Energy sapping
by Simon Handby in At home on 30.07.08
The sun’s out again over much of Britain, and it certainly seems like this summer’s shaping up to be a thorough improvement over last year’s storms.
Anyone with an eye on the news is probably hoping that we’re in for a warm winter, too, as it seems that the big energy suppliers are rolling out another round of price increases. Earlier this week, EDF hiked gas prices by 22% and electricity by 17%. British Gas has just announced a more modest rise of 9% in electricity prices, but a huge 35% hike for gas customers. The other suppliers are expected to follow with similar rises.
If you’ve got a keen eye on the news, you’ll also know that inflation – the rate at which the things we buy get more expensive – has been rising lately, to a figure of 3.8% per year. That’s almost twice the government’s target. The BBC reckons that, if all the energy suppliers raise prices by similar amounts, it will add around another 1%.
I managed a lowly D for my maths and stats A-Level, so I’m not going to attempt to check the figures myself, but if you’re anything like me and my friends you’ll be looking at your energy bills, fuel receipts, weekly shop, council tax and rent, and wondering exactly how they work that figure out.
We’ve written about energy saving in the past, and we’ll no doubt be trying to pass on more advice in the coming months. Personally, I’m planning to save a bit more gas with some thermostatic radiator valves and some beefed-up loft insulation. I’m considering backup plans, too: I’m thinking emigration, hibernation, or perhaps assembling the world’s largest collection of woolly jumpers.
IMAGE by Flickr user FXR [aka Soundz'FX]
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