@milosmiata Our emergency vet told me that twice with regards to our dog. Took him to our vetβs when it opened as I still wasnβt happy and they did an xray - said she had a huge uterine cyst and would have been dead within 20 minutes if they didnβt operate. Trust your instincts x
@CL_Stars@aberdareciw@AberdareSchool Gabe has loved your classes every week and had a great time on stage this evening, thank you for all your hard work and dedication β€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈ
@ClareWerrett@LlandaffDio@LlandaffEd They are very lucky to have you indeed! Very wise decision in their part. Congratulations, you will be dearly missed by all at Town church. You are adored and appreciated by staff, parents and of course all the children. Wishing you all the best in your new role βΊοΈ
@MartinSLewis@bbc5live Sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curryβ¦. ππΌ freezes well for batch cooking and portion control ππΌππΌππΌ
WHY ARE ENERGY STANDING CHARGES SO HIGH?
The high energy standing (daily) charges are a moral hazard and should be reduced. It is outrageous that people have to pay Β£300/yr just for the facility of having gas & electricity even if they use none.
While energy price cap & bills drop an avg 17% this Sat, that ISN'T equal for all:-
- Standing charges remain unchanged
- Elec unit rate is dropping roughly 10%
- Gas unit rate is dropping roughly 25%
So higher users, especially with gas will see a bigger than 17% drop. Lower users, especially electricity only, will see a lower than 17% drop.
Keeping the standing charge high means lower users can save proportionately less and less by reducing usage - that disempowers them.
I have long campaigned for lower standing charges. MSE is submitting a consultation on this about shifting some of the cost the the unit rates.
The reason Ofgem mandates firms to have high standing charges in the price cap is because they use it to pay for the 'fixed costs' of energy (distribution, transmission etc) - which it believes should be mostly shared equally.
It is especially loaded onto the electricity standing charge as that is 'more universal'.
I think a more progressive split would be better, by putting a bigger proportion of the cost on the unit rate. And in past polls I've done on here the huge majority agree.
One stumbling block is the argument from Citizens Advice, an organisation I have great respect for. Its concern is that if you shift the burden, some vulnerable people with disabilities and medical issues that make them high users will suffer.
Of course the correct solution to that is lower the standing charge but give them separate support. Yet that would involve an energy market that wasn't broken and the regulator and government to operate in concert.
So we're in a chicken and egg situation. Still on balance I think the fair thing to do is lower the standing charge (and campaign for help for the high using vulnerable at the same time). Yet I wanted to bash this out quickly as I saw much debate on it after my earlier tweets, and I wanted to explain some of the bigger picture.
I said on @GMB today, in reference to new depressing stats on the numbers struggling to pay mortgages and rent, that its going to be a nightmare year for some. I've seen a few references here calling me a "prophet of doom" the same attack phrase used by some last year when I was warning we needed energy intervention, again based on known facts of huge impending price hikes (eventually govt intervened so they 'only' doubled not trebled).
To try to demonise a person explaining the situation and try and knock down anyone warning people to prepare seems a dangerous precedent.
Advance warning, and raising the issue publically, helps both individuals prepare and puts pressure on policy makers to act before it happens, rather than leave it until its too late.
I hope I try and make positive practical suggestions. I won't wear blinkers and a gag to the plight millions are facing.
To the black isuzu D Max flatbed truck 2.5l turbo diesel that blatantly threw their @McDonalds drink out the window, at the bend in Hirwaun yesterday, PLEASE donβt, just bin it! Iβll naively assume a reason this time, but I have your reg plate if you do it again @AberdareOnline
https://t.co/j4EL2Abir3
Any young people 16-25 interested in genomics, or are affected by a rare condition that may be interested in a virtual cafe? Click the link ππΌ