[retrotecchie]

@MAW

But it is what it is. Nothing you or I can do about it. Blame John Major...it was his decision to privatise the energy sector.

[MAW]

So our choice is gangster globalist capitalism, or lunatic corporate Marxism.

Not much to choose between them anymore. They are all signed up to the global corporate agenda.

[retrotecchie]

@MAW

Left Wing or Right Wing, they're both usually attached to the same turkey.

[Mailman]

Originally Posted by MAW

@Mailman your rates went DOWN??? How is this??

Don't know - I know the general reasons but not enough to know why the Northern region went down by enough (£8.88 on my annual consumption) for me to afford a couple of bottles of cheap plonk by the end of 2023. 🥂

[retrotecchie]

@Mailman

I'd nip down to Lidl and get 'em in before the prices go up in April! 🥂😁

[meldrewreborn]

@MAW

The rate of 33.53p per day as a standing charge indicates that you are paying on standard credit terms after receipt of bill - so not by direct debit. Switching to direct debit, paying either a fixed monthly amount or paying the actual bill after its receipt, would save you circa £250 per annum. Its entirely up to you of course.

Its because you are on standard credit terms that I said all gas rates went up - although I really meant all standard credit customers gas rates went up. But @retrotechie has corrected my slip.

Your rate looks to be eastern or south east region @11.22p (all rates VAT inc) per unit. Regions range from 11.09 to 11.42 so you are lower mid table for prices and thus less than average. the regional system is therefore working in your favour. Similar pricing differentials apply to many good and services - eg groceries and petrol/diesel. I'm sure @retrotecchie can give you multiple examples of higher prices he faces living on the cliff in West Wales.

[retrotecchie]

Originally Posted by meldrewreborn

I'm sure @retrotecchie can give you multiple examples of higher prices he faces living on the cliff in West Wales.

There was a report on the BBC news from the AA this morning saying that the average price of a litre of petrol had fallen below the £1.50 a litre mark for the First time since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Petrol here has been below £1.40 for about 6 weeks. I'm currently paying £1.39 a litre and have been since the beginning of December. That's my local garage 3 miles away. Other garages in my area are a couple of pence cheaper, but Morrisons in town are still around the £1.54 mark.

I hate to think what the price of a pint is running at in Surrey right now but the usual price round here for a real ale is between £3.20 and £3.50.

Heating oil here is about 81p a litre or 8p per kWh and no standing charges so I expect my heating costs are significantly cheaper than those folks using mains gas.

Most things in rural Wales are slightly cheaper than other regions, but my problem is the time and fuel having to travel to actually get to them. My nearest decent sized supermarket is 35 minutes and 29 miles each way. The other issue is availability of goods and services due to our geographic location. We are sparsely populated, with only 60,000 or so people in the entire county, rather separated from the main 'trade routes' by the Cambrian Mountains. Finding a decent plumber who can come round at short notice is difficult. Finding an NHS dentist is practically impossible. Mail order is fine but usually takes a day or two longer to arrive due to logistics issues.

Private rents are quite high since all the city slickers started working from home and relocating to the boonies, and rental properties are in extremely short supply so prices are at a premium. My rent on a 2 bed farmhouse with two acres of land is around 20% higher than my last property which was a 3 bed, two bathroom cottage with only half an acre that I was renting just over a year ago, but fortunately annual rent increases are not really a 'thing' round here.

So here on my cliff, facing into the teeth of the Atlantic gales, I'm in a better position than I would probably be if I still lived in the 'burbs'. Everything just takes more time and coordination rather than more money.