Latest Moan From You and Me 2025

Ahh, LEDs! Don't get me started about their many shortcomings!

I currently have 5 different lots - permutations of warm, cool, 1W, 3W, 5W - for my spotlights in the kitchen and none of them are "right". Total cost so far - £30.45. And before the spotlights, I had a sconce thing installed but it gave me a migraine within 15 seconds, so had to be removed. Money wasted - £25 + 2 visits from electrician, and builder in to repair and repaint walls. I got a new string of LED Xmas lights last yr that I need to wear sunglasses to be in a room with and was gifted an LED lamp from John Lewis that I need to have covered to cope with the glare. And even uncovered, it only actually lights a very small area. Hopeless.

 

Interesting that your electricity prices are rising too. Don't you have a lot of hydro power in Canada?

 

My Mini Cooper booked in for MOT and service soon. Just discovered that my door locking flashing lights not working (not required for MOT). Carried out all the basic checks including charging the car battery. Phoned garage to ask them to have a look during service. £140 for diagnostic check plus cost to fix. Unbelievable. So it was a case of thank you but no thanks. How can they charge that for just connecting the car up to a computer?

 

Even in a semi you will probably need larger radiators, my neighbour, who has just had one installed, certainly did.

 

In Norway, a lot of hydro power there, if they have a very dry summer the cost of power goes up as they have to source electricity from other generating methods or import through interconnectors.

 

I'd need a completely new system, I doubt any part of my heating system would be of any use to a heat pump system.
Its where it all falls down, its not just take out the boiler and fit a heat pump.

 

waterbut is that at a main dealer?

 

Sadly yes as I live in the country with few garages that everyone complains about.

 

That's not good, even though I replace my car with a new one every few years I never go back for a service it's always the garage in my village

 

Did the weekly supermarket shop this morning. On the way back we got within a mile of home only to find a jack-knifed lorry blocking the road. No way past and the orange-suited chap on his walky-talky doubted it would be rescued anytime soon. Very hilly where we live and no easy way around so we were forced to go back the way we'd just come and do a 7 mile diversion just to get home. But my eventual cup of coffee tasted all the nicer for it!

 

We do and we don't. We have lots of power for manufacturers although at a dear price and then lots for consumers at a "reasonable" price except if they use it when they really need it. High rates in the mornings in the winter when the furnace is running, high rates in the afternoons in the summers when the air conditioning is needed. This is some of the posted rates at this time of year. It is gouging. Pure and simple. Then on the bill there is delivery, maintenance, taxes and more taxes on the whole lot.
This is the winter rates
On-Peak (20.3¢/kWh) from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Yes, when you want to make breakfast or supper)

Mid-Peak (15.7¢/kWh) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Off-Peak (9.8¢/kWh) from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays, and all day on weekends and holidays.

 

Similar happened to me LS. Car did not take a corner on a nearby country road and ended up in a field. Driver shaken but not stirred. Farmer came with a tractor and started pulling it out. My mistake was stopping to allow the car out of the field. Plod turned up and closed the road off. Had to do a U turn and go on an extra 5 + miles detour.

 

Last Thursday we had one of those "reduce your electricity usage during this 2 hour period and we'll credit you with x amount per kWh reduction below your average usage for that time of day" things. When the results came, it said we'd reduced our usage by 49%. Great, you might think. The amount to be credited was 17p. Hardly worth bothering with, so I don't think we'll participate again. Almost half of not very much is not very much.

 

This dynamic pricing should be outlawed, IMV, as it will push those on tight budgets into having to restructure their lives round it. It is unreasonable to have to give your children their tea and a bath at midnight just because this is the only time you can afford to. Readings going in every 30 minutes from smart meters means energy suppliers can change the price that often. You might start cooking your Xmas lunch at one rate and then find it jumps fourfold before you've got the spuds on.

 

I don't think I could ever bother getting involved in any of this different pricing, I use only a small amount of electricity, and trying to work around their crazy schemes is just too much hassle to save a few pennies.