1) Noticed how you cannot easily find a tariff without “standing charges” anymore? Even if you use ZERO electricity or gas, they’re going to wrestle the money out of your hands anyway. How does that reward those who cut consumption to save energy and CO2?

2) In comparison sites, stop the “you can save £x a year” nonsense and display the cost per KWh or Unit. That way, you can compare the rate on your bill with other rates, rather than an “estimated” amount of fuel that you might or might not use in a year.

Most energy sites I visit don’t make it easy to find out the unti price of their products – they know that it would open their savings claims to greater scrutiny.

3) They tell you that they want you to be energy-efficient and that savings can be made if you cut down on use. But we all know that the more you cut down, the more they put up the price. Recent gas rises of 18% or so negate even a 20% saving on use that you made during the year. Nonsense. There comes a time when you cannot use any less than you already do.

4) I’m regularly in Europe and their KWh and gas unit prices are lower than ours. One suspects that the German and French companies that control our energy industry are keeping their domestic markets happy with lower fuel charges at UK consumers’ expenses. They can do this because OFGEM is toothless and never acts on behalf of t5he consumer, preferring to believe the stories spouted out by the power companies as to why such huge increases are necessary.

5) I PROPOSE: the creation of an “essential energy package”, calculated by cleverer minds than mine and legislate that the companies have to supply that amount of energy at that rate. For example, a typical essential may be a fridge, 10 minutes use of a kettle every day, 1 hours use of a cooker, 2 clothes washes a week, 10 low energy lightbulbs for 14 hours every day and a enough gas or electricity for 10 showers a week. Calculate the use and the power companies have to provide that amount of energy at a reduced rate and without the ridiculous 10 government “green” energy levy. Any more than that can be regarded as a luxury and treated as they do the whole lot at the moment. It may not be the essentials for everyone and more than essential for others, buy this would allow most lower-paid families to at least be sure that they would be warm, fed and clean all year at affordable cost – any excess used on TV, computer, outside lights, etc, falls outside the essential energy package and is thus charged at the higher rate.

Yes, no doubt that Greens will bleat away about CO2 and global warming, but in my view, if that’s the important thing, then REWARD those who cut consumption rather than raise prices and re-introduce standing charges to punish them. And don’t impoverish society by denying them energy use through high profit tariffs on even essential use.

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