In the UK, we had a 57% increase in energy bills from July, and we're now looking at another 80% increase from October which is terrifying for a lot of us.

In the UK we have standing charges on meters. These are fixed charges regardless of how much energy you use. You pay extra on top for your energy.

I use very, very little gas. Currently my standing charge is about 4 times the cost of the (tiny amount of) gas I use, at least.

To avoid the gas standing charge I'd have to remove the meter, physically. Not my property, can't do it. So I have to pay. Funny system.

> Not my property, can't do it.

If you are renting, you are perfectly entitled to change energy suppliers and/or have meters removed or upgraded. Your landlord has no say in it. (For one thing, the meter belongs to the energy company!).

The only exception to this is if you are renting a room in a HMO that uses a common energy supply for all rooms, or if you landlord pays your energy bills.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_rentin...

I think this system is commonplace. In Austria to say at least.

Indoor bicycles are about £100 from decathlon. /serious.

I can see a lot of financial problems ahead but equally(?) a lot of people not just sitting on their arses doing sfa. Shopping centres will benefit from extra traffic, but may not necessarily get the cash. People may just wander...

I'm working on my W22 strategies now. More home (low key 90/10) exercise, more outside walks, family get togethers (share a house), stodgy energy-food, more blankets, bed early.....

Thermal clothing is probably going to be your highest ROI if you're unironically looking for methods to keep warm this winter while spending less.

What's "on thermal?"

Geothermal?

Why would that go up (significantly)? Seems like geothermal would be pretty resistant? IE, the cost to run things like pumps should still be a fraction of the cost to heat using gas.

From what I've understood once you go below a certain temperature you can no longer pump and start heating using electricity instead. Which gets expensive as fuck. I have several friends in this situation. Sounds like something you'd think about in a country that gets cold every winter but I don't know. One explanation I've heard is that they didn't use to drill as deep as they do nowadays (I think most of my friends had their installed in the 90's) or something.

Well, what does "on thermal" mean? I interpret it as going into geothermal sources of heat, where the groundwater is already heated. (IE, the groundwater is something like 100+ degrees F, or 45+ degrees C.)

As opposed to heat pumps, which you described.

A friend drilled a new hole 5 years ago with a modern pump attached, with water carrier, still draws more power than we do for our 2 air pumps (cheap variants).

Update: He drilled 160 meters into mountain.

I'm in region 4, normally we have around 1600KwH in the worst winter month (small house, 2 air pumps).

If prices rise 5x as is expected, we're looking at ~8000€ for a single month. (1€/KwH x 5)

Perhaps a dumb question, but do many houses have chimneys? Would burning wood ameliorate the problem?

Mostly older houses do (< 50s), and yes, wood is the most cost effective.

This house is > 70s, doesn't have a chimney, but we're considering installing a cast-iron wood burner in the house center for this winter.

Firewood was in short supply and hard to find this winter and spring because of high power prices, imagine what will happen this coming winter with prices 5X-10X.

It's still a country with a lot of wood, finding a farmer willing to sell some even at the worst of times, are easier than any alternative.

There's sellers that are already out of stock. Firewood needs to dry for months before use, and like everything else when there's high demand there will be high prices.

https://www.aftonbladet.se/minekonomi/a/66p5LQ/ved-rusning-l...

Maybe I can flip my 3 cubic meters of really shitty pine wood for a new graphics card this winter..? Not gonna afford to run it for a while though...

Yeah, these are hard times, I wouldn't bet on finding wood unless you know someone.

You pay €1600/mo normally?! Holy crap!

No, read again, 1600 KwH energy consumption, not cost.

At 1 euro per kWh

Well, almost, the top today was 1€/KwH, the average is 0.75€.

But the consumption is only ~800KwH for August.

Yeah, regardless. I pay $0.11/kWh so I was just utterly gobsmacked at the cost of electricity in Northern Europe. And most of our electricity generation is nuclear.

Yeah, it’s horrifying and life altering for many