to Energy4All

Dear Annette, Tammy and friends.

"... amidst the biggest drop in living standards since records began."  (Radio 4, 'Today', at 0810 hrs this morning)

We are near the start of fast-rising energy prices, yet a most inadequate response from the Chancellor, yesterday.  On the 'Today' programme, this morning, Sarah a mother of two and single, living near me in Sandwell was interviewed.  She ran out of money and turned to a food bank.  It was a choice of putting the heating on or "feed my kids or put gas on and I had to put gas on and not feed them."  She said that her gas and electricity bills came to £65 per week.  Sarah's benefits will rise next month but by 3% when inflation heads to 9% by the end of the year, according to the forecast from the independent Office of Budget Responsibility.  In October, average energy bills are expected to rise to nearly £3,000 per year.  The Resolution Foundation think tank says that 1.3 million people will be below the poverty line by next year in the UK.

Yet, on Tuesday evening at the M&S Energy Society AGM, I thought I heard that no community benefit has been paid, as yet and that M&S stores are using the solar electricity.  In other words, we are helping the shareholders of M&S rather than the local community.  Have I got that right, Annette?  At another AGM, we are helping local clubs/societies and schools with the community payout.  Should we not be helping those with the lowest income and the highest energy bills in the local community by having extensive and large-scale insulation and, PV arrays installed?

Yesterday, on the Jeremy Vine Show, he spoke to Nicki from Bristol who told us that she is on Universal Credit which means she is "at the bottom of the pile financially and in the lowest socio-economic group".  She has found that the government is very tight on who gets their money but is "errant in how much they payout."  She said that she is on benefit of £355 per month but that from April, Octopus Energy is wanting £409 per month for supplying her with energy.  She is well and truly snookered.

We are meant to be showing empathy or solidarity with the people of Ukraine by cutting back on gas and electricity as our non-violent resistance to horrifying Russian aggression.  My wife, Linda and I switched of our gas central heating on the 7 March and, from now on, we are relying on solar electricity and battery storage to heat only the room we sit in.  It's called localised heating and is thanks to energy efficient Herschel infrared heating panels.  Linda is using gas for personal washing and showers but I'm boiling up water with solar electricity from our roof for personal washing and for washing up the dishes.  Electric induction cooking, too.

Precious minerals for batteries linked to PV is far more important for daily living than for swanning around in electric cars when buses and trains are available.

Is there any way whereby the community benefit can be given to food banks or to those on Universal Credit who own their own property to insulate them and to give them solar PV?  I think we each have to act, irrespective of laggardly, uninterested, uncaring local, regional and national governments.

What can be done do you think, yourselves, please?

Many thanks for all your so essential and wonderful work on our behalf to cut finite fossil fuels and to expand renewables.

Tim