Insufficient energy stocks in the United Kingdom are now putting double pressure on British households: firstly, there is the fear of blackouts this winter… But there is also the question of prices. Regulator Ofgem announced an 80% increase in the price cap in October. The forecasts evoke an annual bill of 4000 euros from October for a household of two to three people.
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It’s mainly to reduce the bills, but for a few weeks James has been chasing the slightest energy saving: “We have very high bills, around 170 pounds a month, and it’s still summer. We try to understand what is costing us so much: we turn on the oven, then we look at the meter. But just our fixed shares come back to 120 pounds per month.”
Only, prices have been increasing for more than a year… Una, single mother of two children, does not see very well what she can still cut back on, especially with this 80% increase announced on October 1: “I’m super green: all my light bulbs are low consumption, I turn off everything at night. But there comes a time when you can’t do anything anymore. When people say they have to choose between getting eaten or heating the house, I totally get it. This is no longer a story of individual responsibility, there is nothing more to do.”
80% increase in energy bills announced. Where is the Government? Do we still have a Government? On BBC news talking about Labour’s proposal to freeze energy prices now to get real help to people over the coming winter.@BBC News pic.twitter.com/6wP6rWvgYX
— Pat McFadden (@patmcfaddenmp) August 26, 2022
The United Kingdom could also experience power outages this winter, suppliers could also give discounts to their customers who run their washing machines at night, for example. Why not, believes Katerina… “I wouldn’t mind using the machines during off-peak hours, if it’s cheaper, but I think that shouldn’t be the case: some people can’t do that, out of politeness.“
One of the solutions, proposed by the probable future Prime Minister Liz Truss: reduce the ecological contribution of consumers, 10% of bills, which finances renewable energies… Counterproductive for Tessa Khan, of the environmental think tank Uplift, questioned by the BBC: “The fundamental reason for the problem is that we in the UK are highly dependent on gas and oil. We need to make more use of the abundance of renewable resources we have here, which is currently 9 times cheaper than gas! We could produce a lot more.“
Truss’ energy bill help plan will save just £11 despite costs soaring to £3,549https://t.co/EkgeaX4c7o
— The Sun (@TheSun) August 27, 2022
Renewable represents less than 15% of the British energy mix. Another medium-term solution put forward by NGOs: a generous housing insulation program, one of the largest energy sieves in Europe.