Energy Costs

I don't know if this is the category for this but I think it should be raised on the forum somewhere.

The rise in energy costs is quite frightening - with more to come. My energy use has increased in the last two years by about 15% due to this illness causing me to be at home more than I was previously. As well as that the energy companies have withdrawn fixed price deals. After yesterdays increase announcement I've done a calculation on projected costs from October and it's 4 times the price I was paying 2 years ago when we were on a fixed price deal. My house isn't large - a 3 bed semi - but at nearly 100 years old it's not energy efficient even with double glazing, roof and floor insulation. As both myself and my wife are in receipt of works and state pensions we don't qualify for many of the targetted assistance payments. For the first time in our lives we'll fall into the group described as in fuel poverty - as will very many people in the UK.

Many people can't take action to demand higher incomes as they have no means to do so - pensioners, people on benefits, people in the gig economy to name but a few.

I don't know if this is a topic that Versus Arthritis can get involved in - lobbying and campaigning to make government more aware of the situation we are in - but I'd appreciate it if they could.

Comments

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697

    @jamieA , I don't know where to start with this as I'm so angry that, in one of the richest countries in the world, people are frantic, and some may well die this winter, because of their inability to pay energy costs that are no fault of their own, while the so-called government is much too busy with more important things ie sorting out their next leader. Will it be Tweedledum or Tweedledee? Meanwhile the current 'leader', as usual, promises 'jam tomorrow'. (I told you I was angry!)

    Twenty charities and also many business groups called for action in early July. https://therooftop.news/2022/07/18/charities-and-businesses-call-for-fuel-poverty-action/   We're now almost in September. Days are getting cooler and nights longer. And nothing has happened.

    As Andrew Rawnsley, in today's Observer writes 'Social Services should step in and take Britain away from the Tories on the grounds of neglect.'

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,336

    It's just awful isn't it?

    I think it's less about wages more about fuel because as you say people on pensions are unable to increase their income.

    The Govt should do something about fuel prices. Mainly the vast profits some fuel companies are making.

    I am also fuming like Stickywicket😡

  • Dazzlerh
    Dazzlerh Member Posts: 2

    I’m not usually political as I generally regard the whole lot of them (political parties) as being as bad as each other hence why I don’t usually vote especially as I live in an area that is, and always will be, Tory - no matter how badly they cock things up!

    This current problem stems from the joint decision between Ronald Reagan and Margret Thatcher that a free market economy and denationalisation was the way to go, neoliberalism I think they call it. This may have worked for the fat cats and it may have generally worked in creating wealth for the government but who can honestly say that it has worked completely? Who can say that getting rid of the majority of social housing in the UK has not created a huge void of affordable housing for young people - the greedy landlords are hell bent on charging the earth for shoddy homes, house prices are ridiculous compared to wages. Who can say that letting the private companies being responsible for the vital human need for heating their homes has worked when soon we will be faced with £5000 per annum fuel bills! Even the last bastion of hope, our beloved NHS, is on its knees. I took my wife to A&E this week and it said at the entrance that the current wait time was 7 hours! Don’t even try and get an ambulance because they just aren’t capable of providing the service we all experienced in our youth.

    What’s the answer? I’ll suggest one but firstly I want to give a warning that there’s only so much the poorest in our society will endure before they take action. I remember the Pole Tax riots and I think we are heading towards some form of civil unrest now. Surely we need to take heed from the scorching summer we have just had and the current scandal we are experiencing with energy costs and we need to combine these to kill 2 birds with one stone…..we need to get rid of climate changing fossil fuels and their greedy masters profiting on us all and we desperately need to nationalise renewable energy that combines solar, wind and tidal generating capabilities on a huge scale to make our windy wave battered island immune to things like Russian dictatorships and greedy CEO’s of international oil and gas companies…..oh, and if you are rightly wondering why I included the NHS in a rant over neoliberalism/capitalism or what ever academic name you want to call it then maybe we should cast our minds back to 2016 when our current PM stood in front of a big red bus saying Brexit will give the NHS an extra £350 million pounds a week…..tumbleweed blows across the baron wasteland of broken promises.

  • PeterJ
    PeterJ Administrator Posts: 877

    Hello @Dazzlerh and welcome to the community. I hope you enjoy your time here.

    Thank you for your post, yes it is a difficult time for a lot of people and getting worse.

    Normally in our welcomes we include some useful information on arthritis and how it affects the person, or on treatments etc. If you would like to tell us a bit about your arthritis we can try and help, or you can have a look at our website. I've put a general link in below

    Please do post and let us know how you are getting on and I am sure that others will connect with you share their thoughts and experiences as well.

    With very best wishes

    Peter (moderator)

    Need more help? - call our Helpline on 0800 5200 520 Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm

  • Dazzlerh
    Dazzlerh Member Posts: 2


    Hi everyone, I'm in the same boat as a lot of other people in that I'm at home a lot more now due to having to decrease my working hours due to pain from osteoarthritis in my knee and hip and I'm currently waiting for scan results on suspected AS in my lower back. I am currently on a good tariff for gas and electricity but this changes in January 2023 when I revert to the eye watering tariffs.

    I just wanted to offer my limited input as to what's going on to have caused the mess we are in now. I promise you that I'm not necessarily anti Tory but it's very hard to see past them on this issue.

    I’m not usually political as I generally regard the whole lot of them (political parties) as being as bad as each other hence why I don’t usually vote especially as I live in an area that is, and always will be, Tory - no matter how badly they cock things up!

    This current problem stems from the joint decision between Ronald Reagan and Margret Thatcher that a free market economy and denationalisation was the way to go, neoliberalism I think they call it. This may have worked for the fat cats and it may have generally worked in creating wealth for the government but who can honestly say that it has worked completely? Who can say that getting rid of the majority of social housing in the UK has not created a huge void of affordable housing for young people - the greedy landlords are hell bent on charging the earth for shoddy homes, house prices are ridiculous compared to wages. Who can say that letting the private companies being responsible for the vital human need for heating their homes has worked when soon we will be faced with £5000 per annum fuel bills! Even the last bastion of hope, our beloved NHS, is on its knees. I took my wife to A&E this week and it said at the entrance that the current wait time was 7 hours! Don’t even try and get an ambulance because they just aren’t capable of providing the service we all experienced in our youth.

    What’s the answer? I’ll suggest one but firstly I want to give a warning that there’s only so much the poorest in our society will endure before they take action. I remember the Pole Tax riots and I think we are heading towards some form of civil unrest now. Surely we need to take heed from the scorching summer we have just had and the current scandal we are experiencing with energy costs and we need to combine these to kill 2 birds with one stone…..we need to get rid of climate changing fossil fuels and their greedy masters profiting on us all and we desperately need to nationalise renewable energy that combines solar, wind and tidal generating capabilities on a huge scale to make our windy wave battered island immune to things like Russian dictatorships and greedy CEO’s of international oil and gas companies…..oh, and if you are rightly wondering why I included the NHS in a rant over neoliberalism/capitalism or what ever academic name you want to call it then maybe we should cast our minds back to 2016 when our current PM stood in front of a big red bus saying Brexit will give the NHS an extra £350 million pounds a week…..tumbleweed blows across the baron wasteland of broken promises.

  • Jona
    Jona Member Posts: 406

    Hi everyone I’ve not posted here for some time due to me being quite ill but am on the mend, I’m not sure how they can put this right I think if they nationalise the relevant industries obviously selling them all off to private companies has made a lot of people very rich and more people very poor and it’s obvious we were lied to time and time again as we are with them saying it’s the war in Ukraine that’s caused it I’m pretty sure it’s not but what worries me is with people with disabilities are going to struggle along with pensioners as we have to keep warm I’ve just been told I will be on blood thinners for the rest of my life so I certainly will feel the cold which will exasperate my arthritis as it will with all people here with arthritis I wish I knew the answer but it seems profit before people is what governments stand for these days what they forget is without people there would be no profit who do we blame the government for getting us into this mess or the people for allowing it we give them way too much power

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697

    @Dazzlerh - you've got my vote😉

    @Jona - I'm sorry you've been ill. Maybe just a little reassurance - I've been on blood thinners since a TIA a couple of years ago and Mr SW still complains I must be an eskimo😁

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • Jona
    Jona Member Posts: 406

    Thanks @Dazzlerh you know Boris talks about taking back control all I can say is what a total mess they’ve all made the pot is empty like their promises.

    Thank you @stickywicket i didn’t have a TIA and I’m so sorry you had to go through that, I had a pulmonary embolism so scared I thought at the time I wasn’t going to make it but I did very very painful can I ask you is it possible to fly as I really do need a good holiday was booking to go to Pompeii before this was wondering if you have at all? I’m buying loads of wool blankets now might just live in a fleece sleeping bag I’m sure Mr SW doesn’t mind one bit 😉

    love Jona 💐

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697

    So sorry about the P.E. I had a collapsed lung a few years back so I know how scary it is when we can scarcely breathe. I really don't know about flying. The decent websites say it's probably OK after four weeks but I think we're all individuals eg a 'very fit' friend had a P.E. recently and is now awaiting an op on the knot of veins in his groin that caused it.

    I haven't flown while on clopidogrel and, frankly, am unlikely to fly again. We only ever went to California to see family (long haul so more dangerous than Europe) and last time we went, pre-TIA and pre-covid, the insurance cost more than the flights.

    I think, in your situation I'd want to check with my medics. Good luck. I hope it happens.

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright