Fuel bills

[Evil Sid]

Well it is true it will not affect the pound in your pocket. It will still be metal, round and worthless even if they made it twice as big.

[observer]

If we do have a system that is "supply led", would that mean an increase in hypothermia cases?

[Bill]

Yes I know night storage heaters went out with the ark but the laws of supply and demand apply to everything so why not electricity. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about by using technology to spread the load on the grid providing it doesn’t result in inconvenience to anyone. 

 

It’s like most of the other problems we discuss here, we all have our pet theories but usually a range of smaller measures like this give a safer and more economic route, certainly in the short term. Imagine if we could turn back the technology clock just ten years, taking out all the little things like energy saving bulbs, low temperature washing powders and all the energy efficient devices then we’d probably take down the entire grid.

 

Bill

[asperity]

Well I hope you're as laid back as that when you're shivering under the duvet because the wind hasn't been blowing for a week and it's your area's turn on the rota to be blacked out.

[Cleopatra]

If anyone is shivering under the duvet they should take the duvet back to where they bought it from and get a refund.

[Bill]

Asp

 

It’s not a case of being laid back, I’m as concerned as anyone about the future of our supplies, its just that I’d rather think in terms of what could realistically be achieved rather than speculating on worst case scenarios. But lets say the worst did happen, it wont be the government or any kind of technology that gets the lights back on, it’ll be the change in public attitude and their use of electricity once the gravity of the situation sinks in.

 

I’d rather see a solution that gives us a secure supply but as far as I can make out, everything capable of providing that is light years away and the boats sinking right now. We definitely need a new boat but in the meantime we use our hands, cups and shoes, in fact anything to stop the one we’ve got from sinking. It’s bloody a good job Observers not on this boat otherwise he’d say “Too many people” and start chucking them overboard.   

 

Just digging out my spare duvet just in case.

 

Bill

[inky pete]

And when your energy supplier increases rates now do they have to have the law changed? of course not, they just tell you that they're going to do it and it's up to you to accept the change or move suppliers. No great shift there I think. You seem to be forgetting that it's the government that's driving this change not the energy suppliers, and governments are very good at telling the electorate one thing and doing something else. (This will not affect the pound in your pocket and other whoppers).

 

What they DO have to do is notify each and every one of their customers IN WRITING and IN ADVANCE of any price increase. How are they going to do that if they want to increase prices at will on an hour by hour basis?

 

That's nothing to do with the Energy Act, that's basic contract and consumer law. Changing that to allow silent price increases would mean re-writing just about every contract dealing with a financial transaction ever written, and would still be a breach of EU law so would end up mired in the Strasbourg courts for a decade or more.

[asperity]

Have it your own way fellahs, but don't forget government has form on having unwanted changes creep up on the unsuspecting public. The EUSSR is a prime example.

[observer]

Talking of "price increases":-   Seems the cost of decommissioning Sellafield and finding somewhere to dump the waste, is £67 BILLION and rising.  Meanwhile, seems Centrica has withdrawn from it's involvement in the "new" nuclear stations, due to rising commissioning costs. Sounds like an expensive option?

[Lt Kije]

EDF have not though, they will probably end up building all of them

[observer]

But that isn't the point - "who builds them" - the point is: "how much will they cost"?   We now know how much it takes to decommission these things (£67billion and rising) a problem being swept under the carpet by successive Governments. Now Cetrica have given us a clue as to the levels of expense required to commission the new ones.

[Lt Kije]

So where do you want our power to come from.

[Bazj]

Aliens..... didn't you see the job they did on Mars in Total Recall? quality build and worked first time too

[observer]

Tut Tut Kije. We've done "where should the energy come from" on many occasions, you just don't pay attention!

[Lt Kije]

Coal?

[observer]

I've suggested (ad nauseam) that we need a full range of options, preferably those that kill two birds with one stone (EG tidal barrier schemes/hydro electric dams etc) that will tackle flooding as well as provide labour intesive work; AND will provide energy self sufficiency and security. 

[Lt Kije]

Hydro electric dams, just shows how little you know on the subject, England is unsuited for them, Scotland where they could have some is to far away from population centres. Electricity does not travel well Obs, The means of generation has to be quite close to the population that is using it.

[observer]

There are a range of options: I think we can now conclude that nuclear is just tooo expensive (aside from the dangers) to be one of them.

[Lt Kije]

I don't think it is, and you have yet to give a viable option.

[safeway60]

B&Q briefly sold domestic wind turbines you put on the roofs of your hovels for around 1500 quid...They soon stopped retailing them when it was revealed that one chap calculated his turbine, in 6 months, generated electricity to the value of 20p.

[observer]

Safe I'm not supporting wind turbines - they're another expensive and intrusive option.  Kije, now that the commissioning and decommisioning costs of nuclear have been exposed, perhaps YOU can state which of the full range of alternatives would be more expensive than nuclear?

[Lt Kije]

If we want to be self sufficient in energy, nuclear is the only option we have.

[Bazj]

But if we build more power stations to become energy self sufficient, can the EU then potentially take control of our energy and share it amongst the countries who don't have enough energy like they proposed to take control of North Sea Oil Reserves?

[Lt Kije]

Don't need to worry about North Sea Baz, it's Scottish, As discussed  earlier electricity does not travel well, I would worry more about the fact that it is the French building them, Nothing to do with the EU, and more about the UK government opting out of investing and leaving it to the private sector, thought you would be in favour of that.

[Lt Kije]

Have you found a new game Baz?