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Joined: Aug 2001
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pauluk Offline OP
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The last price hike was only in March, and now I've just received a letter from Powergen telling me that the rates are going up yet again. [Linked Image]

Effective from August 21 (prices include VAT):

Day rate: 18.43 pence per kWh for first 225 units
Then 11.05p/kWh for rest of quarter
Night rate: 4.99p/kWh.

It's only a couple of years ago that the day rate was around 7p. and night rate was less than 3p (although admittedly there was the £9 per qtr. standing charge then as well).


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 08-31-2006).]

Joined: Dec 2005
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R
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That's privatisation for you.

Here in NZ they do exactly the same.
The POCO's increase the kWh charges just before the winter so it will cost you an arm and a leg to use electric heating.
The standard domestic rate around Auckland is 15.1 cts / kWh. Linecharge 86 cts / day.

Less than 10 years ago it was 8.26 cts / kWh and 20 cts / day linecharge.

And the bulk is Hydro generated !

Lets not go in detail about the hughe profits being made out of all the powerusers.


The product of rotation, excitation and flux produces electricty.
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
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I agree Ray,
We really don't want to go there.
Trustpower recently announced an increase in the General Day rate and a slight increase in the Night Rate.
During my Electrician's apprenticeship, we were installing Nightstore heaters left-right and centre, mainly because of the cheap tariffs at the time.
I bet a lot of people will be kicking themselves now.
IMHO, it is grossly unfair to keep bumping up the cost of an essential service like an electricity supply.
Not even touching on our power problems, but, usually it is the elderly in our communities that suffer the most with these price hikes.

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,803
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Paul, difficult to compare because of billing differences, but my latest EDF bill shows, [ average for one year and including all taxes, donations to the commune, etc.];

6638 kWh @ €859 = €0.1294 per kWh

At yesterday's exchange rate, £ = €1.48

Price per kWh Average = 8.74p

That includes the cheap rate tarif of course; 31% of our consumption last year was at the night tafif, at 5.8p/Kwh inc. tax, so I make the normal average tarif about 10.65p / kWh.

58 atomic power stations + hydro. Every little helps!

BTW They just upped the grant aid here for carbon reduction to 50% of the cost of any machine: woodburner, pv, windturbine, heatpump etc., and the VAT on these is 5.5% [fitted by a pro. not DYI].


Alan


Wood work but can't!
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 354
K
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Right Trumpy. Its about time pensioners got a decent discount for electricity with their community services card. It was their hard-earned tax dollars after all that paid for our national grid.

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pauluk Offline OP
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The Republic of Ireland allows pensioners the standing charge plus so many units per billing period free (or at least it did last time I read anything about it -- they could take an equivalent allowance against gas if preferred).

The U.K. provides pensioners with a flat one-off winter fuel allowance:
http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/winterfuel/home.asp

(Of course, they wouldn't need it if the government wasn't taking so much in tax in the first place..... [Linked Image] )

Joined: Dec 2004
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As far as I know, our government does not give pensioners any form of discount or tax relief on power charges. I even asked my folks.

Is this correct ?

I just know our government wouldn't let a State Owned Enterprise rip our old folks off and force them to freeze during winter. They wouldn't would they ?

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kiwi,
Quote
As far as I know, our government does not give pensioners any form of discount or tax relief on power charges. I even asked my folks.

Is this correct?.
The simple answer is NO.
However, there is a scheme in some areas, where if you use less than a given amount (the threshold of which, actually escapes me at the moment) you pay a reduced line charge.
I'll see if I can dig some details out in the next couple of days.
But I have to agree Kiwi, the people that paid for the Network here seem to get hit hardest.
Pensioners don't use a lot of power, usually because, they were bought up with the idea of turning the switch off after you have finished with the lighting and heating.
But as the way is these days with our "improved" electricity sector, they aren't in business to make friends, they don't care who you are, they just want your money. [Linked Image]

Oh and one other thing,I noticed on my last electricity account, that I have a week less to pay it than previously, before I lose my "Valued Customer" discount of 15%.
It's down to a week after the account was sent, which is just great for people like me that get paid fort-nightly. [Linked Image]

{Message edited to add last bit}

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 09-06-2006).]

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djk Offline
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The Irish Pensioners Allowances:

The allowance covers normal standing charges and

Up to 200 units of electricity in each two monthly billing period during the Summer.
Up to 300 units of electricity in each two monthly billing period during the Winter.
Up to 600 unused "free units" may be carried forward to the next billing period.** From the commencement of the October/November billing period, FEA recipients who also have Night Rate electricity meters, will have unused free electricity units (if available) offset against their Night Rate electricity usage.
The allowance does not cover

the cost of installing an electricity supply
the extra standing charges applied to the Optional Day/Night tariff (e.g. for storage heating). If the Optional Day/Night tariff is used, the allowance covers day units only.(See also ** above.)
3.6 Alternatives to the Free Electricity Allowance

The following are alternatives to the Free Electricity Allowance

Group account allowance
Free Bottled Gas Refill Allowance
Free Natural Gas Allowance
Free Electricity Group Account Allowance

If a claimant satisfies the conditions for receipt of FEA but is living in self-contained accommodation (i.e. a flat or apartment), in a building where there may be a number of separate meters operating from one ESB meter, and the registered consumer of the supply is a landlord, or where there are no separate meters, but the registered consumer is a landlord, that claimant may qualify instead for a Group Account Allowance. This allowance is paid by a book of monthly payable orders, which can be cashed at the claimant's Post Office and used to pay his/her electricity costs.

Bottled Gas Refill Allowance

If a person would qualify to Free Electricity or Free Natural Gas Allowance, but (s)he is not connected to either an electricity or a natural gas supply they may qualify for bottled gas refills instead.

The allowance is paid in a book of 14 vouchers. One voucher can be exchanged for a cylinder of gas.

Free Natural Gas Allowance

Free Natural Gas Allowance is paid to people who are connected to a Natural Gas supply as an alternative to Free Electricity Allowance. A claimant can only qualify to one of the payments and not to both.

Free Natural Gas provides a certain amount of Free Natural Gas to certain people aged 66 or over or certain incapacitated people.

The allowance covers normal standing charges and up to 2,460 kiloWatt hours (KWHs) of natural gas each year. Up to 967 unused KWHs of gas can be carried forward to the next billing period, if the claimant is paying on the reducing rate tariff.

The allowance does not cover the cost of installing a Natural Gas Supply in the claimant's home.

Qualifying payments are the same as those for Free Electricity Allowance.

Qualifying conditions are the same as those for Free Electricity Allowance except that the claimant must be a registered consumer of Natural Gas on the Bord Gáis domestic supply. ( Reducing, Double-Up, Discount, Economy, Super Saver or 50-50 Cashback rates).


----


It's worth remembering, the climate here isn't particularly harsh, so in general heating costs are probabally not as extreme as north america or most of europe. The allowance does actually make a difference to the elderly.


----

Also:

Free Television Licence

If a person qualifies for Free Electricity/Natural Gas Allowance, a Group Account Allowance, or Bottled Gas Allowance, (s)he is entitled to a Free Television Licence.

If a claimant is in receipt of the above allowances he may get his Free TV licence from the local Post Office. To obtain the same (s)he should bring with her/him to her/his local post office

His/her current television licence
His/her FS 3 (letter qualifying him/her to Free Electricity Allowance) or his/her ESB bill showing the Free Electricity Allowance in payment.
His/her pension or allowance book showing that (s)he is in receipt of Free Fuel Allowance or a letter from this Department or his/her Health Board confirming that a fuel allowance is in payment to him/her. (If (s)he is entitled to a colour licence)
If the claimant is not a registered consumer of electricity or natural gas (s)he may still qualify for a Free Television Licence if (s)he fulfils the other conditions for receipt of a Free Electricity/ Natural Gas Allowances. (When completing the FEA1 form (s)he should tick Free Television Licence only in part 5.)

4. FREE TELEPHONE RENTAL ALLOWANCE

4.1 General
4.2 Qualifying Payments
4.3 Qualifying Conditions
4.4 Points Of Note

4 Free Telephone Rental Allowance.

4.1 General

This allowance provides free telephone rental to certain people aged 66 or over or certain incapacitated people.

From 01.09.1993 the allowance also covers 20 free call units per billing period.

The allowance covers the standard rental charge for a telephone line and instrument which amounts to €28.19 (£22.20) every two months. The allowance also covers the rental on certain ancillary equipment such as an ampliphone, extra telephone socket, and indoor bell.

The allowance does not cover the installation charge for the phone, some telephone call charges, and extra rental charges for coin boxes or extensions.

The allowance will only be granted if the telephone is registered in the claimant's own name.

If the claimant's house is divided into flats the allowance may only qualify to FTRA, if the telephone is located in the claimant's private apartment, and registered in the claimant's own name.

[This message has been edited by djk (edited 09-07-2006).]

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pauluk Offline OP
Member
Thanks for that Dave. Do pensioners still get the telephone allowance as well?

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