Posted on 05/20/2012 5:46:53 AM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
Household electricity bills will rise by as much as a quarter to pay for wind farms and other forms of renewable energy, according to a new report.
The study challenges the Government’s claims that energy bills will actually fall in the next eight years because of energy efficiency savings.
This week the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will publish its draft energy bill, setting out how it plans to reform the electricity market and reduce the cost to households.
DECC has insisted that energy bills will begin to fall from next year and will be reduced by seven per cent - or £94 - by 2020 because of new energy efficiency policies.
These include the Green Deal, which will provide loans to fund loft and wall insulation; the roll-out of 'smart’ meters to help control and monitor energy consumption; and the improvement in the energy efficiency of kettles and other appliances.
But a study of the Government’s own figures by the Renewable Energy Forum (REF), a specialist renewable energy consultancy, has accused DECC of deliberately misleading the public.
REF claims its analysis of the Government’s own figures shows that two-thirds of households, about 17 million in all, will be worse off - even if energy efficiency targets are met in full.
REF estimates that the UK’s climate change policies - which promote wind farms and other forms of renewable energy - will be responsible for 'major increases’ in the retail price of electricity and gas.
It estimates that electricity prices on domestic bills will rise by 27 per cent by 2020 and by 34 per cent on bills for medium-sized companies. Gas prices will rise by seven per cent and 11 per cent respectively.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
“Set to” my butt.
My electric company gets tax breaks for using green sources and is pushing for wind themselves. Meanwhile, they’re raising rates to make up for “losses” caused by falling demand.
That ain’t capitalism in my book. That’s corporate socialism.
Wasn’t this always the point? Higher bills mean higher taxes.
I can’t wait for The Great Cleansing.
So they think Zero's gonna lose, too. Only possible way energy prices will drop.
Why would I buy wind when I am getting nuclear??
Raise the cost of energy so we, the government, can make it greener and cheaper. (After we double the cost, we’ll reduce it 10% and claim victory.)
Wind -- doesn't work -- they love it, and want to subsidize it (they need to, because it doesn't work).
Solar -- doesn't work -- they love it, and want to subsidize it (they need to, because it doesn't work).
Nuclear -- it works; they hate it.
Oil from ANWR -- it works; they hate it.
Oil from offshore -- it works; they hate it.
Gas and Oil from fracking -- it works; they hate it.
If the day ever comes when Wind or Solar energy is actually viable, the Left will hate them too. Cheap access to energy makes men free -- for the Left, that's the problem right there.
This is in the UK.
All this GREEN movement is such a SCAM!! We the people do not reap the benefits! THEY do! Beware they will slowly intoduce enslavement via the “green” movement. It is so blatantly obvious.
Thanks. I wondered who DECC is and I thought 25 cents sounded low for the increase.
To put this into American: 94 pounds = 150 dollars. If the 7% increase is $150, then the overall bill is $2,150. I’m guessing this is an annual bill, so that means they are calculating this on an average electric bill of about $180. That doesn’t strike me as an outrageous price.
I elected to install PV solar panels to offset my outrageously high So Cal Edison (SCE)electric bill. I work at home, and since my wife is handicapped, she is home during the day. Consequently, the cost of cooling in the desert is very high given the socially motivated tiered pricing structure used by SCE. Plus, I use computers in my work, some of which support off-site activity and run 24/7. My SCE bill ranges from $200/mo in winter to as high as $600/mo for the other seasons. The rate starts at $0.13/kwh and quickly rises to $0.30/kwh.
I evaluated the ROI for a solar system after obtaining quotes from a couple of solar installers. A system to offset my usage was quoted at about $40,000, or about $25,000 out of pocket after incentives and credits. Although marginally cost effective, over 10 years, I was not motivated to move forward.
I checked the cost of solar panels and found the price had dropped to about $1.23/watt, and more recently to $0.99/watt. I found I could purchase the panels, mounts and a direct-to-line inverter for about $8,000, and do the relatively easily installation at no cost by doing the work myself. I didn’t even apply for any of the incentives. Since I live on more than an acre, in a very rural area, space and trees were no problem.
To connect the system, SCE required a signed off building permit. The L.A. County Building and Safety Department required a Planning Department Permit. The Planning Department permit cost $463 for a five minute review to state there was no problem. The Building and Safety Permit cost another $391. Don’t you just love those regulators that charge big bucks for doing virtually nothing useful, even when the applicant is contributing to the green energy objective. I suppose they want some front-end recovery from the revenue loss imposed by the 10% utility tax.
I’ll admit that I’m no greenie and I evaluated the project based entirely from a financial perspective. The favorable ROI was only achievable due to the perverted rate structure imposed to encourage us to use less energy.
I personally abhor the socially inspired rate structures we now have for water and electricity. So far as I’m concerned, the 1st kilowatt should cost the same 800th kilowatt, since the cost to produce either is the same. I hate to use gasoline as a model, but my 1st gallon of gasoline costs the same as the 100th gallon in any given month. I’m not making a case that either the first or last gallon is priced fairly, but the cost is at least the same. Electricity should be priced the same way for small residential users to large corporations.
wind farms kill bats and birds but lame-stream media never reports that. i like bats and i like birds. too bad we can’t figure out how to fly eco-whackjob fascists into wind farms.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.