Fuel poverty

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35834733

I read this and wonder if a bit of expanding foam, or caulk in the right places might make a nice difference to their lives. This mould gets their only through moisture, drying of clothes and the draughts. Perhaps some adjustments with a screwdriver and the windows will be draught-free. A splurge of loft insulation in some places (admitedly this isn't quite as cheap) and that would help too. And the cash that you and I pay on our energy bills that goes towards social tarrifs? They need a new boiler, fitted properly - unlike the chap that did the windows.

Nozzle
 
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Going back a couple of years now but this problem was looked at and a proposal put forward by someone who posts on another forum I use. The idea was basically a huge program of insulation solving the problem of cold houses and also providing a boost to the building industry as well.
His proposal ,

The building industry has traditionally led the country out of recession. Let it do so again. The problem we have now is that people are losing spending power to commodity price inflation while wages are static or even decreasing. Those same people are also maxed out on credit, unsure about their jobs and so aren't spending. Banks aren't lending because they can see that their customers can't afford the borrowing and they are also worried about their own stability. Meanwhile people are gradually paying off their debts so the money supply is decreasing.

Because banks have been splashing money about for decades house prices, mortgages and private rents have shot up and become such a large portion of our spending that most people don't have money left to spend in the general economy. This applies especially to the young, who would normally spend a large proportion of their income, to a much greater extent than to the older generation who have paid off their mortgages. Because of low interest rates on savings the older generation don't have much spending power either.

Energy prices have rocketed because of increasing worldwide demand and geological supply constraints: the world is running out of cheap oil and gas. The shale gas, at which the government is clutching, is only becoming viable because of the high prices of gas worldwide. It cannot make a difference to current gas prices because the cost of production is so high. After all, the Chancellor is having to give the shale gas companies a tax subsidy to get them to look for the stuff.

Something must be done to reduce people's fixed payments without creating a run on the banks by reducing house prices at too fast a rate. Something must also be done to increase the money supply to ordinary people. It's ordinary people who spend the money on goods which are bought and sold to create growth in the economy.

The government must step in to provide the money but this can't, and shouldn't, be done by borrowing because the government is also maxed out on debt. This money should be created by the government printing the money itself. This is no different to the way the banks create money except that the government won't have to pay interest on it. If you don't fully understand how new money is created look at the Positive Money website (http://www.positivemoney.org/how-money-works/how-banks-create-money/)

Now for how to get the economy going. Ditch the Green Deal and initiate a national insulation scheme instead, with houses insulated to PassivHaus/Zero carbon insulation levels (an 80% fuel saving approx), paid for by printing the money. There would be 200K to 300K jobs in this in the installation alone plus those in design, training and the insulation industry. By starting on Housing Association houses first a high level of take up would be gained and early eradication of fuel poverty would be achieved.

This measure would save each house holder about 80% of their fuel bills and would eradicate fuel poverty. Some households, which are currently fuel poor, would not make the 80% saving but would save some and take the rest as increased comfort. That saving would then be available for spending in the general economy to boost growth. Eventually the nation would save 80% of the 40% of the energy that we use in buildings, that is a 32% saving on the national energy bill. This would come off the balance of payments deficit and help with reducing the national debt.

The government should also build or purchase from house builders large numbers of highly insulated houses for rental instead of for sale, again financed by printing money. This would get building going, solve the housing crisis, reduce the cost of private rents, reduce the level of housing benefit payments and would gradually reduce or stabilise the price of houses. Over time this would make house prices affordable to all people in the UK and permanently reduce the proportion of income spent outside the general economy.
 
there are a few things that a person can do to make their home worse. One of them is draping wet washing in an unventilated room to cause damp, condensation and mould.

In many cases loft insulation can be had free.

Sadly some of the worst housing is by modern slum landlords. We've spent 40 years doing away with social housing to put it into the hands of BTL owners. There's no point in the taxpayer building good homes for rent, and then finding the government forces their sale below cost price. That doesn't keep rents down, it just enriches the lucky owner.

The tenant of a bad landlord may be unable to get leaking gutters, pointing and windows replaced. When I looked at the BBC site I was sad to see that some of the people don't know you can sleep warm, and avoid a damp bed, by using an electric blanket far cheaper than running a room heater, or that you can reduce damp in a room by opening the windows.

I have no sympathy with the tiny minority of people who cause deliberate damage.
 
In the year 2000, Parliament agreed to end fuel poverty by 2016. But 16 years on, more than a million working families still cannot afford to heat their homes.
Then for a start the government could scrap VAT on domestic gas and electricity.
 
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So a rich person, spending £2,000 a year on fuel, would benefit by about a hundred; and a poor person, spending £500, by £25.

Hardly the best way to cure poverty, by throwing money at the rich.

You might as well try to combat hunger by providing free doughnuts to the obese.
 
It would obviously mean taking less money from the rich, but at the same time it would take less money from the poor. But there are other things: Perhaps scrapping all the subsidies for ridiculous PV installations the costs for which are now being piled onto electricity bills would be another good starting point.
 
It would obviously mean taking less money from the rich, but at the same time it would take less money from the poor.
but why would you try to combat poverty by helping the rich more than the poor?

Surely you would only do that if you wanted to further enrich the rich.
 
No, it can't - EU regulation - lucky to get away with 5%.
Of course, because as we've debated endlessly elsewhere the EU dictates almost everything in the U.K. now. I was implying that if the government actually cared about reducing the cost of fuel it would tell the EU to mind its own business and remove VAT anyway (rather like France would do if it doesn't like an EU regulation). Of course, all being well in a year or two at most there will be no VAT on anything.... ;)
 
Perhaps a better method than simply scrapping the vat would be to have it zero or low rated for the first couple of thousand units and a higher rate above that ( figures would need to be checked) , then at least the poorer wouldn't be penalised .
 
Then for a start the government could scrap VAT on domestic gas and electricity.
No, it can't - EU regulation - lucky to get away with 5%.
Quite right!
The EU minimum rate is 5%
Only UK and Malta apply the minimum rate.
All other EU countries apply higher rates.
So we are lucky that UK holds it at the minimum.
upload_2016-3-21_22-52-56.png


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http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_custom.../excise_duties-part_ii_energy_products_en.pdf

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http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_custom...tion/vat/how_vat_works/rates/vat_rates_en.pdf
 
Although it is a little late now but scrapping garbage such as the RHI would be a better way. The RHI currently encourages the well off to invest in renewables, knowing that eventually they will show a profit through feed in tariffs... All paid for by all energy consumers but essentially, the poor subsidising the rich. Where does this mad Carbon reduction legislation come from?
 
The EU minimum rate is 5%
Only UK and Malta apply the minimum rate.
All other EU countries apply higher rates.
So we are lucky that UK holds it at the minimum.
Yes, how lucky that the U.K. is forced to charge a minimum of 5% VAT by the EU when otherwise it could not tax domestic electricity and gas at all, or could at least offer no tax on a certain allowance per quarter, as suggested.
 
Although it is a little late now but scrapping garbage such as the RHI would be a better way. The RHI currently encourages the well off to invest in renewables, knowing that eventually they will show a profit through feed in tariffs... All paid for by all energy consumers but essentially, the poor subsidising the rich.
Indeed, the whole scheme is absolute nonsense, and when it comes to the typical residential PV systems being installed around Britain it's doubtful that after accounting for all the energy expended in manufacturing, shipping, installing, maintaining, and eventually scrapping the systems there's any net saving. Even here in Redding they don't make sense; for the U.K. it's madness.

Where does this mad Carbon reduction legislation come from?
I'll give you one guess! :rolleyes:
 
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