Gas/Electricity Price Increases

[LeMarchand]

Our daily gas and electric consumption is now hitting well over £4.00 daily now which was unheard of before.

 

Are you trying to make the rest of us jealous?

[houlta]

I don't get the fretting over gas really.

at 35.7p per Kwh plus 55p a day just for having the leccy meter it's bonkers...I've literally just had a gas cooker put in as it's paid for itself in just a few months.

[GC75]

Our daily gas and electric consumption is now hitting well over £4.00 daily now which was unheard of before.

Same here and that is without putting the heating on yet as well!

[elsiegee40]

I have been out a bought a roll of reflective stuff to go behind the radiators that are on external walls. It will be interesting to see if we notice the difference.

 

Both my children, now living in their own rented flats, have been out and bought thick curtain linings to hang behind the curtains supplied with their flats. Son has also bought secondary glazing film as the windows in his flat are old and draughty.

Edited October 14, 2022 by elsiegee40

[elsiegee40]

Electricity prices vary by nearly 4p per unit

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63205245

[6Foot2]

NOTE: Not a political post: No political replies are expected, nor are they invited.

 

Link: Use of electricity meter and gas meter personal data collected through the Energy Price Guarantee scheme: privacy notice - GOV.UK

 

...The data we collect

 

Personal data is information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual and only includes information relating to natural persons who:

 

• can be identified or who are identifiable, directly from the information in question
  
• who can be indirectly identified from that information in combination with other information.

We will collect and process the following personal data, related to each electricity and gas meter in Great Britain:

 

• Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) – electricity meter number
  
• Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN)
  
• postcode
  
• electricity consumption
  
• data about each meter (for example profile class, energisation status)
  
• data about how the meter point is billed (for example billing cycle, payment type)
  
• energy tariff data
  
• personal data including; name, date of birth, address, communication data, email address

Purpose

 

We are processing the data to:

 

• enable BEIS to monitor the progress and operational delivery of the EPG (this includes monitoring the reach of the scheme across regions and vulnerable groups)
  
• conduct financial checks on EPG payments including for assurance and the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences including fraud
  
• allow BEIS to evaluate the scheme to understand its impact and to inform future government policy
  
• Legal basis of processing

The legal basis for processing the personal data is public task.

 

Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, under Article 6(1)(e)) of GDPR and in the exercise of official authority vested in the Secretary of State for BEIS. The specific public task is to allow for monitoring, assurance, fraud prevention and evaluation purposes of the EPG.

 

Sources of your personal data

 

We are collecting this personal data from electricity suppliers as well as Scheme Administrators, Elexon and Xoserve. We will use existing government datasets and the datasets provided by the Balancing and Settlement Code Company (Elexon) and the Uniform Network Code (Xoserve) to support the data, as is necessary to meet the purpose.

 

What we do with your data

 

Your personal data will be shared by BEIS as necessary for the purposes of preventing and detecting fraud and error with third parties including:

 

• other government departments (including executive agencies)
  
• public authorities (including local authorities)
  
• law enforcement agencies both in the UK and overseas
  
• regulatory bodies
  
• debt collection agencies
  
• credit reference agencies
  
• anti-fraud organisations

These personal data may be shared with our data processors, Cabinet Office for the purpose of detection and prevention of fraud and error.

 

We will not:

 

• sell or rent these data to third parties
  
• share these data with third parties for marketing purposes

How long we keep your data

 

We will only keep these data for as long as required to support the evaluation and scrutiny of the EPG, as is in the public interest. These data will be securely deleted no later than 10 years after collection in line with our department policy. We recognise that this maximum retention period is longer than energy suppliers will hold this data, which reflects the additional purposes for which BEIS is collecting and processing this data.

 

Automated decision making

 

These personal data will not be subject to automated decision making.

 

How we protect your data and keep it secure

 

We are committed to doing all that we can to keep these data secure. We will protect this personal information against unauthorised access, unlawful use, accidental loss, corruption or destruction.

 

We use technical measures such as firewalls and password protection to protect these data and the systems they are held in.

 

We limit access to this information to employees, agents, contractors and other third parties with a business need to know. They will only process this personal information in accordance with our instructions and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

 

We have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data breach and will notify you and the Information Commissioner’s Office as required.

 

International transfers

 

As this personal data is stored on our IT infrastructure and shared with our data processors, it may be transferred and stored securely in the UK and EEA. Where this personal data is stored outside the UK and EEA, it will be subject to equivalent legal protection through the use of model contract clauses.

 

Your rights

 

You have the right to request:

 

• information about how your personal data is processed, and to request a copy of that personal data
  
• that anything inaccurate in this personal data is corrected
  
• that any incomplete personal data is completed
  
• that this personal data is erased if there is no longer a justification for it to be processed

You can also:

 

• request that the processing of these personal data is restricted in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested)
  
• object to the processing of this personal data

We must comply with a request without undue delay and at the latest within one month of receipt of your request. We can extend the time to respond by a further 2 months if the request is complex or we have received several requests from the individual. We will let you know within one month of receiving your request and explain why the extension is necessary.

 

To exercise any of your rights contact the BEIS Data Protection Officer...

[Ditto]

Well, it is a thorough notification. I guess a key question is whether they need all that data to achieve the public benefit. Given it's public authority. I have seen statements that relate to NHS systems that explains you have no right to erasure!

[sigma]

When they are working, there are a lot more data points on a smart meter.

[6Foot2]

Today we received our first bill for electricity and gas since buying this house.

 

At the top of the bill, it states that we have not used any electricity or gas since moving in, which is obviously incorrect, but we have STILL been charged £524! Later in the bill, it states how many units we HAVE used.

 

It also says that they are changing our monthly payments to £2.00 short of £300: They forecast that we will spend £1,937.00 from now until the 5th of May next year.

 

This probably isn't the worst of it yet.

 

What a nightmare!

[elsiegee40]

Today we received our first bill for electricity and gas since buying this house.

 

At the top of the bill, it states that we have not used any electricity or gas since moving in, which is obviously incorrect, but we have STILL been charged £524! Later in the bill, it states how many units we HAVE used.

 

It also says that they are changing our monthly payments to £2.00 short of £300: They forecast that we will spend £1,937.00 from now until the 5th of May next year.

 

This probably isn't the worst of it yet.

 

What a nightmare!

 

Dare I ask which supplier?

[6Foot2]

Dare I ask which supplier?

 

Of course. EDF (electricity and gas)

[LeMarchand]

It also says that they are changing our monthly payments to £2.00 short of £300: They forecast that we will spend £1,937.00 from now until the 5th of May next year.

 

That sounds very high!

 

We have a small 3 bedroom end-terrace with 2 people wfh plus myself. Ours is a tad under £200. Admittedly we haven't had to turn the heating on properly yet!

[elsiegee40]

Of course. EDF (electricity and gas)

 

They are a total shambles and I am entirely unsurprised. Their service desk is a nightmare. Good luck

[Tom_M]

Today we received our first bill for electricity and gas since buying this house.

 

At the top of the bill, it states that we have not used any electricity or gas since moving in, which is obviously incorrect, but we have STILL been charged £524! Later in the bill, it states how many units we HAVE used.

 

It also says that they are changing our monthly payments to £2.00 short of £300: They forecast that we will spend £1,937.00 from now until the 5th of May next year.

 

This probably isn't the worst of it yet.

 

What a nightmare!

 

My 'smart' meter with Shell Energy reports a 'live' charge/bill of (circa) £120. However, logging onto their online portal - it reports they wish to adjust my Direct Debit payment to (again, circa) £450 PCM! Ridiculous.

[6Foot2]

Link: Octopus Energy to take over collapsed supplier Bulb - BBC News

 

Energy supplier Octopus Energy is to buy its smaller competitor Bulb.

 

Bulb collapsed last year amid rising gas and electricity prices and has since been run by the government.

 

Its 1.5 million customers will not see any change or disruption to energy supplies, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said.

 

The value of the deal has not been published but the BBC understands Octopus paid the government between £100m and £200m.

 

It is expected to be completed by the end of November.

 

Business Secretary Grant Shapps said the deal, approved by the UK government, would bring "vital reassurance and energy security to consumers across the country at a time when they need it most".

 

The government announcement on Saturday made no mention of the money involved in the deal, which was reached overnight between special administrators of Bulb and Octopus Energy.

 

The statement said that "due to high market volatility it is impossible" to forecast the true cost of Bulb.

 

For Bulb customers, credit balances on bills will be protected and direct debits automatically transferred.

 

Greg Jackson, Octopus Energy Group boss, said the company was determined to provide a "stable home for the future" for Bulb's customers and staff. Bulb has 650 employees.

 

Mr Jackson told the BBC he was confident the takeover would be smooth, saying the company had "a great track record" when it came to moving customers across companies.

 

The firm has agreed to share profits - if any are made from its new Bulb customers - with the government, for up to four years.

 

Octopus said the move would bring "an end to taxpayer losses", adding it was "paying the government" to take on Bulb's customers.

 

It was previously reported in July that Octopus had requested £1bn in public funding for the deal. However a source close to the company has since categorically denied this.

 

London-based Bulb was the biggest of more than 30 energy companies that collapsed last November following a spike in wholesale gas prices, which was partly caused by Covid restrictions ending and has since been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

 

It was placed into "special administration", meaning it was run by the government through the regulator Ofgem. The special administration measure is only used if Ofgem is unable to find another company to take over an energy firm's customers.

 

The state bailout of Bulb had been forecast to cost the taxpayer around £2bn by next year. It was the biggest state bailout since the Royal Bank of Scotland collapse during the 2008 financial crisis.

 

Natural gas prices have doubled since last October, and despite dropping significantly from a peak in August, many families are struggling to get by as they also grapple with rising inflation, which reached 10.1% in September.

 

As part of the mini-budget announced by former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in September, the government announced an "energy price guarantee" - capping typical household bills at £2,500 - for two years, but Jeremy Hunt - who replaced Mr Kwarteng as chancellor earlier this month - then said the support will last until April.

 

Mr Hunt is expected to make a full statement on his spending plans on 17 November.

 

Every household in the UK is also getting an energy bill discount of £400 this October.

 

Mr Shapps, who became business secretary this week, said the deal highlighted the government's "overriding priority" to protect customers. He added he would do everything he could to "ensure our energy system provides secure and affordable energy for all".

 

Octopus will continue to use Bulb's technology and branding "for a transitionary period", the government's statement said.

 

The company, which was founded in the UK in 2015, said that before the Bulb acquisition it served 3.4 million customers.

[Ditto]

These lightly surprised me

 

 

 

Prices plummeting soon anyone?

Edited October 31, 2022 by Ditto

[BOOT]

Still 5x higher...

[Theblacksheep]

These lightly surprised me

 

Prices plummeting soon anyone?

 

No, because it's been warm and gas for heating hasn't been required.

 

It'll spike when it gets cold because EU is still supply constrained, although LNG ships from US is helping, if we get get though this winter and increase alternatives over the next 12 months, it shouldn't be as scary next winter.

[Dos_Box]

These lightly surprised me

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Prices plummeting soon anyone?

 

I doubt it. All the gas we are currently using, and will be using for a bit yet, have already been secured at the higher price. The price has dropped because all the gas storage facilities are now pretty much full and there is a small armada of gas takers parked off various European coasts ready to unload.

Not sure how cold this winter will be, bit I did see an article this morning about it potentially being a unusually mild winter. Given the current temps I can well believe them.

[mavhc]

Prices returning to the normal rise in prices.

 

EU has filled up their gas storage, now UK has to, with the 20% of Rough reopening (20 billion cubic feet, 5.8 billion kWh, 5.8 million MWh, 5800 GWh, 5.8TWh). First half of Nov might be milder, which should allow time for that to happen. Second half may be cooler though.

 

However UK winter gas demand is over 500 TWh, and we can store about 15 TWh (Germany has 210 TWh of storage)

 

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/long-range-forecast

https://www.nationalgrid.com/gas-transmission/document/139891/download

 

Advice: buy blankets, move your granny into your house, live in one room.

[Ditto]

Did anyone seriously think I thought prices would drop

[Dos_Box]

Checking on my Tado and Bulb (for now) apps, I can see I'm using half the gas I did this time last year. Jumpers and putting the heating on only twice a day, coupled with the still-warm-for-the-time-of-year is helping greatly.

[mikeprice]

Just seen this

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63483668

 

Seems like a good idea - but my first thought was that 'some people' could fiddle it my switching everything off and going to the pub for dinner and to watch 'the match' (other TV programmes are available)

 

not sure how they will work out whether or not you have switched energy usage - what if you wait until the test hour is over then stick the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer on just after.

 

sounds eminently fiddleable

 

or is that just be being cynical about how people will behave??

 

again

[mavhc]

The whole point is to move your usage to another time.

 

Also the delta of 1 extra person at a pub is less than that same person at home

[mikeprice]

The whole point is to move your usage to another time.

 

Also the delta of 1 extra person at a pub is less than that same person at home

 

So - a pint and steak and chip it is then