon. Its been a problem for many months.

Our monthly payments have gone from 140 to 340 due to the double hit, as we have the mother in law in a granny flat at the back. The old girl rarely puts the heating (or her electric fire) on if she can help it. She goes to bed earlier and boils up a hot water bottle in the evening. Many times we've turned her fire on for her because she's worried about cost.

Just a thought, she goes to her clubs to meet friends and play bingo etc for the afternoon 3 times a week. The clubs are held in fully heated church halls or working men's clubs. In a way it's worth it to keep warm for a few hours, although she enjoys her clubs. All the best.
 
Tried mate, they won’t quote
Matesrates said:
Tried mate, they won’t quote
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im with Octopus and they sent a nice letter saying they’d save me £50 off the cap this year. 👍

Only issue is the cap is an £2450 increase on March.

The cartel has us all by the balls and lady bits. No way out barring the Government doing something drastic
 
Dave62 said:
Sorry to read this Mates, it's similar to us in that our fixed price deal ended in October so we reverted to standard rates, which in turn went up 50 plus percent on 1 April. We could get alternative quotes back in October but they were much higher than the standard rate, so please be assured that you haven't missed out on a good deal just because your deal ends soon. Its been a problem for many months.

Our monthly payments have gone from 140 to 340 due to the double hit, as we have the mother in law in a granny flat at the back. The old girl rarely puts the heating (or her electric fire) on if she can help it. She goes to bed earlier and boils up a hot water bottle in the evening. Many times we've turned her fire on for her because she's worried about cost.

Just a thought, she goes to her clubs to meet friends and play bingo etc for the afternoon 3 times a week. The clubs are held in fully heated church halls or working men's clubs. In a way it's worth it to keep warm for a few hours, although she enjoys her clubs. All the best.
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It’s a shocking situation in one of the top economies in the world. Pensioners and those on benefits who genuinely can’t work are going to be seriously scared.
 
Well it’s not just pensioners who are suffering.
It’s ….

Hard working families with kiddies in low and even reasonably paid jobs

Single mums

Single dads

People who have been made redundant by employers with the morals of P&O.

In fact it’s everyone.

And it’s not just energy prices that are going up. It’s food. Clothing. Petrol. And just about everything else you can think of.

And so it’s not too much of a shock….for those still in a job the NI increases kick in this month. So don’t be surprised if your take home pay is less than you’d expected.
 
Dave62 said:
Sorry to read this Mates, it's similar to us in that our fixed price deal ended in October so we reverted to standard rates, which in turn went up 50 plus percent on 1 April. We could get alternative quotes back in October but they were much higher than the standard rate, so please be assured that you haven't missed out on a good deal just because your deal ends soon. Its been a problem for many months.

Our monthly payments have gone from 140 to 340 due to the double hit, as we have the mother in law in a granny flat at the back. The old girl rarely puts the heating (or her electric fire) on if she can help it. She goes to bed earlier and boils up a hot water bottle in the evening. Many times we've turned her fire on for her because she's worried about cost.

Just a thought, she goes to her clubs to meet friends and play bingo etc for the afternoon 3 times a week. The clubs are held in fully heated church halls or working men's clubs. In a way it's worth it to keep warm for a few hours, although she enjoys her clubs. All the best.
Click to expand...
That's about what ours has gone up too, not due to the MIL though, mind you we have the grandson living with us ATM. I must say if I can get it through to everyone, turn the heating off if you've finished using a particular room. I've also tweaked everything down in the hall & landing areas, oh one last thing which irritates me "SHUT THE BLOODY DOOR" 🤨
 
Still, been watching a report about Ukraine and old women being helped out of a cellar where they’ve been for weeks, with no heat, water, electricity, water. One said, I don’t care who wins, I just want peace. Brought a tear to my eye. We’re very lucky.
 
Reece Mogg repeatedly claimed that leaving the EU would reduce energy bills, food and clothes. He lied, unfortunately there were enough people who believed him. He isn't being made remotely accountable for his lies, it was all so predictable and it's going to get a lot worse. Gove, Johnson and Rees Mogg will be long gone, with their amassed fortune before the dim wits cotton on they were had.
 
Archibald Knox said:
What’s the betting she has transferred money from India to other tax havens where tax rates are much lower? Guernsey, Caymans etc. But, in the meantime, she enjoys the full benefits that all the rest of us tax payers fund, without paying a penny. Does she attend the Royal Opera House and other concert venues (heavily subsidised), does she visit the great museums in London (free entry). “Non-domiciled” is a tax status, but does it affect residency rights, such as the NHS?
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It will be interesting to see Sunak's reaction, he is quite snippy when he gets awkward questions and has stormed out of interviews before. I was forced to laugh when on LBC recently, a single mother phoned in about the cost of living crisis, saying that she was delivering food on a bike in her time off her main job and still couldn't make ends meet. Sunak started off by replying 'We have two children as well' (or something like) - I was hoping that the host would interrupt and ask if Rishi's wife was doing runs for Deliveroo to make ends meet.
I sense that there is plenty more where this came from, she is a billionaire with massive wealth. I am sure that this power couple know how to play the tax game and stay within the law, however morally repugnant it seems to Joe Public.
 
ElBurroSinNombre said:
It will be interesting to see Sunak's reaction, he is quite snippy when he gets awkward questions and has stormed out of interviews before. I was forced to laugh when on LBC recently, a single mother phoned in about the cost of living crisis, saying that she was delivering food on a bike in her time off her main job and still couldn't make ends meet. Sunak started off by replying 'We have two children as well' (or something like) - I was hoping that the host would interrupt and ask if Rishi's wife was doing runs for Deliveroo to make ends meet.
I sense that there is plenty more where this came from, she is a billionaire with massive wealth. I am sure that this power couple know how to play the tax game and stay within the law, however morally repugnant it seems to Joe Public.
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He’s also extremely wealthy, reportedly worth over £3 billion.
 
Matesrates said:
He’s also extremely wealthy, reportedly worth over £3 billion.
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BTW sorry to hear of this shock, mine has gone up and keeps going up. I was looking at price comparison sites and all were quoting ~400 per month - I was paying 50 a month a year ago. These energy price increases are really a financial shock for so many, I am dreading to see how this one plays out over the next 12 months.
 
Anyway mine has gone up to an estimated 330pm it was 150pm about 15 months ago. Petrol through the roof, building materials through the roof, food massive increases. The other crazy thing they've banned red diesel for operating plant on Building sites, so that has doubled the cost on site, at the worst possible time. New changes of building regs come in on the 15th June which will add some additional serious costs to construction. This lot can't manage a wank. The mass of oil and gas in the North Sea was given away to reduce tax whilst public services were decimated, but that showed the lefty commie bastards, I got a private reg plate with the tax breaks.
 
Turn off all things you can at the plug, don't have anything you use on standby, telly, radio, computer etc it won't save a lot but every little helps. We only have the heating and water, yes we have a hot water tank, on for three hours in the morning and a further two hours in the evening. After that it's blankets and extra layers if cold.

I had some surprisingly good news yesterday. My car insurance has gone up, but only by £1.72 a year. Woohoo.
 
Apparently it’s gone up(cap lifted)..54% on 1st of April…so if you were paying £100 a month , should now be £154..? But most seem to have been increased 200%+…? Don’t get it..
 
Killingmesoftly said:
Apparently it’s gone up(cap lifted)..54% on 1st of April…so if you were paying £100 a month , should now be £154..? But most seem to have been increased 200%+…? Don’t get it..
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My problem is it did go up on 1st April, but my contract ends on April 30th, so up we go again.
 
southshorepool said:
And when do you expect fracking to bring current gas prices down? Ballpark figure will do.
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No idea, but if you lot hadn’t been such a bunch of moaning Minnie’s and took a second to think about the long term effects of importing Natural gas we would maybe already a lot more self suffcient. However you got what you wanted so zip it.
 
Scaramanga said:
Just get on with fracking ffs.
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What I genuinely don't understand is it that it seems like no matter what the source is and where it's from, the price of a unit of energy is fixed by the international market.

So, you could be (as I understand it) using the power from Morecambe bay windfarm or the gas from fracking on the Fylde but the unit cost isn't any different than if it's gas from Russia or whatever.

I might be wrong here, but ultimately, if I'm even half right... What???? Eh????
 
Scaramanga said:
No idea, but if you lot hadn’t been such a bunch of moaning Minnie’s and took a second to think about the long term effects of importing Natural gas we would maybe already a lot more self suffcient. However you got what you wanted so zip it.
Click to expand...
Arthur Scargill would agree. 😉
 
td53 said:
What I genuinely don't understand is it that it seems like no matter what the source is and where it's from, the price of a unit of energy is fixed by the international market.

So, you could be (as I understand it) using the power from Morecambe bay windfarm or the gas from fracking on the Fylde but the unit cost isn't any different than if it's gas from Russia or whatever.

I might be wrong here, but ultimately, if I'm even half right... What???? Eh????
Click to expand...

That's how markets work.

Gas can be moved from country to country relatively easily regardless of where it was extracted from, thus the price of gas is set on the international market, and there really isn't much any national government can do about it.

Gas is the marginal electricity generator, it sets the price of electricity for the whole market, you don't pay a different price for electricity depending upon how it's generated, thus the international price of gas determines the cost of generating electricity from gas, which then sets the price of electricity generated from gas, which then sets the price for the entire market.

The renewables operators are of course laughing all the way to the bank, but that's how their business model operates, a huge upfront investment in the plant, which is in effect a gamble upon the future price of electricity.

One other factor to consider is that electricity can also move from country to country, which also evens out the price.
 
Scaramanga said:
No idea, but if you lot hadn’t been such a bunch of moaning Minnie’s and took a second to think about the long term effects of importing Natural gas we would maybe already a lot more self suffcient. However you got what you wanted so zip it.
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I was curious about what you thought the timeline would be to help Britain become more self sufficient in energy and the how much you thought it would lower our monthly bills. I wrongly assumed you knew.
 
southshorepool said:
I was curious about what you thought the timeline would be to help Britain become more self sufficient in energy and the how much you thought it would lower our monthly bills. I wrongly assumed you knew.
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Nice swerve.
 
Matesrates said:
I’m currently with British Gas for both gas and electric. I was paying £87 a month, then they put it up to £156 last month. Now they’ve emailed me to say my current contract ends on 30th April and it’s going up to £348 per month on a variable rate.

I’ve tried to find alternatives and most say they can’t quote at the moment due to uncertainty in the market. Money supermarket quotes a re over £100 a month more.

Any suggestions? As a pensioner this is terrifying.
Click to expand...
Spend less time on AVFTT, follow daylight hours so less late nights and learn to play the acoustic guitar. That's my plan anyway.
 
Lost Seasider said:
That's how markets work.

Gas can be moved from country to country relatively easily regardless of where it was extracted from, thus the price of gas is set on the international market, and there really isn't much any national government can do about it.

Gas is the marginal electricity generator, it sets the price of electricity for the whole market, you don't pay a different price for electricity depending upon how it's generated, thus the international price of gas determines the cost of generating electricity from gas, which then sets the price of electricity generated from gas, which then sets the price for the entire market.

The renewables operators are of course laughing all the way to the bank, but that's how their business model operates, a huge upfront investment in the plant, which is in effect a gamble upon the future price of electricity.

One other factor to consider is that electricity can also move from country to country, which also evens out the price.
Click to expand...
That appears to be how *this* market works. Saying that is how *markets* as a whole work seems to be a stretch.
 
td53 said:
That appears to be how *this* market works. Saying that is how *markets* as a whole work seems to be a stretch.
Click to expand...

Do you pay different prices for petrol depending upon where it was produced? What about potatoes, milk, vegetables, or anything else where one unit is essentially indistinguishable from another.

Can you give me an example of any market that doesn't function in this way.
 
Lost Seasider said:
That's how markets work.

Gas can be moved from country to country relatively easily regardless of where it was extracted from, thus the price of gas is set on the international market, and there really isn't much any national government can do about it.

Gas is the marginal electricity generator, it sets the price of electricity for the whole market, you don't pay a different price for electricity depending upon how it's generated, thus the international price of gas determines the cost of generating electricity from gas, which then sets the price of electricity generated from gas, which then sets the price for the entire market.

The renewables operators are of course laughing all the way to the bank, but that's how their business model operates, a huge upfront investment in the plant, which is in effect a gamble upon the future price of electricity.

One other factor to consider is that electricity can also move from country to country, which also evens out the price.
Click to expand...
So much for competition then.

Sounds like a cartel to me where the suppliers have fixed the price.
 
Lost Seasider said:
Do you pay different prices for petrol depending upon where it was produced? What about potatoes, milk, vegetables, or anything else where one unit is essentially indistinguishable from another.

Can you give me an example of any market that doesn't function in this way.
Click to expand...
Yes loads. That’s why supermarkets compete on price and why people shop around.
 
Lost Seasider said:
Do you pay different prices for petrol depending upon where it was produced? What about potatoes, milk, vegetables, or anything else where one unit is essentially indistinguishable from another.

Can you give me an example of any market that doesn't function in this way.
Click to expand...
I can go to one shop and pay £2 for a KG of potatoes and then to another shop and pay 50p.

Literally.
 
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