News Gas prices to rise as much as 24%

[Lamp]

BBC News - British Gas increases gas and electricity bills

 

[old.user4556]

Yeah, feck .

Nuclear please.

(gtf Scouse... )

 

[Litmus]

the problem is they can charge what they like and people still need to buy it no matter what... like petrol and water!

 

[Wij]

Shale Gas will solve this in a few years. Leccy prices will still go up though due to renewable subsidies, FITs and ROCs. That IS Scouse's fault

 

[rynnor]

Shale Gas will solve this in a few years.

If they are allowed to develop it - I'm a big fan of the stuff but it does create minor earthquakes (mag 2-3) so locals may not like it much...

 

[Raven]

And they wont actually drop prices, just make more profit.

 

[Lamp]

I think we're all gonna have to go on a diet of prunes, cabbage, baked beans & curry & stick a rubber hose up our arse

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Really glad BG failed to transfer my account across like the inept bastards they are.

 

[Wij]

I think we're all gonna have to go on a diet of prunes, cabbage, baked beans & curry & stick a rubber hose up our arse

*hard*

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

This is not breaking news, its been on the cards for some months now. Most utility companies have been offering price capping deals if you shift to them before August. As far as I'm aware, they are ending / have ended their deals by now though.

 

[Job]

Or put your gas meter on it's side.
Or turn it around on the pipework.

 

[Tom]

Maybe I'm just cynical, but I see "capped" deals as "the price will come down well before the end of the capping period, so we'll still win".

I therefore just pay whatever the going rate is.

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

Capping is usually for a year. I'll be saving around £35 per month on one of the deals. Lock-in (such as it is), is also a year. The lock-in is just a fee if you switch before the year is up and its around £40 I think. If you check the price comparison websites you can see all the various companies and their deals.

 

[Jimmy]

Really glad BG failed to transfer my account across like the inept bastards they are.

What happened for it not tom move over?

 

[Wazzerphuk]

*shrug* It was all go then it never happened and they stopped sending me stuff.

 

[Jimmy]

then you can't really call them inept as it could be down to a number of things your currently supplier might have objected to you leaving you might have moved over to BG and not be aware.....

 

[Wazzerphuk]

No, they knew I was leaving. It was all done and sorted.

 

[Jimmy]

if you are interested i can find out the reason

 

[ford prefect]

Shale Gas will solve this in a few years. Leccy prices will still go up though due to renewable subsidies, FITs and ROCs. That IS Scouse's fault

As others have said, it won't have a huge impact on price. Fifty years ago nuclear energy was going to give us electricity so cheaply that it would be practically free. Shale gas will go the same way. Look at how we are currently embracing solar - this week the government managed to amend solar policy, so the bigger the solar plant you build the less you make per kw/h and by a very long way too! Basically traditional energy and fuel are the treasury's bread & butter; cheaper or renewable resources are either buried or embraced and then taxed to death.

 

[Huntingtons]

the problem is they can charge what they like and people still need to buy it no matter what... like petrol and water!

and drugs!

 

[rynnor]

Look at how we are currently embracing solar - this week the government managed to amend solar policy, so the bigger the solar plant you build the less you make per kw/h and by a very long way too!

That was a stupidly badly setup scheme though that basically gave a good gauranteed return to those who could afford solar panels at the cost of increased energy costs to the poor who couldnt participate.

It was so out of whack that groups of investors started planning huge subsidy farms necessitating the changes.

 

[Wij]

As others have said, it won't have a huge impact on price. Fifty years ago nuclear energy was going to give us electricity so cheaply that it would be practically free. Shale gas will go the same way. Look at how we are currently embracing solar - this week the government managed to amend solar policy, so the bigger the solar plant you build the less you make per kw/h and by a very long way too! Basically traditional energy and fuel are the treasury's bread & butter; cheaper or renewable resources are either buried or embraced and then taxed to death.

Solar and Shale Gas are very different examples. Solar is heavily subsidised (and fucking stupid in this country). Shale Gas won't be subsidised but it might well get taxed, ostensibly for environmental reasons but really just for the tax. So yes, it won't be a magic cure for price rises, but having multiple gas sources which should be cheaper than current Russian suppliers will certainly have some dampening effect on gas price rises.

The reason nuclear never became as cheap as the 50s dream is largely that that WAS a dream, based on the optimistic futurism of the time. That and the fact that unless you are a former eastern-bloc country then there are expensive safety measures to be paid for.