PowerSwitch

[snow hope]

For the first time in recent history, I think we may be entering the realms of heating becoming unaffordable for large groups of ordinary working people in the 'West' this winter.

Certainly oil heating (used a lot in NI) is now about £560 for 900 litres - some houses use this every 2 months or so. And with the latest gas price increases, it must be getting pretty expensive to heat your house with gas this winter (it used to be so cheap a few short years back).

What will happen, when millions of people cant afford to buy oil or gas? Will they rack up the costs as debt? Will they write to their MPs to complain or just go out on the streets and riot?

To me this is the first time in my memory when I think things are going to get really ugly/bitter. Cold people are not happy people.........

What do you think is going to happen?
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"I want to help build a more responsible society here in Britain, one where we don't just ask, 'Where are my entitlements?' but, 'What are my responsibilities?' Where we ask, 'What can I give?' " David Cameron, May 2010

[gug]

[adam2]

Whilst some will regretably suffer real hardship, most households use fuel so wastfully that they could easily halve theire useage.

A great many homes are heated to 27 degrees, when 22 should be sufficient for the sick or aged, and 19 for the younger and fitter.
Many households heat every room, rather than just those rooms that need it.
Many people leave heating on 24/7 because they cant be bothered to set the timer.

The market will probably succeed in cutting fuel use when decades of fuel saving campaignes, programmes and iniatives have failed.
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"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"

[snow hope]

gug - yes it is staggering, but the price has only reached this level (over £500) in recent weeks (was previously a low price of £125 in 2001, average price of £200 in recent years). That is exactly why I think this winter is going to show up real problems!

adam2 - the people I know who spend this kind of money don't have their heating on 24x7 I can assure you. One person I spoke to who has 2 daughters, just said what else can they do - apart from keep buying the oil..... I game him a few suggestions!
_________________
"I want to help build a more responsible society here in Britain, one where we don't just ask, 'Where are my entitlements?' but, 'What are my responsibilities?' Where we ask, 'What can I give?' " David Cameron, May 2010

[SILVERHARP2]

[RalphW]

My parents are in their 80s and poor health. They live in a detached 4 bed house, and have gas central heating which recently broke down. They are intelligent, my dad is a retired engineer who knows all about energy. My brother gave him contacts to a local council funded energy efficiency scheme offering free home improvements to the needy. Their house does not have cavity wall insulation. He will not get it fitted because the house brickwork would need repainting...

horses , water and drinking come to mind.

[emordnilap]

[skeptik]

[Shira]

[Adam1]

[emordnilap]

Energy efficiency should be as much part of rented accommodation as the fire regulations.
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The human appears to have no idea what its ideal diet should be; has self-inflicted diet-related diseases; causes extensive environmental destruction through basic food production & creates pathogenic infestations that widely infect its food supply.

[Shira]

Adam1, that's good stuff; still, if you're not on benefits/relevant tax credits and still can't afford anything, it's not that helpful as it won't cover all the cost. It's moot for us as we're moving to Ireland in a few months anyway, but we wouldn't be eligible for the full-cost grant and we don't have any disposable income so we wouldn't be able to afford even the discounted stuff. Huge numbers of people are in that position. Also, all the free stuff in the world won't help if your landlord doesn't want it done (I know, it would be totally irrational to refuse something like that, but people are strange and will often resist doing the clearly beneficial thing for no good reason at all). Still, I like the fact that those options are available, and they should definitely be more publicised; most people, I imagine, have no idea that such opportunities exist. I'll definitely be telling people about it, thanks for that link.
emordnilap, I agree completely. Maybe at some point it will be, but I reckon it'll be quite a long way past too late by the time it is.
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"If you can't beat them...BEAT THEM! They will have expected you to join them by this point, and so you will have the element of surprise." - Simon Munnery

[emordnilap]

[adam2]

[Shira]

adam2 - obviously we've done pretty much everything you suggested there already, though I hate hate hate the fluorescent lightbulbs as I'm autistic and I suffer from migraines, and they aren't great for those of us with non-typical neurology. We bought a full-spectrum bulb for the computer room and that doesn't cause as many problems, so when we can afford it we'll be getting more of those.
I imagine more landlords will start to be amenable to the idea of tenants installing woodstoves as the energy crisis becomes more obvious. I'm not sure I'd want to do it, though, because I am a cynical and suspicious type and wouldn't trust a landlord not to allow us to make all the changes and then when things get really tight, kick us out, thereby reaping the benefits of all the stuff we put in.
As I say, we're moving to Ireland in the new year, and it's going to be fun trying to find a place that isn't heated by oil and meets all our other requirements...
_________________
"If you can't beat them...BEAT THEM! They will have expected you to join them by this point, and so you will have the element of surprise." - Simon Munnery