super slider

just got a letter from EDF ( who have been consistantly the cheapest for me)giving the new prices of gas and just worked it out its gone up another 20% !! It went up 20% in August and 14% in March. Thats 64% in 7 months, i cant believe it!!!!!!! Electricity gone up 13%, dont know what over the past 7 months. I hope the new gas pipeline from Norway starts to bring down prices soon. How can poor people afford these prices. I am on only 2 grand above what is known as the poverty level (poverty level is 15k, said on tele recently). Its going to be well over £1000 for gas and electricity..+ 1000 for council ax. I cant believe the cost of basic living in this country

David Lock

I thought I heard that wholesale gas prices were way DOWN and storage reaching max capacity? Square that circle

super slider

ive heard on the tv that its takes a while for the reduction in wholesaleprices to filter down to the consumer. the sooner the better. always (seems) the case, quick to go up, slow to come down

unclebuck

Aparently since anew supply came on stream from norway or somewhere, the wholesalers are selling it at a loss because the suppliers have overstocked with the expensive Russian gas. It's just appallingly poor management for which we are having to bear the cost. Many people with large families, huge mortgages, expensive 4 x 4s etc are going to be pushed to the limit and beyond financially this winter.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Only a grand, try 2 grand CT and 1300 Gas and leccy, why do you think I have a sh1tty Saab !

Scooby-Doo

You clearly have no understanding of why prices dropped the way they did last Sunday and during this week.

The pipeline has been commisioning since the 1st October and as a result massive quantities of gas flooded the UK and coupled with exceptionally low seasonal demand prices have dropped heavily on the prompt market. The pipeline will have a huge benefit to the UK over peak winter months and will protect gas supplies for the future. The dip in prices is obviously hyped by the press but they fail to mention the long term benefits to both pricing in the UK and our future gas security.

If these piplines and LNG terminals are not built you would not have gas or Electricity in the future at at the end of the day the customer pays.

pslewis

Gas is being sold for -5p Per Therm on the wholsale market .... YES! thats MINUS 5 PENCE!!!

Pete

Chip Sengravy

where did you get that from?

unclebuck

It was on the news. One thing I'm sure I do understand is that this is a serious f*ck up by the gas industry for which WE bear the cost.

imlach

For those that don't follow the news, here's the story on gas being sold at a loss.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5402370.stm?ls

falkster

Ive just had my gas bill for the last quarter and it was 200 quid!!!

We have a shower each a day and wash the cars once a week but other than that I may have a pan on the hob once a month so have no idea why its this high......I havent had the heating since February.

They say they under estimated us for the last two quarters!!! My ****.

super slider

J4CKO
I know what you are saying, 3k+ for gas and electric and council tax is a lot but 2k+ for gas, electric and council tax is 15% of my net wage. i personally think council tax should be based on income. in my opinion that would be more fair. i have a ****ty P reg 306 diesel !!!

Scooby-Doo

Go back a few years we have had -£15 therm low and £4.97 high. -5p was on Sunday, -4pMonday, 12.64p at the moment and Jan 07 at 70p.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

The more I earn the less it buys, 40 grand this year and still no prospect of a new motor, hol or savings !

Picture the loan here I come - NOT !

Leslie

It is being disposed of that cheaply.

We must not be so selfish as to expect a price drop. How else will the fat cats maintain their obscene salaries and bonuses?

Les

falkster

Exactly what I was saying to my wife the other day. I have been fortunate to have had some good moves through work over the last 2 years and have doubled my salary but still cant afford children, a new car or my gas bill!!

Just about everything you think about over the last 8 years (since Ive been a home owner) has become cheaper except utilities, car tax and petrol.

AudiLover

The company I work for fixes up and maintains housing for the ponces of london, and I can tell you now that we are not cheap, and the amount of wasters/illegal immigrants/asylum seekers we have is disturbing. Bunch of lazy no good for nothing scum. thats why council tax in london atleast is so high. Bring on the tories.

Chip

Correct, and there will be another 42"LNG pipeline feeding into the national grid soon as well from Milford Haven.

Chip

Diesel

Brit Gas couldnt be ar$ed to read my meter for over a year. Now they hit me with a £500 bill on top of my £40 a month DD. This was mostly usage LAST winter - pre many price rises. I explained to them that I need 80% of the bill re-valued on LAST YEARS gas costs. They huffed and puffed and promised to call me back. Of course they didnt call me back - nice fair honest company this Brit Gas [only reason for the bill was as I wanted to dump them!]. The selling it off at a loss thing makes it even more bizarre!!!

D

Chip

It should also be remembered that British Gas have to pay to ship the gas around the country as they do not own mor operate any grid or local distribution systems.

Chip

SD

The pipeline was also running at 100% for testing purposes, and as has been said it was unseasonably mild, meaning companies had to pay to have it taken of their hands. In this season of lowering gas prices thanks to the new pipeline, last week's price was merely a blip which you won't see represented in your gas bill.

Simon (Works for a well known oil, gas and power company)

Vapid

You do know who EDF is right?


Let me tell you that in their home market prices are kept low by subsidies paid for by profits from idiots in the UK who use them. All part of the legacy of Mrs Thatcher who sold off all our assets like some money grubbing skank at a car boot fair.

Chip

You can hardly blame Thatcher for the prices we are paying today. Under her prices were low and stayed low compared to today which is partly a result of the tension in the middle east for a which a certain Mr Blair may have something to do with.

Chip

stevencotton

Why should I subsidise those that haven't worked their ***** off to get where they are? What's fair is people paying for what they use.

These constant cost of living rises are really putting me off living here

Vapid

I wasn't blaming her for the current energy crisis.

What I was saying is that she created a situation where you and your children and your children's children pay all their money to a foreign state owned nationalised company who use profits garnered from your money to keep their prices artificially low.


*that's a ******* long sentence*

Scooby-Doo

Vapid,

EDF SA is a publically traded company on the IPO, so not sure where you get the idea that they are state owned. France is in the process of opening its gas market to competition with the newly created PEG's which will facilitate full downstream competition in July 07.
EDF have historically been an electricity supplier in France whereas you maybe confusing them with GDF which is a completely different company and they themselves do not sell gas in the UK so again there is not issue of cross subsidy to worry your childrens children.

logiclee

She must have some of the blame IMO. The only reason our gas supllies are nearly exhausted is that they have been used up in electricity generation.
Thatcher rigged the energy market and created the "Dash for Gas" in the late 80's, this was done solely to close down the coal mines by making them uneconmical.
If the UK had optmised it's coal reserves and invested in clean coal technology we would still have 15-20 years of natural gas left.


Cheers
Lee

Vapid

EDF/GDF are the same entity in practice. The French government retain a massive stake in them. The issue of cross subsidies to keep French energy prices lower will be a matter for your children's children as I despise brats and don't intend to have any.

logiclee

I can't really go into detail on a bbs but I've had some involvement with EDF. IMO they have little interest in the UK's current problems. They are heavily subsidised by the French government and are thus able to invest heavily in the UK. They could have made commercial decissions which would have eased the UK's short to medium term issues but they have refused to do this even though it would have made financial sense in the medium term to themselves. IMO they are here knowing they will be the major player if the UK goes Nuclear, they say they dont want subsidies from the UK but have already been talking about free land, zero rates and long term contracts with a minimum fixed price.
Even if they were the cheapest supplier in the country I wouldn't go anywhere near them.
They are here not on competition or buisiness success grounds but because they receive massive subsidies from their own Government. They have an agenda to become the biggest generator in the UK as well as controlling the supply chain. EDF are actively pushing out UK suppliers and have already contributed to job losses in the UK.

Cheers
Lee