37 Comments
User's avatar
Joe Brannan's avatar

David, this is a great analysis but are we always comparing apples with apples? Why for example are Danish prices so low when they are big users of renewables?

Robert Liddell's avatar

As you recommended it I have signed the petition.

I do fear, however that the public are so brainwashed that we would end up losing it.

Jit's avatar

A referendum would mean that the facts are aired. At the moment, much of the public is unaware that Net Zero has any cost attached, thanks to the gaslighting going on.

If the people vote for Net Zero in knowledge of its costs and "benefits" then we will deserve our fate.

Wibbling's avatar

Interesting that the median value is used rather than the mean as then our prices would even more egregious. If the outliers were removed (us) and then we compared to the mean we'd look even worse.

Does the price of gas include the necessary doubling in price to account for the 75 odd percent 'levy' added to it by government (which is then handed to the unreliables to make their costs appear reasonable)?

However the data is examined, it precludes any concept of growth - but then that's the point: the whole intent of the 'climate change' tax scam is ideological, not rational.

Reeves recently complained no one put forward alternatives to her plan. This isn't true. Countless people have, she just ignored them because they didn't suit her agenda. After all, cutting taxes and waste are not things the current state ever considers. The OBR specifically excludes such from it's calculations as they'd be the recommendation of every report in how to create growth.

I'm coming to realise that where we all thought Labour meant creating economic growth they really meant growth in taxes, waste, debt, unemployment and poverty. Same as we'll all be saving money on our energy bills not because energy is cheaper, but because it's unaffordable we don't use it, thus saving money!

Jit's avatar

Nigel, we will probably have to wait 4.5 years for that chance.

Nigel Southway's avatar

We have been waiting 8 for ours.... Its the power of democracy :-)

Jit's avatar

Regarding the referendum on Net Zero, we've been there before. This post from 3 years ago describes BEIS's response to that one.

https://cliscep.com/2021/11/30/you-want-a-referendum-on-net-zero-lol/

I am sure they will bat it away like last time.

Patrick McGuire's avatar

The Labor government reminds me of the Jonestown cult in Guyana. Don't drink their Kool Aid!

AMMS's avatar

Off the back of Energiewiend a piece of research worked out that for every 10% increase in energy prices related to a 1% reduction in GDP

AMMS's avatar

Thank you David - the graphs, and one I created for diesel, have just joined Tuesday's board pack.

I was trying to find a similar graph for labour costs to cover the three main pillars of our business.

Philip Beaumont's avatar

Thank you, this needs to be all over MSM David.

Philip Beaumont's avatar

Thank you for sharing that David. Looking forward to reading it!

David Turver's avatar

Unherd are running a piece shortly.

Brian Hull's avatar

However you frame it, the eventual conclusion in fairly short order will be: “Former G7 country becomes first to embrace Third World country status” dung fired cooking stoves to be issued to all households, says subprime minister!

Douglas Brodie's avatar

“All this is in direct contradiction to Labour’s number one mission of increasing economic growth”. Starmer, Miliband and Rachel from Accounts (and the Tories before them) simply cannot be that stupid. It is obvious that they are lying through their teeth when they say their top priority is economic growth. It is obvious they are doing their utmost to wreck the economy at the bidding of their globalist overlords and the Davos/WEF crowd that Starmer prefers to Westminster: https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/starmer-in-with-the-davos-in-crowd/

Douglas Brodie's avatar

Maybe, Putin is a “graduate” of the WEF Global Young Leaders academy and we know how keen Starmer is on Davos. By coincidence, a comment with the same suggestion about Russia was posted this morning at NotALot: https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2024/11/29/time-for-starmer-to-be-honest-about-what-net-zero-means-rationing-blackouts-and-travel-restrictions-in-the-next-five-years/#comment-302689

philipat's avatar

And, of course, given the new contract awards for renewables, it's inevitable that UK electricity prices are going to rise again and keep on rising, possibly doubling from here. This is going to destroy the UK economy and seriously degrade the quality of life of UK citizens for the sake of nothing tangible. Another pyrrhic victory.

Douglas Brodie's avatar

“In the UK, industrial electricity prices are some six times the price of gas.” Assuming the ratio is about the same for domestic users, I shudder to think what my energy bill would be if my current 24,000kWh annual gas consumption was paid at the same rate as my current 3,300kWh annual electricity consumption. Electricity-driven heat pump, anyone?

David Turver's avatar

The domestic ratio is 4.27. See Figure G.

Ian Braithwaite's avatar

So a heat pump with a coefficient of performance of greater than 4.27 would be required to make the slightest iota of sense of transferring from gas, and that's neglecting all the other obstacles

Rod H's avatar

Ian: your comment is so on point regarding why the U.K. government’s push for heat pump uptake is so poor; and that’s in addition to myriad other factors all involving cubic spending levels perhaps benefiting one’s great great great grandchildren.

Ian Braithwaite's avatar

Thank you David - your piece might have been subtitled 'Our Woes in Data'.

Alan Richards's avatar

I’ve signed the petition.

I was surprised to see Denmark so low in the rankings of electricity prices given that renewables account for 83% of generation with 54% wind.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_Denmark

Transmission, distribution and profit margins must be so much higher in the UK.

David Turver's avatar

Yes, low on industrial, but very high on domestic prices. I don't know, but I suspect they're subsidising industrial prices.

Adam Fairman's avatar

Why do you think we have a higher electricity cost than Germany even though they have a higher percentage of renewables?

David Turver's avatar

I don't know enough about the German market structure to answer that. Our domestic prices are lower though, so I suspect they subsidise industrial prices.

Martin E's avatar

Domestic users in Germany do (or did?) subsidise industrial users. As for a source it’s a long time since I read about it. Maybe there is something on statista or eurostat?

Adam Fairman's avatar

That makes sense, so a big factor is where governments decide to put the grid and policy costs. UK has decided to favour consumers, Germany producers.

David Turver's avatar

Rather than argue whose pocket should be picked to fund these charges, the discussion should be why they are there at all.