f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

BBC NEWS | Business | Record rise for British Gas bills

This is getting silly now.

fatherpierre

Gulp.

Sly time to do it as it won't look bad on bills at this time of year.

speedking

Our gas price frozen until 2010 since 3 years ago

:s mug:

Not looking forward to the increase when that comes to an end though

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

The watchdog's only comment was to say they believe it to be the biggest rise ever. No **** Sherlock!!!

What use is a watchdog that is in bed with the gas companies?

spireite

well been with em 12 yearbut its time to look elsewhere

rb5_336

we've capped our bills a few months ago, and today we're having solar powered heating installed. By the sound sof it, it will pay for itself a lot quicker now.

mart360

So are we to assume, that when BG post record profits at the years end, we will be entitled to a 35% share in that windfall...







like pigs will fly.




trouble is there,s no one to take them on, ....price fixing??????




bout time the monopolies commision did something about them...



Mart

rik1471

wow. glad i don't use gas.

dpb

Guy at the end ( admittedly pensionable and possibly eccentric ) runs everything off a wood burner - and spends all his waking hours looking for driftwoood

He could well be onto something ..!

TopBanana

Crikey, better get into the woods in get some wood seasoning...

Nimbus

We are in the process of taking out a gas fire and fitting a wood burner in our dinning room (Living room already has open fire). The stove place said they have never been so busy and they have as many order now during the summer as they did last autumn/winter, which is there usual busy period.

Christ

Solar powered heating.. How does this work then - presumably UFH linked to a few panels via a large thermostore??

Chris

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

Eventually got around to capping my bill this morning

Dracoro

But they're not a monopoly.

You can move to EDF, Scottish power etc. etc. None of them are rising that much.

Hanley

They're not a monopoly but there are serious suspicions of 'collusion' between the big 6 companies.

No evidence of price fixing was found but that is not to say they're not doing it.

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Best to move to capped deals ASAP because they're going to be pulled soon.

Shark Man

Hmmm, maybe getting to the time where it maybe better to get a diesel genny and run it on veggy oil

I can pick one up for under £300

Dracoro

Do gas/leccy bills feature in inflation figures?

Ultimately, it'll eat up more of all our money so less spending power etc.

Things haven't been done by the govt./BOE as they target based on CPI inflation which are artificially low due to the way they are calculated. This was, and is, always gonna lead to tears. Gonna be a rocky road ahead imo.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

I have been saying ever since they were privatised in the 80s that essentials like gas, water, electricityy and to a certain extent telephone services etc. should never be solely in the hnads of private companies as the day would come when they would be able to do what they want price wise and the government of the day would be powrless to do anything about it.

Looks like that day is here.

Thank you to both this government and the previous one. How to screw up your country in several easy short sighted greed driven lessons

TelBoy

Come again? How is "going green" linked with using *more* utilities such as gas? What am i missing?

PeteBrant

I'm not sure the utlities company want us to use more. I would say its fairly constant. I don't even know how they would get you use more?

What they can do is raise the prices.

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

If you have solid fuel heating you need a really good stove that will stay in overnight so that the house is still warm on the cold winter mornings. I had an open fire with a back boiler and that was a complete PITA. I couldn't have any heat in the mornings until I'd got up and lit a roaring fire and even then it would take a while to heat the house.

We currently have a solid fuel stove that we burn wood on but it takes some doing to get it to stay in overnight. On most of the boats I sell they have central heating run off of stoves running on solid fuel and a good one will stay in for 18 hours or so and do a very efficient job, obviously boats are a bit smaller than houses though Maybe you should buy a boat?

I like the idea of solar heating but we live in Yorkshire where the sun only shines twice a year, the idea of a solid fuel Rayburn with back boiler does appeal though, I've seen a very nice blue one in my local stove shop....

scoobygreg

iTrader: (3)

rip of britain yet again

TelBoy

Well yes, obviously that's the case. But it sounds like you're blaming the Government for the utility companies attempting to maximise their profits? If anything, price rises like this will focus the minds of the consumer and force them away from polluting fuel sources, thus achieving exactly what the Government want. If they were still privatised, you'd still be burning cheap/subsidised gas, which is a bad thing, right??

dpb

Cant really imagine how the rises WONT fuel inflation....!!


- You need to move to places who naturally rely on wood like france i reckon in reality or be very resourceful/ have a good deal in the uk

TelBoy

Wait till their profit results are announced (today i think), then let's see whether they're blatantly ripping people off. 35% is a staggering increase, no company would put themselves in the spotlight like that unless they could stand up and justify it, in my opinion.

PeteBrant

It will be interesting to see if our beloved chancellor continues to insist that companies do not offer payrises of more than 2% so that inflation doesn't get out of control.

Given what is actually driving inflation it seems he wants to stop any payrises being frittered away on eating/being warm/getting to work.