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News and Comment April 2022

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8 April (Part 1) - Green taxing us back to the stone age

TweetIf you regularly look at Twitter you may have noticed that I used it on 19th March to complain about Octopus Energy. This was because they didn’t answer the phone and have - even now - never answered an email. Why companies prefer disgruntled customers to go public I have no idea but it seems to be a widespread practice.

The issue was that Octopus installed a smart meter at my request on 24th February and the Home Display Unit did not work. I asked for the smart meter because Octopus do some interesting tariffs for electric car owners who have smart meters.

The problem was that the meters were sending presumably correct readings back to Octopus but the display unit was showing zero consumption and cost for electricity and appeared to be in free wheeling mode for gas. It was showing quite high figures for gas even on days when I cut off the supply completely at the incoming meter.

After a false start a couple of weeks ago week the meter miraculously came alive on Tuesday this week and now actually shows zero for gas when it is turned right off. However the charge is said to be 45 pence while the standing charge is 27 pence, both figures being shown on the display unit. As yet Octopus have no explanation for that. (The gas was completely off at the main tap for 48 hours.)

There are various other things that remain a little puzzling. The latest bill estimates my total energy consumption at £1,363.33 a year but says I should be paying £172 a month. Is that the 54% increase?

Yesterday their display unit said my total consumption on the latest tariffs would cost only £2·31. I know I was out all day but that would not have made much difference. On a bright day the solar panels easily supply the house except when the kettle goes on (a penny a cup according the the display) and I don’t have the gas central heating on during the day anyway. (There is no one here to moan at me.)


The main load comes from turning on the TV in the evening and last night a new YouTube video (https://youtu.be/4mp0aYN76PM) told me quite a lot about why we are paying such stupid prices for fuel. Stupid politicians have organised a stupid system.

Plug Life Television is an occasional broadcast by Euan McTurk with whom I once shared a table at an electric vehicle convention. At the time he was a professor of something to do with batteries and green energy at a Scottish University. He is a bit of a lefty and green fanatic but his facts and figures are always very illuminating.

If you don’t wish to get very annoyed about how Government policy is jacking up your energy costs I suggest you avoid looking at Euan’s latest video.

Smart meters do not reduce your energy consumption but the associated display is intended to frighten you into doing something about it. My computer equipment now goes right off when not in use because several lights on the motherboard remain on while plugged in and my house lights were halogen instead of LED.

I bought a pack of six LEDs for £9 which has halved the consumption and replaced four tungsten bulbs in multi-light fittings which were there to provide instant light in the days when halogens were slow to start up. The new LEDs are both brighter for half the wattage and come on instantly. The base load; clocks, fridges, radio etc. is now down by about 30%.

Perhaps I should have bought a smaller amplifier to decode the Dolby Atmos but do I really want to be a greenie favouring stone age living?

 

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