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Liverpool has beaten Glasgow to host the Eurovision song contest next year
I know,
who gives a F*ck !!!

 

The Italians

 

Smart meters are bad, very bad. They can switch you to PAYG without your consent.

How homes with smart meters are being moved to pay as you go plans without their consent and plunged into darkness - by REMOTE CONTROL

• Privacy war breaks out as suppliers move customers onto PAYG plans remotely
• Move puts them at risk of blackouts if they cannot afford to top-up their balance
• Households are being left in the dark and without heating for weeks at a time
• Firms accused of pushing smart meters to make it easier to disconnect homes
• Some 500 customers believed to have been put on prepayment plans this year

PUBLISHED: 21:50 GMT, 22 November 2022 | UPDATED: 09:06 GMT, 23 November 2022

Lisa Bonner was getting ready for the school run on a crisp morning two months ago when an email from her energy supplier popped up on her phone.

The message sent her into a panic. EDF was writing to inform her that the supply to her three-bedroom semi had been switched to a so-called prepayment meter.

That meant from then on, the mother of three and her husband Nick, 51, would have to keep their account topped-up at all times — or their power might be cut off suddenly.



Threat: The widespread adoption of smart meters means companies no longer have to come face-to-face with the people they are cutting off

Not only that, but their bills were likely to be even higher because the pay-as-you-go prepayment tariff would be pricier than their old one.

The worst part? The 45-year-old, who is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, hadn't given EDF her permission for the switch.

The firm was able to take matters into its own hands because Lisa had agreed to install a smart meter in her home six months previously.

Thanks to the high-tech devices — which show your energy usage in real time and send meter readings automatically to suppliers — energy firms can switch customers on to different tariffs remotely.

And, crucially, if a household does not pay, gets into debt or fails to pay bills on time, the supplier can use a smart meter to turn off their power. All it takes is the click of a button in an office hundreds of miles away.

By the end of this winter, consumer charity Citizens Advice estimates 180,000 households will have been switched to prepayment plans via their smart meter.

Suppliers say they are doing this to stop families running up large debts. The average dual-fuel energy bill has risen to £2,500 a year — or more than £200 a month — and many families are expected to struggle to keep up payments.

While moving customers to prepayment meters could help them manage their outgoings, it will also make homes vulnerable to being cut off.

In simple terms, that means the risk of blackouts if they cannot afford to top-up their account balance regularly.

In the industry, switching customers onto prepayment plans is confusingly referred to as 'self-disconnection'.

Citizens Advice says it has heard from 500 people who have been pushed onto prepayment meters this year — a 158 per cent rise on the same period in 2021.

In one case, a single mother with a young baby was moved remotely onto a prepayment plan while on maternity leave.

It meant she could not even boil the kettle to make bottles for her child and spent the night in the dark.



Hidden agenda: Providers are now being accused of pushing smart meters onto homes as it makes it easier to disconnect them

Some households have already been left without lights and heating for weeks at a time, according to regulator Ofgem.

An Ofgem spokesman says: 'In extreme cases the reports we've received suggest this has led to some vulnerable customers being left without power for days or even weeks. This is completely unacceptable.'

Prepayment energy plans mean that customers have to top up their accounts themselves when their balance runs low.

With a smart meter, this is online via an app. Or households can use a prepayment keycard which can be topped up in post offices and PayPoint zones, often located in newsagents. The tariffs are more expensive, too.

Prepayment customers will spend an estimated £258 more on their energy this winter than someone paying by direct debit, according to research from Citizens Advice.

Prepayment meter switch no longer done face-to-face
In the past, suppliers had to send staff round to a customer's house if they were in debt and the company wanted to change their payment plan.

But the widespread adoption of smart meters means firms no longer have to come face-to-face with the people that they are cutting off.

Firms typically try to move customers to prepayment plans only once they have fallen into debt on their accounts set up with a direct debit, and the supplier is struggling to get payment.

I couldn't believe EDF was able to switch my account without my consent. I don't know if we'll be able to put the heating on now
However, rules set by Ofgem stipulate households must consent to the switch.

Lisa says that she had fallen into around £300 of debt on her energy account.

About a month before the switch to a prepayment meter, EDF cancelled her direct debit.

Although Lisa — whose children Fiona, seven, Madison, ten, and 12-year-old India all live at the family home — says she never consented to the change, EDF insists it sent her a warning letter about moving the account to a prepayment tariff.

'I couldn't believe EDF was able to switch my account without my consent,' she says.

'I don't know if we'll be able to put the heating on now.'

Earlier this month Ofgem wrote to suppliers warning that it had heard of 'alarming' cases where customers were not being consulted over these switches.



Bigger bills: Prepayment customers will spend an estimated £258 more on their energy this winter than someone paying by direct debit, according to Citizens Advice

Ofgem would not say how it would be taking action against firms breaking its rules.

Lisa's cancer diagnosis should have flagged her up as being a 'vulnerable' customer — meaning more protections should have been in place before a supplier shut off the power to her house.

EDF says it was unaware of Lisa's illness, and insists her account was moved only as a last resort.

It notified her in August that her direct debit was being cancelled and says it sent several emails telling her how she could access support.

The company says it first sent a letter explaining its intention to push her onto a prepayment plan and she had a week to respond — which she failed to do.

She then had a further 14-day 'non-disconnection' period during which she could query her new plan.

But Lisa insists she had tried to call EDF to discuss her options before the company disconnected her.

If I was ever in a situation where I might not be able to afford my energy bills I would not touch a smart meter with a barge pole
Data expert Nick Hunn
EDF accepts a call took place but says a resolution was not found at the time.

She says: 'I have three girls, I'm now in a position where we might not be able to put the heating on.

'If it gets to the last week of the month and we're running low, I might not have a spare £10 to top the meter up.'

Some 29.5 million smart meters have been fitted in homes and small businesses across Britain.

They were sold to customers as a way to ensure that their bills were accurate by recording households' energy usage in real time.

No mention has ever been made in publicity for the meters, that they can be used to cut families' gas and electricity off remotely.

Data expert Nick Hunn, who runs technology consultancy WiFore, says that the situation is very worrying for consumers.

He adds: 'Smart meters effectively give suppliers a button they can press to disconnect customers without having to send anybody round.

'If I was ever in a situation where I might not be able to afford my energy bills I would not touch a smart meter with a barge pole.

'When smart meters first started to be rolled out, the idea they could remotely disconnect households was always on suppliers' minds.'

A Smart Energy GB spokesman says: 'Suppliers should be following strict rules set by Ofgem, including offering ways to help customers repay money they owe.

'And they can only switch a meter to prepay mode where it is safe to do so.

'These rules apply whatever kind of meter you have.'

According to Ofgem rules, a supplier can only move you onto a prepayment meter as a last resort if your account has unpaid debt. However, it must write to you explaining that you have 28 days in which to pay off the arrears.

After that, it is able to write to you informing you that you are being moved to a prepayment meter.

But they must give seven days' formal notice for a gas meter and seven working days' notice for an electric one.

Suppliers cannot, however, force vulnerable customers — for example, those over the state pension age or those with children under five — to have a prepayment meter installed.

Once the debt has been repaid, customers can ask their energy supplier to be moved back onto a direct-debit account.

 

Probably before, but this Black Friday *.

I remember when it was really good and there was some really good deals, especially on console gaming, now its fkn pish.

There's no real deals that aren't already normal through the year.

 

it’s been the same as always, sometimes the thing that we wants discounted and ye think * Black Friday was good that year.

There are deals that ye can get, but it’s only notable when you’ve been thinking to get something then ye get a score off it.

 

I learned my house was freezing because of air leaks so went on a mission to find them.

1. front and back door keyholes

2. sockets around house with nothing plugged in were drafty.

3. air vents around outside of house. worst culprit imo

no wonder my house was cold anyways sorted now will unsort them when cold snap goes away.

 

engerland are still * at fitba

 

There are still some decent things, got some really good prices on toys for my son and niece for Christmas but never the really good scores you used to get. Thing is people will still believe in these amazing deals and upgrade on a TV thinking they're doing well.

 

Just realised that Bobby Lennox and Willie Wallace are the only 2 surviving Lisbon Lions who are also “World Champions “.
The other 2 Lions who were also “ World Champions” were the Late Great Tommy Gemmell and the Late Great Ronnie Simpson.

 

Since their founding and as of the hun match this weekend Celtic will have played 6538 competitive matches in all competitions.

500th match - 22/10/1904 - Away win against Third Lanark - W 2-1 - Scorer Jimmy Quinn (2)
1000th match - 19/2/1916 - Away win against Queens Park - 1-0 - Scorer Willie Gallagher
1500th match - 22/1/1927 - Away draw with Queen of the South - 0-0
2000th match - 24/4/1937 - Away win against Aberdeen - 2-1 Scorers Crum and J Gallagher
2500th match - 4/12/1948 - Away win against Partick Thistle - 2-1 - Scorers - J Gallagher and J Weir
3000th match - 4/4/1959 - Away loss to St Mirren - 0-4
3500th match - 31/8/1968 - Away win against Partick Thistle - 6-1 Scorers Lennox (5), OG
4000th match - 13/3/1977 - Home win against Queen of the South - 5-1 Scorers Glavin (3), Craig, Dalglish
4500th match - 20/9/1986 - Home win against Hibernian - 5-1 - Scorers McClair(2), McStay, Johnston, McInally
5000th match - 20/4/1996 - Home win against Falkirk - 4-0 Scorers - Thom (2), Cadete, Donnolly
5500th match - 18/12/2005 - Away draw to ICT - 1-1 Scorer Hartson
6000th match - 22/2/2015 - Home win against Hamilton - 4-0 Scorers Kommons (2), Johansen, Guidetti
6500th match - 22/10/2023 - Away win against Hearts - 4-1 Scorers O’Riley, Maeda, Furuhashi, Iwata.

 

Caulk or silicone around all your floors, skirting. Any cracks you have in the house no matter how small they are, fill them. Around your attic door . Around every window and door. Around and under your window boards, lights, sockets. Around your bath and shower. Behind toilets. Around bottom of pipework below rads. Letter boxes etc... You will be surprised at how much heat your losing from air leaks in your home. For an example, blow up a balloon with one pin hole in it. Time how long it takes for it to deflate. Now put 100 pin holes in it and blow it up and see how long it takes. This is similar to the heat in your home escaping! Another example, when your in the bath, put your feet up near the bath taps. Get someone to open your front door and feel the rush of air around the bath this is the heat exalarated getting sucked from your home. It's not just about insulating your home. The air leaks need sorted aswell and is very important to get it right. .

 

Don’t go too mad tho, unless it’s a really old house. A house still needs natural ventilation.

I don’t know the proper air calculation but remember working on a new house about 10years ago. It required an air test which needed to be between 91-93% air tight.

 

Just found out that my written off car has just got a new MOT.

 

You won't be able to fully close them all off. It will still find it's way in and out but best to limit as much as possible.

New houses though are fully air tight. The amount of seals and vapor barriers in new houses is crazy. One I know off, the owners got the house fully skimmed, floors poured etc, second fix electrics. Let it dry out and left the house for 6 months untill they went away working to get few quid to finish it. Opened up the house 6 moths later and the whole house was black inside with mould! Thsts how much the house was air tight.

 

Yeah pretty much going to be standard practice , Passive Haus and schemes like that will be the new norm. Some of better housebuilders can get a house wind and watertight from slab in two days now.

Been to a few sessions clarifying the energy savings and its pretty * impressive mate.

 

Yeah definitely impressive. The homes of the future will be zero carbon houses. Passive houses. Expensive to build but worth it in the long term. Even A rated houses are impressive but they can be expensive to run with the high energy costs now. You've to heat every room all day even when no one is home which can add up with them heat pumps running. Atleast with the passive houses, they generate all the heat themselves. Some can even export the extra energy it creates back onto the grid.

 

I learned today that nearby there a convenience store that also sells £5 & £10 bags of weed over the counter with your milk etc apparently they’ve been bust 2/3 times in two years but just don’t care and get on with it, quality service.

 

Step -daughter, at time of this was a PCSO with Thames Valley Police in Reading.
S
My wife was giving her a lift home when they stopped at traffic lights on outside lane. Inside lane was left turn only.
Woman pulled up alongside them.
Step daughter noticed woman was on phone.
Step daughter said to my wife “watch this “
She wound down her window reached over and tapped on other car window.
As woman looked over, step daughter with a smirk slowly pulled out her warrant card and showed it to the woman.
Woman panicked shouted Oh * and drove off.
Wife and step daughter were in stitches

 

My brother in law is crap at oiling decks, although quite good at charging me for it.

 

You can buy lab grown diamonds that are exactly the same quality as mined diamonds. They take a couple of weeks to make as opposed to millions of years that real diamonds take to make, and without the obvious other problems with diamond mining.