Fuel Bill Rises

[nod]

Does fazing out Fosil fuels still sound like a good idea ?

[SimonD]

I think so, it's even more important than before as we're now just finding out how exposed we really are in terms of energy security. And what does the government do? Suggests loans to utility companies and short term grants instead of looking to the long term and dealing with the structural problems they themselves created. Next week they'll probably announce the building of a few new coal fired powerstations, all to be ready by October...

 

 

[nod]

Personally I’ve never believed that gas boilers would be fazed out 

Certainly not in my lifetime 

 

We will go from a gas boiler to ASHP on our next build I’m expecting that it will be 20% more expensive to run plus a much higher initial outlay 

All on a very well insulated home 

What chance have these leaky homes that are having ASHP fitted retrospectively 

 

It all sounds like the solar energy program from a few years back 

Ten years down the line Is there going to be solicitors offering no win no fee to people who have been mis sold ASHPs

[SimonD]

I too suspect gas boilers are going to be around for a lot longer. As you say, the push for ASHPs doesn't fit for much of UK housing, at least as it stands. First I think we need a massive push, including funding, to retrofit the houses we can, and then radically reassess those we can't.

 

We do need to reduce or get rid of our reliance on fossil fuels and I think that one part of the solution is going to be biogas which seems to be much more feasible and cheaper than other solutions, yet it's being kept under the radar. Ecotricity is pushing biogas and Norway's parliament voted to include biogas as equal to the other options of electricity and hydrogen in their future energy strategy.

 

 

[SteamyTea]

23 minutes ago, SimonD said:

one part of the solution is going to be biogas which seems to be much more feasible and cheaper than other solutions,

There are a number of reasons it will only be a niche player.  Like biomass energy in general, we don't create enough, so the CO_2e savings are of no real consequence.

 

During my weekly drive up to the Home Counties, I look at the solar farms that are scattered along the edge of the A30, M5 and M4.

We have about 2300 miles of motorway in the UK, most is though farmland (as expected as we have only urbanised around 10% of the land.

While not every part would be suitable to add 20m of PV to each side, it would certainly add a lot for very little cost.  About 15 GW_p.

 

 

 

[SimonD]

1 minute ago, SteamyTea said:

we don't create enough,

 

But we do have a significant amount of feedstock available, if we tried a re-think. And there's current technology and efficient technologt that produces high gas yields. Just like both hydrogen and renewable electicity, we don't make anough of those either. Whatever way we go, there's got to be some form of transformation.

 

Biogas production can provide an additional benefit in that its waste products/solids can be used as fertiliser.

[Onoff]

12 hours ago, nod said:

Does fazing out Fosil fuels still sound like a good idea ?

 

Zero emissions to some extent equals zero revenue. The powers that be won't / can't have that. Pay per mile will I reckon be the thing with the EVs.

 

There'll probably be a cost depending on how many PV panels you have on your roof like the old window tax too! ?

 

Next the air that we breathe!

[nod]

Just looking at a report today regarding the revenue being lost from electric cars being road tax except

A per mile charge being discussed 

So electric vehicle owners will pay the same tax as previously One way of another 

It’s all so predictable 

[Radian]

18 minutes ago, Onoff said:

There'll probably be a cost depending on how many PV panels you have on your roof like the old window tax too! ?

Good point. Regular overflights to check for unregistered installations - oh wait, google already has that covered.

[SteamyTea]

Tax is a strange one.

We have got used to income tax going down. We are about to have a rise in NI, and there is already a fuss about it.

To me, I am not too bothered where taxes are raised, income  VAT, Corporation, Council Tax, Death Duties. It all even out at the national level.

Generally goods and services have got better over the last 40 years, every year is a Golden Year.

It would be nice to have a society where everyone contributed, but we have created a very unequal society somehow. 

No idea what to do about it, but I think it will have to be changed.

 

[epsilonGreedy]

13 hours ago, nod said:

Does fazing out Fosil fuels still sound like a good idea ?

 

 

Yes but only once the tree huggers have installed sufficient alternative capacity to keep the lights on and price stable. Wind capacity needs to double before it is safe to demolish our last 4GW of coal power stations.

[Radian]

On 04/02/2022 at 11:09, SteamyTea said:

Tax is a strange one.

We have got used to income tax going down. We are about to have a rise in NI, and there is already a fuss about it.

To me, I am not too bothered where taxes are raised, income  VAT, Corporation, Council Tax, Death Duties. It all even out at the national level.

Generally goods and services have got better over the last 40 years, every year is a Golden Year.

It would be nice to have a society where everyone contributed, but we have created a very unequal society somehow. 

No idea what to do about it, but I think it will have to be changed.

 

 

I think I must be balancing something out somewhere with a £4k Council Tax bill  😖

 

We're very little burden on the council. Our road is unadopted so we pay for our own maintenance and lighting. Even the main road nearby has no pavements so we keep the brambles down when we scramble up the banks to avoid traffic. Never seen a Policeman anywhere near here. Often get missed bin collections so don't rely on them at all.

 

£11 per day for ???

[SteamyTea]

Just now, Radian said:

£11 per day for

Adult social care, and pretty good it is to us at the moment.

[ProDave]

6 minutes ago, Radian said:

I think I must be balancing something out somewhere with a £4k Council Tax bill  😖

WOW and I thought our £2K council tax was plenty (that is a shock after paying £1K for several years for the static caravan)

 

I coined the phrase "Council Tax Poverty" some time ago, where you are in "Council tax poverty" if you spend more than 10% of your income on council tax.  "Fuel poverty" is a well used term, but I am willing to bet most people spend more on their council tax than they do on fuel, we certainly always have done, and unlike fuel, you can't "use less" to reduce your bills.  You have to be seriously poor to get any reduction in your council tax bill.

 

And with our house now being band E, we won't even get the £150 off to ease our fuel bills as they must think having such a high banded house, we are rich.

[Radian]

1 hour ago, SteamyTea said:

Adult social care, and pretty good it is to us at the moment.

 

Sure. There's a large elderly population in Dorset so the demands for that aspect may be greater. The costs of social care aren't met entirely from council tax though.

 

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

WOW and I thought our £2K council tax was plenty (that is a shock after paying £1K for several years for the static caravan)

 

I coined the phrase "Council Tax Poverty" some time ago, where you are in "Council tax poverty" if you spend more than 10% of your income on council tax.  "Fuel poverty" is a well used term, but I am willing to bet most people spend more on their council tax than they do on fuel, we certainly always have done, and unlike fuel, you can't "use less" to reduce your bills.  You have to be seriously poor to get any reduction in your council tax bill.

 

And with our house now being band E, we won't even get the £150 off to ease our fuel bills as they must think having such a high banded house, we are rich.

 

Band G. For a 185m2 3 Bed house (OK, plus one boxroom) at time of banding. That's why we added a garden room to the house and workshop to garage to give us more space for hobbies. Thank goodness we don't have to pay extra Tax for the improvements.

 

As a retired couple, with modest savings (most of which went into our recent building project) we're definitely in both fuel and Council Tax poverty brackets now. Obviously people could say "well, just sell-up and downsize".

 

Anyone on BH who would say that might think twice however. Building a dream home and garden is not easy. It takes a lot of time and energy as well as money. Hopefully, we can get back the money. Unlike the other things that are far more valuable.

[Thedreamer]

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

WOW and I thought our £2K council tax was plenty (that is a shock after paying £1K for several years for the static caravan)

 

 

Surely that includes water as well.

 

There seems to be a belief that any property upwards of Band D is seen as a being a luxury property. 

 

Band D rises in Highland Council for 22/23 seem reasonable for me. Council tax/water rises (£40 and £9), although I'll be covered for the three years because of the £150 rebate.

 

My energy costs are about half my council tax bill, but that will be exceptional in the Highland Council region.

[Onoff]

Still haven't bought oil here. We just put it on for HW. Aiming to get the solar thermal panels (repaired) and up and running at least soon. 

 

Then try and address some of the insulation (or lack thereof) issues this Summer. 

[jayc89]

When we moved into our current house it was band G for no obvious good reason. It has a large footprint, but the size and property value didn't match that of other houses in the area also in band G. We contested it (as you can within the first 6 months of ownership) and managed to get it dropped to band F without dispute. In hindsight we should have maybe pushed for band E (although didn't fancy the hassle of any pushback at the time).

[Onoff]

Gave in and bought 1000L. Just over £1K.

 

 

[SteamyTea]

So a bit over 10p/kWh then.

[Gone West]

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

Gave in and bought 1000L. Just over £1K.

 

 

Yeah, we were getting low last week, so we gave in and ordered 500l which was £509.20. If I'm right that's about 10p/kWh, I think.

[Onoff]

3 minutes ago, Gone West said:

Yeah, we were getting low last week, so we gave in and ordered 500l which was £509.20. If I'm right that's about 10p/kWh, I think.

 

How much was it you gave away with the tank (at today's prices)? 

[SteamyTea]

36 minutes ago, Onoff said:

How much was it you gave away with the tank (at today's prices)? 

@Gone West was topping up his tank, not giving it away.

Or have I missed the point.

[Onoff]

1 minute ago, SteamyTea said:

@Gone West was topping up his tank, not giving it away.

Or have I missed the point.

 

It was in reference to his last place in Kent where he gave away loads of stuff on Freegle etc. A lot from when the old house came down, when he changed from oil etc.

 

Mind he helped me out with a few bits. For example some parts for the Geberit wall hung WC. Everytime I have a sh!t I think of him! 

[SteamyTea]

1 minute ago, Onoff said:

Everytime I have a sh!t I think of him!

Mind Bleach need now as I will be thinking of both of you.

And whoever reads this next is going to be worse off.