Heating grants

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
Giving subsidies then sending round clipboarders to check everything is above board must cost country a fortune.

It seems that’s this government’s way of doing things.

It’s almost as if they are worried about losing votes to Labour populist policies so are acting like a Labour government to retain those votes, whilst expecting those traditional Conservative voters will keep voting for them as they have no other alternative offering to fulfill those Conservative values.
 

farmerm

Member
Location
Shropshire
Bit more cash to stoke the infation fire, popular policy though. Ho hum
not sure I buy that argument.... reducing a £2000 increase in average energy use by £400.. still leaves households £1600 less disposable income...

That aside, as I understand it... £400 per household available to all households? So a sole occupier in a tiny well insulated flat gets £400 and a family in a large farm house also gets £400 but the latter will see a massively greater jump in their energy expenditure.
 

Tubbylew

Member
Location
Herefordshire
not sure I buy that argument.... reducing a £2000 increase in average energy use by £400.. still leaves households £1600 less disposable income...

That aside, as I understand it... £400 per household available to all households? So a sole occupier in a tiny well insulated flat gets £400 and a family in a large farm house also gets £400 but the latter will see a massively greater jump in their energy expenditure.
Yeah you maybe right, as I understand it the £400 will be given to the energy companies to knock off folks bills, but the £650 to folk on benefits will be a one off payment, with an extra £150 one off to folk on disabillity. I'm sceptical that any amount of money chucked about will solve anything tbh. The problems around personal debt are so fundemental the a few hundred quid is pissing in the ocean. Saw a bit of that martin lewis chap's "Cost of living crisis special episode" just seemed to be about holidays.
 

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
Yeah you maybe right, as I understand it the £400 will be given to the energy companies to knock off folks bills, but the £650 to folk on benefits will be a one off payment, with an extra £150 one off to folk on disabillity. I'm sceptical that any amount of money chucked about will solve anything tbh. The problems around personal debt are so fundemental the a few hundred quid is pissing in the ocean. Saw a bit of that martin lewis chap's "Cost of living crisis special episode" just seemed to be about holidays.
It’s easy to be sceptical (and it’s my default position on all things tbh), it’ll barely be noticed by some people but it will ease the pain slightly for others, but only slightly. Govt won’t get a huge lot of credit in either camp. "It’s not enough". Or "what difference will it make?".

What really pees me off about it is the tax-for-the-mathematically-challenged Windfall Tax on the energy companies. If windfall taxes are a good idea (and they‘re not) then why just impose them on energy companies? What about Pfizer/Moderna and the rest? Weapons manufacturers etc? Imposing the tax on energy companies will either reduce investment in renewables (which is needed to ensure lower bills ultimately) and/or reduce money paid into people’s pension funds. The average punter loses either way. Meanwhile the govt has seen a huge uplift in VAT receipts precisely because of the high energy prices. Have you heard anyone mention this in the last 24 hours?
 

Tubbylew

Member
Location
Herefordshire
It’s easy to be sceptical (and it’s my default position on all things tbh), it’ll barely be noticed by some people but it will ease the pain slightly for others, but only slightly. Govt won’t get a huge lot of credit in either camp. "It’s not enough". Or "what difference will it make?".

What really pees me off about it is the tax-for-the-mathematically-challenged Windfall Tax on the energy companies. If windfall taxes are a good idea (and they‘re not) then why just impose them on energy companies? What about Pfizer/Moderna and the rest? Weapons manufacturers etc? Imposing the tax on energy companies will either reduce investment in renewables (which is needed to ensure lower bills ultimately) and/or reduce money paid into people’s pension funds. The average punter loses either way. Meanwhile the govt has seen a huge uplift in VAT receipts precisely because of the high energy prices. Have you heard anyone mention this in the last 24 hours?
I notice the chancellor is being very cagey as to what it's called, but then it is a bit gauling to pay a fortune at the pump whilst petrochemical countries make vast profits
 

puppet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
sw scotland
Meanwhile the govt has seen a huge uplift in VAT receipts precisely because of the high energy prices. Have you heard anyone mention this in the last 24 hours?
Yes, discussed on Question Time last night. A windfall tax is a blunt instrument but the consumer has funded a massive profit to energy companies by accident of war so it is just like paying a one-off dividend to a lot more shareholders. As for investment they still have plenty profit left over and if they think there is money in renewables they will invest anyway as fossil fuels are disappearing.
Don't forget we give the power companies a billion pound interest free loan each year through their inflated direct debits.
 

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
Yes, discussed on Question Time last night. A windfall tax is a blunt instrument but the consumer has funded a massive profit to energy companies by accident of war so it is just like paying a one-off dividend to a lot more shareholders. As for investment they still have plenty profit left over and if they think there is money in renewables they will invest anyway as fossil fuels are disappearing.
Don't forget we give the power companies a billion pound interest free loan each year through their inflated direct debits.
You think it’s only war that’s caused energy prices to go up? It isn’t btw. Nothing wrong with helping people with some money, it doesn’t have to come from a windfall tax specifically. These companies will be paying a lot more tax this year anyway, that’s how the system works. For all companies. They are investing in renewables to appear greener, but now we’ve changed tack and are demanding they invest in fossil fuels again because of painful fossil fuel prices. We’re flipflopping all over the place. Oh, and what’s DD got to do with owt? The DD means you get a lower price than you otherwise would, that’s how it’s priced.
 
Just been checking this myself

It’s the meter profile class that matters.

Thankfully the farmhouse here is class 1. The farm meters are classed as non-domestic (3 and 4).

There is an MPAN number on your bill. The first digit after the S tells you the profile class. It needs to be a 1 or a 2 to be domestic.


Both import and export MPANs start with 22000.
So we’ll see.
Did someone mention oil? 🙄

I've just downloaded the latest bill.
MPAN is not noted on it, (and they are correct btw, starting with 22) but after the S on the invoice is a 3.

So as I suspected, we are on a small business tariff. Not domestic.

The farm, farmhouse and cottage supplies are mainly solar, (f/house has a battery) but all go through the same HH metering import / export meter. So I don't think this 'household' will qualify for Sunak's £400 - despite the vivid headlines.
 

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
Populism and needing a populist policy to distract from partygate, imho they've backed themselves into a corner created by their own incompetance. Also they don't want to irritate their banking chums
Well quite. It’s an easy tap in for them. Thing is, they should be above mindnumbingly easy cop out solutions. I believe they’ve stated that some of the money will come from the windfall tax and the rest from borrowing. So no mention of the increased VAT receipts then….
 

puppet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
sw scotland
You think it’s only war that’s caused energy prices to go up? It isn’t btw. Nothing wrong with helping people with some money, it doesn’t have to come from a windfall tax specifically. These companies will be paying a lot more tax this year anyway, that’s how the system works. For all companies. They are investing in renewables to appear greener, but now we’ve changed tack and are demanding they invest in fossil fuels again because of painful fossil fuel prices. We’re flipflopping all over the place. Oh, and what’s DD got to do with owt? The DD means you get a lower price than you otherwise would, that’s how it’s priced.
They will be paying more tax but will also make massive profits - which is partly provided by me.
You are correct that the over-estimated DD is not directly related but is part of how they raise money in advance. A senior exec was quoted that they were printing money this year.
I would add that my opinion is coloured when you get an electricity bill for £3000 for a 2 bedroom flat with gas central heating and they threaten you with all sorts of consequences including debt collectors before finally accepting 6 months later that the reading was wrong and it was only £150.
 

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
They will be paying more tax but will also make massive profits - which is partly provided by me.
You are correct that the over-estimated DD is not directly related but is part of how they raise money in advance. A senior exec was quoted that they were printing money this year.
I would add that my opinion is coloured when you get an electricity bill for £3000 for a 2 bedroom flat with gas central heating and they threaten you with all sorts of consequences including debt collectors before finally accepting 6 months later that the reading was wrong and it was only £150.
I do sympathise, but that's not the oil/gas company, that’s the supply company. Most of us have had fun and games with those highwaymen. I get the anger but that’s why it’s such a popular policy among people looking for easy answers and quick fixes rather than long-term sensible policies. Call me a dreamer but a little part of me wants good policies rather than vote-winning policies. I realise I’m swimming against the tide…
 

puppet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
sw scotland
I do sympathise, but that's not the oil/gas company, that’s the supply company. Most of us have had fun and games with those highwaymen. I get the anger but that’s why it’s such a popular policy among people looking for easy answers and quick fixes rather than long-term sensible policies. Call me a dreamer but a little part of me wants good policies rather than vote-winning policies. I realise I’m swimming against the tide…
I take your points but in our case it was Scottish Power who also generate a lot of electricity. Anyway, should have claimed hundreds in wated time, letters, etc but they wear you down with their inertia
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.2%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.8%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,287
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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