Energy Prices

[Grecian2K]

Reports that tankers bringing LPG are being kept at sea in order to push up prices again.

Other European countries have filled their gas storage facilities more rapidly than expected, meaning UK competition for supplies has reduced. In fact, Europe’s storage is so full, some tankers carrying liquified natural gas (LNG) have even been idling in European waters, waiting for prices to bounce back.

Feckin dire!

 

[Grecian2K]

Now that the cold weather is finally beginning to bit have just done a quick comparison with the same usage at this time last year.

For gas we used 16 units in the last week. A year ago the cost was £7:97. This year it's £22:83
Electric use was 41 units. A year ago the cost was £8:88. This year it's £16:90.
That's 186% inflation for gas and 90% inflation for the electricity. And they try to tell us the CPI is still a "mere" 10 or so percent?
And this is at rates fixed last March - lord only knows how much it would have been on current variable rates post the last cap.

I don't deny that "world events" have made a major contribution to this situation but unable to escape the conclusion that the "industry" has also taken advantage of these situations to profit from blatant price-gouging, aided and abetted by the inaction of a supine regulator.

 

[tavyred]

Like G2K I’ve just done a quick comparison with this year to last.
Thanks to a mild autumn and cutting back, our gas usage was third of what it was last year in September and October and in November only half.
By overpaying and cutting back we’ve managed to build up £500 in credit which we’ll no doubt use to have the heating on more (like now) in the proper cold weather.

 

[angelic upstart]

Now that the cold weather is finally beginning to bit have just done a quick comparison with the same usage at this time last year.

For gas we used 16 units in the last week. A year ago the cost was £7:97. This year it's £22:83
Electric use was 41 units. A year ago the cost was £8:88. This year it's £16:90.
That's 186% inflation for gas and 90% inflation for the electricity. And they try to tell us the CPI is still a "mere" 10 or so percent?
And this is at rates fixed last March - lord only knows how much it would have been on current variable rates post the last cap.

I don't deny that "world events" have made a major contribution to this situation but unable to escape the conclusion that the "industry" has also taken advantage of these situations to profit from blatant price-gouging, aided and abetted by the inaction of a supine regulator.

The costs are very high for gas. Those with a smart meter will probably see they're spending about a fiver for having the heating on for 3/4 hours.

 

[iscalad]

The costs are very high for gas. Those with a smart meter will probably see they're spending about a fiver for having the heating on for 3/4 hours.

Best not to have a smart meter then......

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

The market spot price of a MW/hr of Electricity reached a high of £640 yesterday. It was around £40 a couple of years ago.

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

Germany is burning 10,000,000 tonnes of coal a month, the crap stuff too, Lignite(low grade brown coal) to keep the lights on.
The Greens are in coalition with the SDP in the Bundestag ! Still as long as low carbon Nuclear is off the agenda in Deutschland.

 

[iscalad]

Germany is burning 10,000,000 tonnes of coal a month, the crap stuff too, Lignite(low grade brown coal) to keep the lights on.
The Greens are in coalition with the SDP in the Bundestag ! Still as long as low carbon Nuclear is off the agenda in Deutschland.

We could sell them some proper coal. Anthracite.

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

We could sell them some proper coal. Anthracite.

Yep.. The country is built on high grade coal, somehow I don’t think it’s going to happen given the row around opening just a small open cast mine in Cumbria

 

[Grecian2K]

Could be wrong but sn't it an undersea mine Olds?

Regarding nuclear, very interesting "long read" in yesterday's Guardian (yes, I know) about the difficulties of decommissioning of Sellafield/Windscale.

Dismantling Sellafield: the epic task of shutting down a nuclear site

The long read: Nothing is produced at Sellafield anymore. But making safe what is left behind is an almost unimaginably expensive and complex task that requires us to think not on a human timescale, but a planetary one

www.theguardian.com

One thing does puzzle me thought if if that nuclear "waste" is still pumping out all of that dangerous energy for millions of years why can't some of it still be harvested for today's needs?