Energy costs (again)

[Pondrew]

when you consider they pay much more tax than self employed people

Where did you get that idea?
I have been self employed for over 30 years and can assure you I have paid more than my fair share of taxes. Remember we have Class 2 and Class 4 NI. I have also never had a penny of pension conts from anyone, other than myself from my earnings.

A discussion on public and private sector employment rates is never going to end in agreement, especially with you Rob, as people like PVR and I look at it from the polar opposite viewpoint to you, for obvious reasons.

[Smartbear]

when you consider they pay much more tax than self employed people

Where did you get that idea?
I have been self employed for over 30 years and can assure you I have paid more than my fair share of taxes. Remember we have Class 2 and Class 4 NI. I have also never had a penny of pension conts from anyone, other than myself from my earnings.

A discussion on public and private sector employment rates is never going to end in agreement, especially with you Rob, as people like PVR and I look at it from the polar opposite viewpoint to you, for obvious reasons.

Merely responding to pvr who seems to delight in giving public sector workers a kicking, i never instigate this subject but like to address any obvious falsehoods that are bandied around.
As a paye tax payer we certainly don’t get the opportunity to offset any tax liability by producing receipts for traveling to work for example.
Pvr didn’t answer my question as to wether he considers nurses are overpaid either, he’s obviously got some kind of grudge about the workers doing these jobs.
Rob

[Pondrew]

Pvr didn’t answer my question as to wether he considers nurses are overpaid either

I will answer from my point of view if I may? Nurses (and most frontline NHS staff) should be paid a lot more IMO.
BUT then so should most in the private care sector; they generally are paid minimum wage for a job that most wouldn't do.

Of course if the NHS (and all public sectors) stopped overpaying by billions for out-sourced services and wasting public money on a daily basis the savings would mean all the frontline workers could be paid decently and everyone would be happy, except the people ripping off the NHS and making millions.
I went out to dinner with a mate who fabricates stainless parts for hospitals yesterday; he always tells me how he sees money being wasted just from his small side of it.

[MikeyH]

Pvr didn’t answer my question as to wether he considers nurses are overpaid either

I will answer from my point of view if I may? Nurses (and most frontline NHS staff) should be paid a lot more IMO.
BUT then so should most in the private care sector; they generally are paid minimum wage for a job that most wouldn't do.

Of course if the NHS (and all public sectors) stopped overpaying by billions for out-sourced services and wasting public money on a daily basis the savings would mean all the frontline workers could be paid decently and everyone would be happy, except the people ripping off the NHS and making millions.
I went out to dinner with a mate who fabricates stainless parts for hospitals yesterday; he always tells me how he sees money being wasted just from his small side of it.

Pvr didn’t answer my question as to wether he considers nurses are overpaid either

I will answer from my point of view if I may? Nurses (and most frontline NHS staff) should be paid a lot more IMO.
BUT then so should most in the private care sector; they generally are paid minimum wage for a job that most wouldn't do.

Of course if the NHS (and all public sectors) stopped overpaying by billions for out-sourced services and wasting public money on a daily basis the savings would mean all the frontline workers could be paid decently and everyone would be happy, except the people ripping off the NHS and making millions.
I went out to dinner with a mate who fabricates stainless parts for hospitals yesterday; he always tells me how he sees money being wasted just from his small side of it.

And of course the private sector home care workers have to pay for their own petrol.

[pvr]

Pay levels as such are fine, but not compared to the overpaid train drivers and “management” levels within the government sector.

Having written the interfaces between finance systems and Paymaster General (government “bank”), I visited most public sector and semi public sector departments across the UK. It certainly gave me an insight on what is (not) going on there.
So when I hear about strikes for pay, I do have my opinions having seen what is actually done and militant unions are not helping.

The recent HMRC reported home working effect made it very clear for who home working works and for who it doesn’t.

[ronk]

When inflation is high everyone feels they deserve / needs a wage increase - some have the muscle to makes their feelings heard - others don’t and they are the folk who will suffer.

Anyone remember the % + £ pay rise days ?

[Pondrew]

I think I have posted this before but anyway:
One of my wife's cousins is a train driver (national network based out of the big London stations; he lives in Sutton).
He used to be a London Bus driver; then had a 'suicide' whilst driving his bus. While he was off work (obviously!) on 'stress' leave someone told him that if he was a train driver and had a 'jumper' he would get much better recompense. So he went for it, did the training (paid for by employer) and became a train driver.
He is/was paid £65k a year basic, plus lots of other benefits; London weighting, considerable additional pay for long haul and staying away from home, overtime (which is guaranteed) huge percentage pension contributions (I think at least 15% pa from memory) plus some other benefits that I can't remember (which the union negotiated).

In real terms he is/was earning over £90k a year average, for sitting on a train and doing pretty much nothing! He said once that the hardest part of the job was keeping awake!

Just saying.

[ronk]

Almost as good as an MP’s pay package!

[Nanu]

I have had three jobs during my life time and all in the public sector, and currently part time on a fourth within the NHS. Never been sacked, leaving each as and when I chose. All well paid and certainly more than a similar role in the private sector.

Add to that, job security, expenses and fantastic pensions that the private sector can only dream of, and it all adds up to being much much better pay than the private sector. If you take all that into account, even nurses are well paid.

[Vornwend]

I've had 5 jobs in my lifetime - 3 in the private sector (retail and manufacturing) and 2 in the public sector (University and NHS). Private always seemed better paid on a like for like basis and better resourced. That said the public sector did offer much higher levels of job security, leave entitlement and really fantastic final salary pensions. Those are no longer on offer these days so I think that advantage has diminished somewhat.

If vacancy levels are anything to go by it seems clear that pay in the public sector needs to catch up.

Of course one of the main reasons people choose public sector employment is a desire to do something which directly benefits society but that should not be taken for granted.

[N4LLY]

Think my Economy 7 tariff is not "Economy"

First time i've felt the need to research

I presume you have some kind of electric 'storage' heating if you are on economy 7?
You could try only cooking and washing/ showering in the middle of the night, that may help!

Think my Economy 7 tariff is not "Economy"

First time i've felt the need to research

I presume you have some kind of electric 'storage' heating if you are on economy 7?
You could try only cooking and washing/ showering in the middle of the night, that may help!

Yeah, Storage heating for hot water.

Economy 7 price hike.

Dec' Day 50.83p per kWh / Night 8.77p per kWh

Jan' Day 57.37p / Night 7.71

No price Cap for me then

Oh and letter dropped through the door this morning, rent going up 12% When will it end ?

[pvr]

You need to get a battery with that difference between day and night. Charge it during the night and use the elec from the battery during the day.

https://www.deegesolar.co.uk/home_batte ... ar_panels/

Something like that

[Nanu]

For me it's not the electric that is the problem despite all in the house except heating is electric, its the price of the gas that hurts.

[pvr]

I had changed all the radiator valves a few years back to the Honeywell evo home ones which are all individually controlled by an App as well as schedules. That cut my heating bill by about 25% as I ensure that the lounge and other rooms not used during the day are set to 14c, and bring them up higher at around 6 pm or so. The same with the bedrooms and other rooms upstairs - they come on in the morning and evening but are off during the day.

[Nictrix]

Anybody thinking about air source heat pumps to replace boilers should do their research before buying.
A contractor who works beside us has one for his house, I think its a fair size house, 4 bedroom detached.
His electricity bill for December only was £800.