UK Power supplies Winter 2022/2023. Are you prepared ?

[honeybee13]

I know this isn't about smart meters but it's very worrying - disconnection by the back door according to charities.

 

British energy suppliers criticised over ‘disconnection by the back door’ | Energy industry | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Regulator says vulnerable households put on prepayment meters can be left without power for days and even weeks

 

[tobyjugg2]

Dont forget a number of suppliers only offered the (seemingly)  cheaper tarrifs they had on condition a smart meter was fitted

,, and mant lied to consumers saying they had to have one ..

Not hearsay - one told me that - and doubled down when I told him he was lying 'well you will soon - the government says so'

[tobyjugg2]

Just a point on that:

'ofgem has discovered people are effectively being disconnected for weeks at a time and has written to these 'some suppliers' asking them to investigate what the companies already know they have been doing

 

- not even a paper tiger - just an abuse and overcharge enabler IMO

 

These customers are on smart meters - the company knows exactly whats happening

Edited November 9, 2022 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

and on the tax relief sunaks loophole for the energy company enables

 

Subsidy to energy giants ‘could exceed 100p in the pound’ if Hunt raises windfall tax

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

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Chancellor considering 10p hike in levy to 35% of oil and gas profits

 

[brassnecked]

Energy: the wages of sin | Turbulent Times

WWW.TURBULENTTIMES.CO.UK

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With Jeremy Hunt complaining that the government help with energy bills is costing the same as the entire NHS, even though most consumers’ bills...

  Whole set up completely unfit for purpose Ofgem CEO just another overpaid fat cat.

[tobyjugg2]

Number of things needed IMMEDIATELY

1. Make 'standing charge' part of the unit cost - so low use people dont pay more for less use, and REMOVE any extra cost of pre-pay smart meters, including installation chgarges - apart from repaying debt, which should be limited to perhaps 5-10% of payment for usage.

2. Close the loophole that lets fossil companies invest in bad risk loss making, and cost of closing old wells - which should be from their profits NOT charge the taxpayer for it

3. Limit profiteering just like France has. if France can do it ...

(Note I have not said disband ofgem - they are doing what the politicians demand and legislate for - its THAT that needs changing)

 

[honeybee13]

I wasn't really aware of this.

 

Revealed: secret courts that allow energy firms to sue for billions accused of ‘bias’ as governments exit | Energy industry | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Secret court set up under energy charter treaty accused of conflicts of interest, self-regulation issues and institutional bias

 

[tobyjugg2]

Long past time this was dissolved

[brassnecked]

Interesting regarding the complexity of supplies

Energy: complications | Turbulent Times

WWW.TURBULENTTIMES.CO.UK

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Citing the war in Ukraine, the unavailability of part of the nuclear estate, and delays in the renewable energies programme, the French electricity network...

 

[tobyjugg2]

2 Primary things to consider

 

1. The UK is no longer part of the EU - and EU-EU energy sharing takes precedence.

 

2. Although the long standing mutual UK-France energy support is mutually beneficial, it simply is more important to the UK (but still very important to France) and should a trade war occur, France may be required to end their participation as part of wider sanctions

- The populists know this and have always known that despite their bluster and rabble rousing to their thick as mince base = hence them continuing to kick the NI issue into the long grass.

 

 

On related notes

Paris has replaced London as the leading stock market in Europe. Link below

"By the fourth week of Ms Truss’s premiership, British stock and bond markets had lost roughly $500bn in combined value, Bloomberg reported."

 

Minister involved says Australia deal is '“was not actually a very good deal” and the UK “gave away far too much for far too little in return”

- with a driver of the poor deal being a repeat of the errors at the start of Brexit negotiations. ie dont care what we agree just get the headline. Link below

 

and Really Smoggy would seem to be playing the changes to planning requirements he 'championed for his own benefit on land hes allegedly been trying to get planning permission on for years, while pi55ing off the rest of the people who live near him. Link below

 

 

 

Paris overtakes London as Europe’s largest stock market

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

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Gap narrowing since Brexit referendum finally closes, according to Bloomberg

 

 

Brexit trade deal with Australia ‘not very good’, admits ex-cabinet minister

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

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George Eustice lambasts Liz Truss for arbitrarily ‘setting the clock against us’ and calls on top civil servant to quit

 

 

 

 

Jacob Rees-Mogg faces questions over land for housing development | Jacob Rees-Mogg | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Exclusive: Evidence suggests land where developers hope to build homes is held in trust for members of ex-minister’s family

 

 

 

[brassnecked]

Dr Richard North is angrier than Mr Flibbles

 

Energy: a declaration of war | Turbulent Times

WWW.TURBULENTTIMES.CO.UK

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The Sunday Times is offering a timely article on energy costs, somewhat naïvely headed: “We’re slashing our energy usage, so why are our direct...

 

[tobyjugg2]

I agree with (with highlighted addition by me) :

 

"The truth of the matter is that (many of) our energy suppliers are a bunch of thieves, gaming a dysfunctional system to milk every possible penny from their consumer base. They have not the slightest concern for their users and will drive them into penury whenever it suits them, spraying threats like confetti and using every device known to them – some legal, some not – to collect their extortionate fees.

If the term “thief” offends you or you judge it too harsh, you can if you prefer call them “con artists” or “rip-off merchants”, or some such. But the one thing you must never do is fall into the trap of believing that you have a normal commercial relationship with your supplier, as between customer and provider."

 

I simply dont agree with the rest

As soon as they started threatening 'actions' against debt that was actually less then a tenner, I would have rung them and raised a formal complaint against their unreasonable and disingenuous demands

 

.. far more effective than just ***ing about like North suggests, and would go on their official stats with the regulator, and they would be required to formally answer.

Just p***ing off call center drones (no offense intended) on the phone achieves nothing.

 

and WTF is North with EDF rather than Octopus if he claims to know what hes on about?

[brassnecked]

I think you miss the point that North actually enjoys tormenting them as much as he can.

[tobyjugg2]

I got that point,

but question both the effectiveness and sanity of suggesting people who are truly struggling ignore Martin Lewis and follow Norths example rather than a path that would actually help them

- let alone taking his business to a better supplier, after raising formal complaints .. possibly  the only 2 things that would really bother them.

 

 

Might be worth the regulator checking (fat chance without loads of justifiable formal complaints - or even then) if some of these companies have adjusted their 'algorithms to take account

1. the temporary guv partial refund payments each month

2.  the higher overall costs meaning that a hundred quid temporary shortfall is the equivalent of what was 30 quid

Edited November 20, 2022 by tobyjugg2

[theoldrouge]

South Pole Hits Record Cold November Temperatures
 

https://dailysceptic.org/2022/11/20/south-pole-hits-record-cold-november-temperatures/
 

 

[tobyjugg2]

So what - abnormal weather is the new normal, and blips, like this one will occur more often.

Wait until you see the weather here in Feb if the projections are accurate

 

But the cold spell referred is a blip - just like the occasion very low temps in Scotland when the Arctic does a cold dump - and as the Arctic and mountain tops in turn heat up far faster.

 

Simply put:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/10/01/south-pole-coldest-winter-record/

 

"While impressive and unexpected, scientists characterized this record as a mere blip and curiosity as both Antarctica and the planet continue to rapidly warm amid escalating extreme weather.

Extreme weather tormenting the planet will worsen because of global warming, U.N. panel finds"

 

[unclebulgaria67]

Antartica is not really an indicator of whether climate change is real or not.  Temperatures in Antartica have not changed much in the last 31 years. See link below

 

Climate and temperature development in the Antarctica

WWW.WORLDDATA.INFO

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A climate analysis for Antarctica incl. temperatures, humidity, rain days per month, hours of sunshine, Water temperature, Rainfalls

It is world temperature increases that are more of a concern and the increase in the number of extreme weather events. 

 

Global Temperature

CLIMATE.NASA.GOV

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A graph and an animated time series showing the change in global surface temperature relative to 1951-1980 average temperatures. The year 2020 ties with 2016 as the warmest on record.

 

 

[tobyjugg2]

The science indicates a heat pump effect

Note the air pressure dropped, the winds picked up, increasing wind chill, generating large quantities of higher level very cold air pulled down from then very cold upper atmosphere and very cold increased sea wind causing increases in 'coastal surface ice, This has been occurring for some time - but had a recent burst of activity.

 

- driven by the increased heat ALL OVER the Northern hemisphere and a LOT of the southern - like AUSTRALIA

Hot air rises in the majority of the Northern hemisphere AND A CHUNK OF THE SOUTHERN, including even the North Pole and mountain top record breaking heating, driving lower pressure and colder downward drafts in areas in the South - commonly around the Southern pole

 

- so give the world a break and stop generating so much climate damaging hot air in this Northern hemisphere @theoldrouge

[unclebulgaria67]

 

Another article about smart meters being used to cut off supplies to change to pay as you go.

 

Homes with smart meters being plunged into darkness by REMOTE CONTROL  | This is Money

WWW.THISISMONEY.CO.UK

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A privacy war has broken out in Britain as more suppliers begin moving customers onto Pay As You Go plans remotely using their...

 

[honeybee13]

From the article. I'm not sure the argument is about privacy or just downright dishonesty.

Some 29.5 million smart meters have been fitted in homes and small businesses across Britain.

They were sold to customers as a way to ensure that their bills were accurate by recording households’ energy usage in real time.

No mention has ever been made in publicity for the meters, that they can be used to cut families’ gas and electricity off remotely.

[brassnecked]

Its the hidden benefit hidden for a while by the EnergyCo's it was obvious there would be backdoor's capable of being used to the detriment of the consumer's just like Windows 11 has more phone homes  sending data than Windows 10, has the Smart meter has to be a two way data flow, to allow remote updates etc, so the switch to pre pay is oh so convenient, they are not happy their wheeze was rumbled.

[tobyjugg2]

 

 

[tobyjugg2]

So whys that when energy companies are already making record profits from less use?

- and have been since before the LAST price hike

 

Energy price cap rises to record level as support bill soars - live

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

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It is set to add to the massive strain faced by the public purse in coming months due to soaring gas prices

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

• Prepayment meters: Investigations Correspondent Dean Kirby takes a look inside the courtroom where it takes just minutes to force hundreds of people onto prepayment meters. Nearly half a million warrants allowing energy firms to forcibly install prepayment meters in the UK’s poorest homes have been granted since Britain came out of the Covid lockdown. An i investigation has found that debt collecting agents acting on behalf of the nation’s biggest gas and electricity companies have been handed more than 490,000 warrants to force their way into properties since July 2021.

 

and they will be smart meters unless the recipients know their rights and probably even then in many cases.

Edited December 5, 2022 by tobyjugg2

[brassnecked]

Yes that Ines article was very revealing how due process is usurped on the back of convenience

Richard North is fulminating about it today.

Energy: dereliction of duty | Turbulent Times

WWW.TURBULENTTIMES.CO.UK

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Writing on the subject of warrants of entry to fit prepayment meters, last month, I observed that a significant part of the problem was the failure of...