Non - Energy companies ceasing trading...

I left Igloo a couple of weeks ago who only have a variable rate tariff, and in terms of prices it was time to move on. I moved to AVRO so that has gone well!
 
Here is the interesting graph on our energy usage over the last 10 years and how much it has come down due to greener bulbs, TVs and household goods. Without getting into the EV conversation again....its the reason the national grid says we can handle the switch to 100% EV new sales from 2030. The battery storage alone will make handling the grid so much easier for them which means less gas use.
 

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Octopus have been absolutely fantastic and top provider in Which for 2 or 3 years but I've no idea if they'll survive. Breath of fresh air, top customer service and integrity compared to big boys. Have a look if they make it through...

I think they will. Very clever management and product design. Love that they pay you to charge your car in the early hours of the morning :)
 
The utility sector has been a perfect example of the capitalist market in action.

Break up a national cartel and deregulate, which is great when it works. In the good times, the savvy consumer gets cheaper prices and lots of new businesses start up which spawns an entire ecosystem of supporting companies.

However, as soon as times turn bad there's a sharp market correction, meaning that the weak die off and only the well-run and very large companies survive.

The downside to this is that with a deregulated industry consumer protection is reduced and the non-savvy consumer is at the mercy of sharp practices from utility companies large and small.

Unfortunately, you also get the position where the businesses have no interest in the future of the industry, hence why it is so difficult to find a plumber or gas engineer as many of the businesses stopped apprenticeships and training post-deregulation.

You also find that their investment in the industry tends to move towards lobbying the government of the day to reduce regulations further and push measures that will ultimately deliver shareholder value. Customers are a long way down the list.

What is really interesting is that the current government don't have the courage of their convictions and are stepping into various sectors with support and easing packages. Totally not Tory at all.

It just goes to show that the Conservative party has made an art out of capitalising profits and socialising losses.
 
Gas is the countries main source of "flexible" energy. We have a fixed base line of nuclear and somewhat unpredictable renewables like wind and solar. Gas is used to maintain a consistent electricity supply. They can turn the gas power stations on and off with supply. England in particular uses a fair amount for electricity usage...Scotland a lot less.

https://grid.iamkate.com/

At this very moment, 29% of our electricity is being produced by gas. About 11am this morning that will have gone down to probably nothing.
Thank you. I’ll look forward to those rises then!
 
Thank you. I’ll look forward to those rises then!
If you are interested these websites shows the fluctuations in source of energy for electricity production.
Wind and Solar combined can go as high as 50% if conditions are right (not at night obviously for solar !) and they can drop off to low single figures if the wind isn't blowing like a fair bit of the time recently.
Nuclear usually maintains a steady 15% or so as it can't be ramped up or down very quickly.
Gas makes up virtually all the difference, from a minimum level of about 20% particularly at night when demand is low to about 50% as now. Usually during the daytime on a workday it averages about 40%.
Coal and Hydro can add a bit of a boost if needed and woodchip (imported from USA) is what is termed as biomass.
https://gridwatch.co.uk/
https://www.energydashboard.co.uk/live
 
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I’m in a bit of a situation, tariff ends 30/10, uswitch and compare the market not offering comparison. Eon absolutely terrible, smart meter hasn’t worked since February. Crap to deal with, can’t do another year, guess I’ll have to sit tight and hope the comparison websites fire up again
 
I dont think it's a good idea to go on any long term contracts at the moment. It's hard to predict what way gas prices will go. Best to be on a deal where you can switch next year when hopefully things settle down.
If the comparison sites aren't working then just have to do the calculations ourselves. The bill is made of 2 elements, a daily charge in pence, and a cost per KW.
 
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I was with Utility Point for who went the same way a week ago. Been told going to EDF. Any views on them?

Ivwas with EDF a few years back and they were very good , then we switched to British Gas , also very good ….
Then Green Network Energy , an Italian firm - also pretty good ….
Currently with Pure Planet on a fixed tariff , monthly DD prices going up considerably from October but still competitive against other companies…
 
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Unfortunately, you also get the position where the businesses have no interest in the future of the industry, hence why it is so difficult to find a plumber or gas engineer as many of the businesses stopped apprenticeships and training post-deregulation.
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I was in uni post Blair's "education education education" tuition fee hike and there was a large number of potential graduates going into learning those trades because it was a trading a £40k debt for a £40k salary and potentially six figures working for yourself.

Sounds like the market balancing itself.
 

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