I don't pay by direct debit (I get a bill every quarter), so mine will be a shock in a few months, but I've not turned any heating on yet this year, just found out extra jumpers, and staying at work longer.

The electric company want me to have a smart meter, but given the issues with them and security, I'd rather stick with my outdated one!

Exactly the same here Crystal. It’s a choice of eating or heating for so many.

I’m paying 3 times as much for gas and electricity now than I did 1 year ago! And…..it’s to increase again in a few months. This time last year I was paying £50 per month and now they’re asking me to pay £149 despite me cutting back. It’s a dire situation here in the UK.

Unfortunately I inherited a smart meter when I bought this house otherwise I wouldn’t have one as I don’t like them.

I’ve read that suppliers are now disconnecting their supplies remotely to those with smart meters who cannot afford to pay!

I don't pay by direct debit (I get a bill every quarter), so mine will be a shock in a few months, but I've not turned any heating on yet this year, just found out extra jumpers, and staying at work longer.

The electric company want me to have a smart meter, but given the issues with them and security, I'd rather stick with my outdated one!

Here in the US folks are paying anywhere from $400 to $500 for 100 gals. Of heating oil. 100 gals. may last half way thru winter. Prices on everything else is up and now the railway system is planning on striking in a few weeks. It’s gonna get worse, and we can Thank the go green environmentalists and Joe Biden for all of this. The Green initiative is a big hoax . Nothing will ever come of it while nations like ours go broke fulfilling the conspiracy dreams and the pockets of big tech and the holier than thou liberal elites.

Although a bit expensive, and depending on how long 'half way through winter" is, it's still quite a lot cheaper than what many pay per month over here, which for some is also around $400. Not to get halfway through winter, but per month.

Maybe that's the difference between heating oil and gas for heating. It seems especially gas prices have gone through the roof, over here at least.

Average current gas price per 1m3 is E2,08 (Euro being same as dollars) while I still pay E0,67 per 1M3 with my fixed contract, which was already on the high side).

European gas reserves are low, partly due to the war as much gas normally comes from Russia.

I don't see the green energy as a hoax at all. I'm all for it. My electricity is 100% green. Most people have solar panels on their roofs, and there are many great new inventions to replace the large wind turbines and that also don't have the big impact on bird & fish life etc.

I don't see how that has anything to do with it really as it's not the cause of the mayhem.

I think it’s the root of the problem. The U.S. was the # 1 exporter of oil just a couple years s ago. Fuel prices and food prices were reasonable. What happened when Biden took office was he destroyed our energy independence and hurt the countries depending on the US for their energy. Now we are depending on our adversaries to supply us with energy. By energy I mean oil and gas which heats homes, cools homes, stores food, gets us back and forth to work or get medicine or food. Less fossils fuel’s coming out of the ground only hurts everyday life for everybody… good for you to have solar panels and wind turbines, but what happens if it’s cloudy for several days or no wind to turn your turbines. Green energy is no where near reliable enough for most people to change over to. And the production of batteries is far worse to the environment than a tank full of gas. In California they ask you to refrain from charging your e-car at certain times and plan on scheduled black outs. Stepping back into the Stone Age is what the going green initiative will accomplish . Blame it on the liberal tree huggers.

Maybe you are more oil-reliant. Over here most cook and heat with gas.
The Netherlands are importing more oil from the US as the US is pumping up more and more. But most we get from Russia, ANgola, Nigeria, Irak, Saudi-Arabia. But 1/3 from Russia.
That was until the war, not sure how that is going now.
The EU is also mostly relying on Russia for gas, again until the war.

Oil isn't used for heating here. We had that in the 60s and 70s when we also still used coal. I remember as a very young child having 1 oil heater and a huge coal heater. Coal was the most used at the time.
And then we all got gas so both oil & coal disappeared.

We have to get away from fossil fuels. We have natural gas up north but due to over-extracting it for decades there are earthquakes (go figure, here in The Netherlands!!) and severe damage to people's houses there as the soil is moving/collapsing.

Fossil fuel use is mostly related to greed, Western life-style which doesn't have any respect for the planet we live on, and power.
There are plenty of other ways to provide us with electricity and heating options and it's time we begin to switch over. Too many people are totally ignorant when it comes to pollution, the dire state nature and our planet is in, or if not ignorant don't give a toss.
Loads are for nuclear energy, and more and more plants are being built, incl. in the US. We already have some 450 worldwide, and more are in the making. A huge risk to the planet and with that our own survival and health.

As for "what if there's no wind?"... there is always wind!! And if not in your area then it can be transported to you from another more windy area.
Here people collect electricity with solar panels on their roof, and what they don't use of that themselves goes back to the utility company. You get PAID for that! So if you have good quality panels and a lot of them you even make money that way.
It's not like the wind actually has to blow or the sun to shine when you switch your lights on. It gets stored.
There are people like Ewan McGregor in California who doesn't even have electricity etc. from util. comp. He gets it all from his own solar & wind thingies. For the whole house which isn't small.

As for cloudy days... solar panels work BETTER on cloudy days! Please get informed so you know what is possible with all these technologies!
Cloudy days give more electricity than full sunny days.

Thank goodness technology is being improved and improved. So the solar panels get better, thinner, less of a risk for non=extinguishable fires.
There are a number of smaller wind turbines that do not affect nature / birds / fish etc. and that can be placed on a roof or even in a garden and STILL WORK!!
Just look on YouTube. You can see it all there.
The same will go for electric cars. First new invention can always be a bit tricky. But then they improve and make it better.

And then there are earth-heat-pumps which are used a lot in Scandinavia, very successfully.

If we want to survive, and not just us but also our kids, grandchildren, their children etc., we have to. And why not if it is cheaper and possible?

no sun provides more energy to solar panels than full sun. Lol… they should be called cloudy panels. Wtf. .. and good for Ewan McGreger whoever that is . Why would I give a damn about his opinion. People are so gullible now a days they would believe anything said by these so called environmentalists. Do you think China is interested in green initiatives or Russia or India. Why we waste billions for these policies that will do nothing to “ save the earth”, people are living and dying homeless, I don’t think these folk are laying awake in their box and thinking” I’m so glad Biden is saving the earth by taking $ I could use and spending it on great concept. The earth will be around well after civilization is gone. The real danger to life on earth comes from “leaders” like joe Biden. And their war monger attitudes. Ignorance and weakness is not a deterrent to war… and btw , how much do those panels pay back to you compared to what you paid for them. .. I know folks that play the lottery every week, and after spending several hundred they win a 100$ or 500$ scratch off and think they actually won. I hope you have plenty of sweaters this winter as said by our energy secretary ( just put on a extra sweater) . Real leadership there. Meanwhile my heat pump and wood stove will keep me warm this winter. Everyday and every night. And my gasoline truck will keep getting me around.

When I was married, I lived in a large house which was very rural so it couldn’t be connected to mains gas supply. The house had 16 rooms and had an air source heat pump and also had solar panels on the roof.

Air source heat pumps do not get switched off but keep working 24/7, 365 days a year. In summertime when it was hot, we just turned down the thermostats but never switched it off. The solar panels provided us with constant hot water (even through dark winter days) and the cost of heating the house 24/7 was only £25 per month. It was very economical to run and a lot of new houses are now being built with either air source heat pumps or ground source heat pumps. Our government hopes to phase out the use of gas boilers but not everyone can afford to install air source heat pumps as they cost around £10k to install.

Rural houses here mostly run on oil….usually stored in an ugly oil tank in their gardens which I think is now more expensive than gas.

When I left the marital home, I rented for 2 yrs and was shocked that I had to pay £75 per month for gas/electricity for a 2 bed house.

With the exception of the cost of gasoline per gallon, USD $3.39, I'm oblivious to the current
costs of basic utilities.

It's Florida, I bought a new camping trailer.
What can I say?

I pay lot rent.

Whatever. You are arguing for the sake of arguing and clearly don't know what you're talking about.
If you wish to stay ignorant that's up to you but then don't bother engaging in conversation about things you don't understand and don't want to learn about either as it's totally pointless.