Discontent #7 food, energy, transport, cost of living, society etc

[IfTheCapFits]

I've fixed today with octopus at £340 a month. Not sure if I've done the right thing but i wouldn't be able to afford more so thought I'd fix at something I can afford

They don't guarantee that it won't increase from £340 do they? It will be your unit rate & standing charge that are now fixed, but depending on your use, your payment may still increase?

 

[Rodneytrotter]

I fixed at electricity 68p/ kwh which was a recommended £348 / month and now wishing I hadn't. But I have booked a consultation with octopus for later this week. Hoping they will let me switch back to variable. I think I acted too hastily but I was just scared when I saw the forecast for my account.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

Not the same but they have reviews here too:

Best steam irons 2024: Which? Best Buys and expert buying advice - Which?

Need a hand deciding which steam iron to buy? We explain what you need to look for to find the right iron for your needs and budget.

www.which.co.uk

I usually just read Amazons and their highest rated products. Our iron is from Russel hobbs, my sister has travel John lewis own brand. No problems with each.

Thank you so much, had assumed it’d all be paywalled so didn’t even bother to search I can’t go down the Amazon review route cos I end up spending hours looking at it all, need to pass this task off to a higher power to decide for me!

My old one is Russel Hobbs and was good-ish but I won’t buy from them after they gifted Jack Monroe a new kettle looool #petty

 

[pixxyy]

Are you eating 1 nugget and chip per day? I’m sorry I just can’t believe any grown adult can survive off £20 a month without being severely malnourished. That’s not even £1 a day.

That was 1kg Nuggs & 3 big bags of chips, then pizza/garlic bread for other days. Plus Crisps etc for snacks
Not the best meals but would fill a hole if needed. Hopefully it'll never get to that point

 

[Purrrrrrr]

where did you get them from?

When they first came out I got them off eBay from Asian sellers. this was before companies bought them and put their name on them. but I get them from anywhere now. just google hooded blankets and loads of places come up. Amazon is good as you can see the reviews. My last ones were from Homeonline but if you are worried go to the shops so you can physically feel them.

 

[Eeyore147]

Has anyone got a dreamland heated throw? I love the look of the Alaskan fur one but at £110 it’s not cheap. They have a more plain blanket style version for £60 but it doesn’t look as cozy or luxurious.

Yes I have this one, had it 2 winters now and it’s gorgeous. So soft. Washes really well too.

 

[Blonde_moment]

So, Ovo sent me an email a few weeks ago asking me to increase my direct debit from £107 to £164, which I did. Just had a direct debit confirmation email from them confirming the amount is £107. I’m confused! I wonder if it has gone back to £107 to include the £400 government support? Would have been helpful if they had also sent an email explaining what’s going on.

 

[Thetruth123]

Random question but do air wick plug ins use a lot of electric ??

 

[Web30]

Bastards. Makes me wonder fixed tariffs will eventually become a thing of the past.

Wouldnt surprise me!

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I did email them, and they got back to me within an hour which I thought was brilliant! it’s Eon Next and supplied the correct first metre reading as they had it down as a higher number than todays reading. Everything does match up - apparently we used 16.5 KW electric and 10 units / 113 KW of gas. Which matches the readings.

it’s my first time reading the metre as in my home country it was all automatic.

fingers crossed it stays that low because sainsburys have my heart broken as it is 🫠.

Oh brilliant, massive congrats in that case!

 

[Pesky Tarian]

No way that’s great! Are you in NI? I haven’t heard anything from my energy crowd at all lol


Are you in NI too?

I'm in England, EDF.

 

[Yel]

We have the highest water rates too for the same reason as well as apparently keeping beaches clean (they keep discharging sewage into the sea by me though )

Yep, I think water prices in the SW serged as new rules came in so they couldn't discharge as much of it to the sea. Apparently it's a lot cleaner than it used to be a few decades ago

 

[Yel]

Cover of the ft today, the powerhouse of the EU won't be the same again for a long time without its competitive advantage of cheap Russian gas
---


German firms halt production to cope with rising energy prices
Economy minister Robert Habeck describes trend as ‘alarming’

German manufacturers are halting production in response to the surge in energy prices caused by Russia’s squeeze on gas supplies, a trend the government has described as “alarming”.

Robert Habeck, economy minister, said industry had worked hard to reduce its gas consumption in recent months, partly by switching to alternative fuels like oil, making its processes more efficient and reducing output.
But he said some companies had also “stopped production altogether” — a development he said was “alarming”.

“It’s not good news,” he said, “because it can mean that the industries in question aren’t just being restructured but are experiencing a rupture — a structural rupture, one that is happening under enormous pressure.”

Habeck said rising gas prices were affecting everyone from big industrial companies to small trading firms and the medium-sized enterprises that make up the “Mittelstand”. “Wherever energy is an important part of the business model, companies are experiencing sheer angst,” he said.

He said the business model of large parts of German manufacturing was based on the abundance of gas from Russia that was cheaper than gas from other regions. That competitive advantage “won’t come back any time soon, if it ever comes back at all”, Habeck said.

German firms halt production to cope with rising energy prices | Fina…

archived 31 Aug 2022 13:24:40 UTC

archive.ph

 

[Dragon100]

I submitted a meter reading to british gas last night, as they had asked for one within 14 days (14 days ago) i paid the bill online and got my confirmation email my account is up to date. I have been submitting end of month readings and paying, but decided to wait untill 14 days as it was the end of the quater. Mid morning today i recieve a bill for the quater for the grand sum of £0.05 payable by the 22nd september!! I am assuming the 5p was for washing my hands getting ready for bed shortly after paying the bill. I am going to pay the bill on the 22nd as ii amsure it will cost them more than me.

 

[DameKitty]

I've held off fixing with the fact we were getting a new PM even though I had an offer from Octopus and Eon Next (Eon is my current). I'm a bit dense about all of this, will they have better quotes seeing as it's fixed for 2 years as a cap? My bills weren't going to hit that cap anyway, but would still be good if the quoted kWh was changing

 

[Saddlesoap]

My current gas rate is 4.46p/kWh and electric is 21.86p/kWh.

Is this high or not, I've got myself really confused!

 

[instasham13]

We've had quite a turn over of staff too so I've found I've put in for someone who's gone a few months later.

 

[whoareyouu]

I'm not surprised the hot tub lockdown craze ended like this. Even before the price rises the running costs weren't that much less than two people joining a normal leisure centre and you have the effort to maintain it!

I know a few who have given up with them. When you stay somewhere for a long weekend with a hot tub it gets boring by the last day, of course having them at home won't work for most people. Although I do know someone disabled that uses his every day.

Hot tubs ‘running dry as households squeezed by rising living costs’

Just over half of hot tub owners say they now rarely or never use them, according to Direct Line Home Insurance.

www.standard.co.uk

Ours was costing a FORTUNE. Like, £10 a go to heat and use once and that was before all of the price rises. It hasn’t been on once this year and I think it will be going to the tip.

I submitted a meter reading to british gas last night, as they had asked for one within 14 days (14 days ago) i paid the bill online and got my confirmation email my account is up to date. I have been submitting end of month readings and paying, but decided to wait untill 14 days as it was the end of the quater. Mid morning today i recieve a bill for the quater for the grand sum of £0.05 payable by the 22nd september!! I am assuming the 5p was for washing my hands getting ready for bed shortly after paying the bill. I am going to pay the bill on the 22nd as ii amsure it will cost them more than me.

Mine never updates when I put meter readings in. I wish I could have stayed with Eon but they wouldn’t do me a house move.

 

[Jc456]

Who is your supplier? The standing charges are not bad. Mine are much higher and I am with Octopus Energy.

Electricity standing charge - 35.86p/day

Gas standing charge - 25.92p/day

Depends on location mines 52.64p a day for electricity and 28.49p for gas

 

[LyraBalaqua]

I love Aldi and can keep it cheap but the middle aisle of special buys always pulls me in