The Real Cost of EU Climate Religion To British Families

Yesterday my heating stopped working.  After kicking the boiler several times and twiddling with several knobs, I put on more socks and 2 more jumpers and hoped it would start working by itself.  It wasn’t as painful as it sounds, because I was sat on the floor in the kitchen which has under floor heating which was working.  Anyway, it did start working by itself which pleased me greatly.

Then I read something that someone had tweeted on twitter.  The basic premise of the tweet was that unemployed people, like pensioners, should get a cold weather fuel payment.  Although I fundamentally disagree with this, I think maybe disabled people should be considered for one, but I digress. 

What I did start considering was the cost of fuel.

As I write this, as the global warming that has been snowing all over Europe bites hard, people will be cranking up their heating.  More layers will be worn, and families all over Britain will be telling their elderly relatives not to worry about the cost, just keep themselves warm.

Looking back over the past week in the news, specifically Chris Huhne’s announcement there will be a huge shake up in the energy market that could add more than £500 per year to the average bill.  This is caused by the Government’s insistence on promoting the high cost low carbon energy producing methods such as nuclear, and yes, wind farms.

Chris Huhne also illustrated his commitment to AGW  by a proposal to tax energy firms on the amount of CO2 they produce. This will create a “floor price” for carbon which will to assure the financiers that clean industry will make profit.

Regular readers of this blog will be aware of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme,  which Aardvark wrote:

“This well kept secret is costing us £3 billion pounds per year, that’s about £117 per household on our energy bills.

When the cost of the trading scheme is added to the Renewables Obligation then the average cost on each electricity bill is 14% of the total.

The cost falls disproportionally on the elderly and business, both large users of electricity, both can ill afford increased costs in the current recession”.

For all that, it is pretty ineffective at cutting emissions. Prominent environmentalists and energy companies have called for a floor on the price, as it keeps collapsing. That would bring into question the whole point of the trading scheme. The volatility of the price both makes it that bit harder for families and businesses to manage their budgets and weakens the incentive to invest in cutting emissions.”

So – more money going there then….

And we worry about more families being in fuel poverty. Surely a reduction of, say £117 pa, would go somewhere toward that?…

The Government has to adhere to the EUSSR’s Diktat of having at least 15% of fuel coming from renewable sources by 2020.

This is from the current rate of 3% renewable energy sources.  An achievement which totally ignores any economic implications of this rushed timetable.

This potential additional fuel cost, at the expense of business and families, and agreed by Labour in 2008 is unaffordable.  But, I hear you say, most things proposed by Labour were unaffordable.  Yes – there are insufficient funds, but we’ll do it anyway, we are in charge!

Hmm.  I see a running theme with the EUSSR.

So why not get out of Europe?

I mean, if families choose less costs to Europe or Withdrawal from Europe, I know what the result would be.

Maybe the Government knows something that Hitler didn’t in 1941 which is not to fight a war on two fronts, and deal with the mess at home first and then move on the mess that is Europe after.

I hope so, because I don’t want to be wearing more and more jumpers as this mini ice age Anthropogenic Global Warming continues and my heating bill rockets, all the while marching to the tune of Ode to Joy.