I totally agree as our governments here have been doing this since the late 80's and where privatisation has step in the prices have sky rocketed out of this world (plus what they have sold off has always made a good profit for the public purse).

Interesting. For most of my life the public electric company, publicly traded to boot, has been able, or required by the PUC, to charge lower rates than the municipal electric companies, unregulated, here in Los Angeles county California. This may be because the municipals have been forced by their politician overseers to overcharge to fatten up the municipal general fund.

Oh well, different corrupt politicians in different corrupt offices I suppose.

Oh they're not corrupt, they're just selling off public utilities just to try and make quick dollars to balance their books over the outrageous promises that they have to cover, but it is the private sector who takes over that is corrupt (milking the cash cow until it's dead).

Cheers.

Seems like over on this side, Its the politicians who want to run the show and do just as bad a job.

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[/quote]

Old James

What I can't understand is the local utility company advertising on radio and TV about all the great service they provide. It isn't like we have a choice regarding which company we get our utility service from. Except for TV satellite service and cell phone service we are stuck with whoever's territory we live in. So why bother spending money to advertise? To me it could be better spent on service upgrades or lowering my bill.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Unlike the US the majority of the UK energy supply companies do so to much of the country rather than just a part of it.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Rob is right, we are lucky in the UK in that respect. But it has to be said that the "big Six" operate as a cartel. But there are plans to deal with that.

You were married in the 70's Chris, was there a pricing issue back then?....pre-
privatisation days.

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

Yes I was married in the early 70's and it has to be said the the state controlled CEGB was inefficient and a complete monopoly. That was the reason it was all privatised to introduce competition. But I don't seem to recall the cost of energy being as high then as a proportion of take home pay as it is now.

Of course we had the oil crisis of 1973/74 when OAPEC set up an embargo and prices soared, and during the 70's the whole country was converted from coal gas (town gas) to natural gas. Every single burner had to be converted and a lot of out of work people made a good living being retrained as conversion fitters. They were given a days work at a time to convert 3 or 4 houses, but usually got it done by lunchtime and spent the afternoon in the pub!

When a supplier is also its own generator, they have more of a handle on costs, pure suppliers only have to buy energy on the wholesale market which they cannot control.

Ah yes, the end of the "Muscle Car" era.

I remember it well sadly. :-(

Cheers.

Regulators have found no evidence of price manipulation in the UK wholesale gas market after an investigation.

Anyone else get the feeling they didn't look hard enough?

Story here.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

I know that. Everyone needs energy, but no-one likes paying for it; and companies are out to make money. But when British Gas nets £606 million per annum (1) while pensioners are freezing to death (2), can't help feeling somethings a bit rotten.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

Will have to wait and see once fracking takes off in the UK. If this does not
bring down the cost of energy to the degree it has in the USA then things will
look a little....ummm? on the odd side let us say.

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

Odd you say? Good god man, it will be Gekko's second coming!

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Will have to wait and see once fracking takes off in the UK. If this does not bring down the cost of energy...

Hopefully NOT!

Or, we push for a rapid reduction in population...


Meanwhile, poisoning of our water supplies is pretty much guaranteed. American states can accept that over 10% of their fracking wells poison the local aquifers due to their large land mass and sparse population and pathetic legal system. Whereas in the UK, just one leaking fracking well will be disastrous for an awful lot of people.

Note that there is no known way to clean up the pollution from a leaking fracking well...


All in and on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Will have to wait and see once fracking takes off in the UK. If this does not bring down the cost of energy...

Hopefully NOT!

Or, we push for a rapid reduction in population...


Meanwhile, poisoning of our water supplies is pretty much guaranteed. American states can accept that over 10% of their fracking wells poison the local aquifers due to their large land mass and sparse population and pathetic legal system. Whereas in the UK, just one leaking fracking well will be disastrous for an awful lot of people.

Note that there is no known way to clean up the pollution from a leaking fracking well...


All in and on our only one planet,
Martin

Martin For this instance I agree that fracking is bad for the enviroment. My state called for a moratorium on it after numerous wells and local aquaifiers were polluted.
Plus the fracking industry wont say what is in the fracking fluid.

Everyone wants cheap energy. But in the long run cheap energy just leads to more usage for wastefull reasons, Further depleteing what we have.

I cant see contaminating a regional or local aquafier or even one well so we can use more a of dwindling resource.

Now im still not sold on the global warming is man made debate. But fracking is not the asnswer.

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[/quote]

Old James

On the evidence provided we are not convinced that an extra bill increase is justified”

Sonia Brown Ofwat's chief regulation officer

No water price rise

Shame Ofgem didn't do the same to the 'big six'.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

Will have to wait and see once fracking takes off in the UK. If this does not bring down the cost of energy...

Hopefully NOT!

Or, we push for a rapid reduction in population...


Meanwhile, poisoning of our water supplies is pretty much guaranteed. American states can accept that over 10% of their fracking wells poison the local aquifers due to their large land mass and sparse population and pathetic legal system. Whereas in the UK, just one leaking fracking well will be disastrous for an awful lot of people.

Note that there is no known way to clean up the pollution from a leaking fracking well...


All in and on our only one planet,
Martin

"Fracking is safe" says Water Report

...so who does one believe?

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Fracking has some problems, which careful drilling would obviate.

It's the Greenies who object, as if it was successful we would have 120 years (at current use and 15% recovery) and a massive dash for gas for power generation. This would reduce our current green house gas output to that of gas, or a 50% reduction in a very short time.

The Greenies main objective is to return us to a agro/fudel economy with them at the top.

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It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues

Nicks Position
I don't think we will benefit from cheaper fuel prices. As far as I'm aware
all fuel mined, drilled, fracked has to go on to the Euro wholesale market
and then bid for as is the current state of affairs.....but we shall see.

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

I don't think you are quite correct there Nick, the UK has it's own wholesale energy market.

GB wholesale market

EU Wholesale market

EU Energy markets

A quick glance at the EU parts gives the impression that a single energy
wholesale market is what they wish to build towards. Something I picked up
on as reported in the media a little while back, the idea being that no one
EU country could obtain energy at a price unavailable to any other EU country.

---

The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.