swingingchain

Domestic Energy: Introduction: There has never been such an occurrence where the ideology of groupthink has been more misconstrued than the supply of Domestic Energy. Girthed in mystery, it has become a law onto itself, alienating the very person it relies on; the Consumer, who, with lack of plausible information, is often driven into the pens of Switchers’. Does gas supplied by EDF give more warmth than SSE, or the Cooperative’s electricity heats a pan faster than British Gas no’ in reality they are two products, each of a standard consistency distributed direct to the end user, so why the problem? My Experience: Advised by my local Council I agreed to purchase energy from their recommended Supplier, a worthwhile twelve month contract. On completion I was offered a less lucrative one, of which, if not taken they would transfer my account to their basic Standard Variable Tariff. I realised I had been spoofed, so I changed my supplier. Unfortunately many of my fellow consumers. Who experienced similar problems, took no action retreating into a culture of can’t be bothered constantly moaning about the cost of energy and the problems of switching……………To identify the cheapest Twelve Month Tariff for gas and electricity, either in single or dual, I use a self-adjusting League Table which mathematically combine together my annual kWh usage and individual supplier’s Standing and Unit charges. This useful tool brushes away the dogma, allowing me to make informative decisions on my energy supply. Previous Events: Throughout the existence of Privatisation, the UK energy market has been manipulated to maintain ambiguity. From the onset the Government and Suppliers knew the original concept of privatisation was flawed. Complete clarity would devalue tariffs until all become equal, resulting in cheap energy vulnerable to abuse, creating a catastrophic demand, unachievable by the Suppliers. So what is the answer? State Ownership’ [previously tried and failed]. Those of us who are old enough to have experienced the torrid years of ‘Winters of Discontent and a three day working week’ would never wish it upon present times. Sadly the whole episode was created by weak management and the power of the Unions, the total period was a complete disaster. Comment: As a Consumer I am deeply concerned about the vague and disruptive way Suppliers and the Regulator 'Ofgem’ handle my energy account, both with an attitude of “I hide you seek”. Therefore to conclude, through their unhelpfulness these organisations have encouraged me into the thoughts of mistrust, mistrust that must be replaced by reassurance; Why should I grovel through the informational malaise provided by Suppliers or, even indirectly pay others to do the work? Time is long overdue to correct the situation; in my mind I have one thought. Tear up the Rulebook and reconstruct the UK, s Domestic Energy Supply to accommodate the Consumer.

The Lament of an Eighty One Year Old. Organisations that trumpet their virtues of being conscious of, and helpful to, the aged person, fall short of their ideology highlighted in my quest for sustaining mental agility in my final years. The problem I have, Dyslexia also known as Word Blindness, I prefer the latter or even a lesser pronunciation, Parallel Thinking. This infliction can often be stimulating; by forcing the individual to be less insular which in my case may be true. I come from a rare breed, not necessary living life to the full, (although, I admit I did a bit in the past) but to try with all that’s within me, to live and enjoy life to the end. A lifetime of experience, can amass a shedload of ideas, some worthy some less worthy, often I consider, pressing my inner delete button and get rid of them, or stand the embarrassment and reveal all? Well, for my sins I chose the latter, but unfortunately with no success. You may conclude that I have employed little effort in my quest for recognition, but believe me I have. Many doors I have tried, but lacking the combinations, I have failed every time. Is it wrong for a man of my years to be snuffed out, when just trying to aspire to life’s aspirations and fill the crock of time with what I have gathered along the way? A “Swinging Chain” means-Warm Seat; The legendary connotation of foreseeing a situation.