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UK power prices have risen a lot -- that will cause consumers and businesses to reduce energy usage.

• that_guy_iain 4y ago
  The prices are just forcing some companies out of business not to reduce their energy usage. While some may invest in reducing their energy usage the reality is, many small businesses literally won't be able to afford to reduce their energy bill as the changes will require an up front investment. Larger companies most likely will just pass the cost on to consumers and keep on going. The average home owner probably won't be able to afford a changing their fridge, their washing machine, their tv, etc. It'll be a case of turn off the heating during winter.
• makomk 4y ago
  Our government has come up with a solution though - they'll cap consumer energy prices at the current below-market rate and subsidise businesses, and pay for the cost of doing it by running up a debt repaid over the next decade or two. Basically, we can continue using energy as before and will pay for it later - yay! The unfortunate thing is that it was basically politically untenable for them not to do this. In the run up to the announcement (basically a u-turn) there was a steady drumbeat of news headlines and articles telling us that they were driving everyone into poverty by not capping energy rates, that it was destroying businesses and no-one could afford it, that the rest of Europe was doing this and only our incompetent leaders were failing to do so because they wanted us to freeze, and so on.