Say, did any of you hear a mention on the radio yesterday that the ESB are going to CHARGE/FINE people for low usage of electricity? I thought I heard it in passing, but was so unrelentingly flat-out yesterday I forgot about it and can’t actually locate a story about it today.
Is it true?
Or was I hearing things?
And if I was not hearing things…
WTF?
How can a company – that makes a profit– CHARGE people extra for NOT using much of its product?
February 28, 2012 at 11:55 am |
Hold on, hold on, are you surprised? Really?? Allow moi, THE ESB, the Esb is in close competition with NAMA to take home the ILIKETOFUCKTAXPAYERSANDI’MNOTSORRY award. Glorified civil servants, when its turnover exceeded 3bn they only reported profits of 340 million. The fact the McManus earns 750k a year and that staff have enjoyed year on year 3.5% pay rises, bolstered pension funds along with 55%discounts on electricity bills may explain the staggering difference. However, whilst we may be able to explain the daylight robbery we will never be able to justify it. Not least when we pay the highest energy rates in Europe, when on average up to 9,000 struggling families are being cut of monthly or when despite the smoke screens there is no real deregulation in the energy market. Familiarize yourself with candle light dear.
February 28, 2012 at 1:31 pm |
My ESB bill seems to be getting bigger ever time I open one. HOWEVER, how can it be legal to charge people for NOT using much of your product??
February 28, 2012 at 2:14 pm |
Stupid small screen and tubby fingers..I posted under yesterdays post. Sorry.
February 28, 2012 at 3:17 pm |
Oh ye of little common sense who think that reducing electricity usage (“Turn off… etc etc”) is a good thing!! Or who think that just because your premises had ESB installation 80 years ago that you’ve actually paid for it by now??!!!
No no no, you see, if you have power coming into your premises then it costs the ESB if you’re not using it. Oh yes, it’s one of those counter-intuitive thingys. Because when you’re fattening a state agency for privatisation then it’s really got to be F A T, and dripping with profit potential. When that day comes the network will have to earn its own keep so we’d better start paying extra for it before we break up the business to flog it.
The same is happening with the water supply – step 1: set up a state agency for water, taking responsibility from local authorities; step 2: set a national household supply charge (irrespective of usage); step three: start a metering/billing system for all users; step 4: sell the state water agency to the highest bidder.
February 28, 2012 at 6:05 pm |
Much as I would love for Conan to be wrong I think he has it exactly right and we should also expect lots of blather about how infrastructure services have to recoup their costs.
February 28, 2012 at 6:47 pm |
what infrastructure? pipes so leaky that despite being in one of the most famously rain-sodden countries in the world, every year we have to put up with a hose-pipe ban?
February 28, 2012 at 9:17 pm |
I fear Conan is right. But I know the ESB network is in the same state as the water networks, that is completely under-invested in, ancient, and creaking at the seams. So yes it’s about building in a level of fixed charge that will allow both Esb and Irish water raise finance for capital investment. But it also makes our key state utilities ripe for the picking. These should be regulated for no profit but to allow a sustainable investment in keeping the networks modern. Its my opinion that both the ESB and councils have managed these assets just fine to date, just waiting to see who gets the big jobs on the Irish water board & management.
February 28, 2012 at 9:14 pm |
Exactly. I wonder how many days until the hose pipe ban comes into effect again.
Bah, of course Conan, and indeed Nonny, are correct. We’re being dragged kicking and screaming to the abyss.
I am FED UP OF EVERYTHING!
February 28, 2012 at 9:18 pm |
Wine? Pugs? You know you love em .
February 28, 2012 at 9:20 pm
You’re right. * Goes to pour glass immediately*
February 28, 2012 at 11:23 pm |
Have me a question, you ever see a cat pant after playing?
February 29, 2012 at 9:09 am |
No. Only time I ever saw one of the cats pant was in distress.
February 29, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Everything I have read online suggests its not normal but my husband thinks its mental to bring him to the vet. See it only happens after hyper crazy playtime but on the other hand he is only a baby (6mths) so he should be well able. Oh I am torn, i want to make sure he is ok but I don’t want the vet to think i am a weird.
February 29, 2012 at 4:06 pm
It’s your cat: I shouldn’t worry about what anyone else thought.
February 29, 2012 at 12:26 am |
It gives me no pleasure being right, and by the way, in case you didn’t know it already the household registration scheme is the main gambit for all of this.
If I could get off-grid entirely I would. It’s almost within reach. If I could get half an acre under fast-growing timber, increase the rain water holding capacity, and afford a household wind turbine I’d be 90% there.