Cost of living

gettingold2013

Just need to let off some steam 😤

We have 3 people in the house, 2 over 60, and on disability payment, for heart problems and our son with Autism. We live in a 200+ old cottage up a mountain, the only heating we have is an oil heater which our son has in his room, my husband has a blanket, and I use a hot water bottle. Our last bill for esb was over 600 euro. We have to have a car to get to town to get food, so our 20 euro we used to put in doesn't cover the miles that is used to. We will not be able to afford another bill from the ESB for 600 + so we look forward to the government heating discount.

Ok Rant over

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058232389/cost-of-living

I live on the side of a mountain, in a 200 year old cottage also and I hear you .

It's just been announced €200 rebate on your electricity bill coming in march/April and a one off payment of €125 for those in receipt of fuel allowance, payable in mid march . It might allievate some of the pain 🤔

amber2

But they are cutting public transport fares by 20% so that will huge help to you seeing as we have a magnificent rural transport infrastructure.

edit : you probably couldn’t even avail of the fibre broadband to book your seat if you tried in many rural areas, something they have been promising for probably 10+ years.

touts

Good news! The government have arranged for a 20% price cut on the Luas for you.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612428#Comment_118612428

Yes I noticed that , not much use to rural dwellers, Paschal being quizzed on that little nugget now

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612429#Comment_118612429

🤣🤣, what's a Luas 🤔 asking for all my neighbours 😁

gettingold2013

Lol, I need a car to drive to a bus stop, or I suppose could walk the 6 miles to it. Luckely we get the free travel, should we ever need to get the Luas

amber2

And you have to pay parking when you get to the bus stop or train station.

BorneTobyWilde

How can an electric bill be 600. Very high

touts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612438#Comment_118612438

Watching it now on RTE news. They are xxxxing dillusional. They have announced nothing for the average person. Pascal is waffling about the European Unemployment Rate being the lowest ever and how we have a robust recovery.

Bring back Tony Holohan and put him in charge. At least he knew how to take actions.

gettingold2013

Great that it has gone up to 200 euro, should help with the April bill. Hopefully the weather gets better, finding it very cold this year. One day government will realise that there are people out there that don't live in towns. No flashy high speed broadband, fibre, what is that, have to pay for a landline, that costs a fortune, haven't used it in 2 years but need it for emergencies incase our mobile phone goes down.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612438#Comment_118612438

Trouble ahead - one of the basics of measures like this is being seen to be fair. Do I detect the Greens hands in the public transport measure?

If so, they really know how to piss people off.

Yurt2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612467#Comment_118612467

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/european-commission-doubles-growth-forecast-for-irish-economy-1.4725846?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Feuropean-commission-doubles-growth-forecast-for-irish-economy-1.4725846

Comments like the above from Paschal frustrate no end. Our economy is set to report a 15% growth rate according to the Commission. You can't feed a family on GDP figures. We don't exist in aggregate like the Minister wants us to believe. We have a huge unacknowledged structural problem of a vast swathe of our economy working in low-wage employment (defined as 40% less than the median income I think). I can't be arsed digging out the figures, but we're among the worst in the EU for the percentage of the population in low-wage employment, and since Brexit, we're the worst in Western Europe on this metric by quite a margin. There's something amiss with the Irish economy.

SCOOP 64

Just seen what help people are getting, the €200 fuel rebate, fares reduce and bringing WFP increase forward but that's about it or have i missed something, ,disappointing

touts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612444#Comment_118612444

All Irish people have a Luas running outside their door. At least all the Irish people Eamonn Ryan gives a damn about.

touts

McGrath just said "we can't predict the future with certainity".

Well you don't have to be Nostradamus to predict that after tonights sh1tshow there will be fewer than 10 FF/FG TDs outside the M50 this time 2 years.

touts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612519#Comment_118612519

You missed nothing. Basically if you are not on welfare and not living in Dublin all the government are going to do for you is give the energy companies €200 for you.

So basically you missed nothing and you get nothing.

Multipass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612495#Comment_118612495

Meanwhile the daily parking in my nearest town has gone up from €5 to €6.50. No bus connection, the first 40 min of work each day is to pay the parking. Miserable.

angel eyes 2012

Drug payment scheme reduced to a cap of €80 per month. It was €144 per month only a number of years ago. As a cancer patient undergoing treatment this is a welcome development.

Couple of options for the OP. Switch energy provider, we did it and it was very straightforward with significant savings for the first year. There is also the option of attending the Community Welfare Officer but I appreciate this may not be a feasible option.

Best of luck anyway.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612467#Comment_118612467

I'm sure I heard Michael Mc Grath say 400k households will benefit from the fuel allowance bonus payment, given only one person in any household gets this is he seriously saying 400k homes in Ireland get fuel allowance, that can't be right.

But yes, they are completely deluded, our unemployment rate would be over 500k if they weren't still paying PUP and EWSS, and watch this space when those payments are withdrawn shorty.

A few days after announcing an €8 billion retrofit scheme few will be able to afford, now this 🙄

Few if any small businesses have been able to deal with legacy debts built up during the pandemic, there's a pile of economic shyte coming.

Nothing for renters, nothing for mortgage payers (Highest interest rates in Europe)

I'm greatful for the few bob towards my electric bill but not at all sure they've done enough.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612495#Comment_118612495

A bunch of clowns , Eamonn seems to think people will borrow 10's of thousands of euros to keep up with the Jones and have cosy homes .

It's already been disclosed the estimates used were based on prices from over a year ago, perhaps the greens don't understand what inflation is. Its now estimated at a minimum 70k will be required and the grant is not linked to inflation and capped at €23.5k approx. A Wonderful idea in principle, utterly unachievable, particularly if mortgage interest rates rise as is being suggested.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612676#Comment_118612676

I'm sorry about your illness and hopefully on the road to recovery 😏, I've a long term illness and have a full medical card for which I'm greatful.

Just re changing energy supplier, its not quite as beneficial as it once was. All suppliers have hiked prices, I went on to Bonkers and they essentially told me, I'd be Bonkers to change. Admittedly, I'm a low usage customer but government could have looked at the outrageous levies and standing charges. Rural customers actual pay a higher standing charge than urban customers, I actually pay more in levies and standing charges than I do for electricity.

cena

When is the rent coming in? Landlord is trying to put up the rent

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612558#Comment_118612558

In fairness, public transport doesn't work for everyone who lives in Dublin either. I can't use public transport to get me to work - it would take me 3 hours each way by the time I change buses a couple of times.

I'm not on welfare either, so all I'll get is the €200 towards the energy company as well.

kerryjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058232389/cost-of-living

You need to have a look at that ESB bill that's mad family of 6 here and I have an equiizer payment of 130 a month so I pay 130 a month for 12 months. No way should your bill be 300 a month.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612519#Comment_118612519

You've missed nothing I'm afraid, Renters , completely ignored and pretty much middle and low income earners.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058232389/cost-of-living

Does your son not receive any payment?

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612956#Comment_118612956

Your looking well @kerryjack 😁 yes the bill is a bit wild alright Albeit OP mentioned two people on disability so might be additional heating required/ medical equipment etc .

Purple Mountain

It always makes me sad/mad when I go to a southern European country like Spain and they don't even have chimneys in their homes.

They have zero heating bills and don't even need to use a tumble dryer to get clothes dry.

I was in a house share once with an Australian girl who thought we were asking her to contribute to buying olive oil when we told her the oil had run out!

There should be an EU hardship grant for northern countries to cover the absolute hardship of heating our homes and getting our clothes dry.

As someone who lives in a house 70 years old, this €200 is obviously welcome but will be swallowed up in one bill.

Perhaps the Government would like to acknowledge people like myself in rural Ireland who don't even have a water scheme to their home and who have to cover the cost of running a well pump in our monthly electricity bills.

We also don't have access to broadband so the reduction in public transport will have zero impact on my life because..well if we don't have water or broadband, we certainly don't have transport.

I'd love a government minister to come live in deep rural Ireland in an old house for a week and watch their disposable income disappear on electricity/briquettes/oil.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613017#Comment_118613017

I know a number of pensioner's who have worked it out that's is cheaper in the thousands for them to do a long term, off season rental on the canaries which they do from October to April , come home for Christmas for a week and back. Return to Ireland for summer. The cost of living , food, etc a fraction of what it costs in Ireland. Obviously it's not feasible for everyone but I'd definitely do it If I reach retirement age 😁

Purple Mountain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613059#Comment_118613059

Me too, if I can afford it then..but it's a long way off (thankfully!)

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613076#Comment_118613076

I'm not too long off , but don't tell anyone 😁

Chris_5339762

Its a great idea, but for health insurance and tax reasons it has to be less than 180 days in the year, and unless you're careful with your health insurance, no more than 90 days at a time.

If you plan it and do it carefully though, its great.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613146#Comment_118613146

I suspect that why people come back for a few weeks at Christmas, apart from the stuffed turkey and trimmings 😁

I always thought I might possibly do that, but have my cat at present.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613235#Comment_118613235

Indeed your wonderful cat must get priority 😏

If they made the expressway services free in the morning they would still struggle to fill them.

If you are commuting from rural Ireland there is very little on offer here.

Would it not make sense to offer a fuel related evidence based tax credit to those on less than 50k

DarkJager21

So I get 200e off an electricity bill that’s already about 300 too much, woop de **** doo. Yet again the people who work on the levels just outside the grants for heating etc get screwed again.

Drop some of that insane tax take you make off the pumps for a start, undo the MUP and tell Eamon and the rest of those leafy suburb climate bollixologists to **** off - no more carbon tax increases or any of that other “tax our way out of climate change” bullshit. Time for the kids to go to bed and the adults to start sorting **** out.

RandomViewer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613294#Comment_118613294

Maximum 4 hour parking anywhere near the bus station in Letterkenny

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613462#Comment_118613462

This is it. They should diminish bus eireann and use the money to run a very specific service from free car parks in local town to places of employment and study.

RandomViewer

Add €1000 to tax free allowances, make energy companies guarantee unit price for 12-24 months, allow 100hours overtime tax free each year, introduce flat motor tax rate of €400, do not gouge on the people who tax 3 months at a time.

Dempo1

Just watching the predicted row over this on the late debate, there's a clown from FF trying to defend the infensible, utterly clueless, essentially doesn't understand how the eligibility criteria for fuel allowance works and seems to think CWO at local intero centres wear a full time Halo and are deserving of sainthoods 🙄

Edit

Apologies its actually Fergus O Dowd TD FG making an ejit of himself

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613462#Comment_118613462

I propose, luas needs to be extended to Letterkenny 😁

RandomViewer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613557#Comment_118613557

What about Tory Island? Build a bridge from Magheraroarty pier so the Luas can reach them?

Shauna677

I'm thinking same thing. Maybe they had load estimate blds.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613572#Comment_118613572

A now steady on 🤣 there won't be much Punts left after 33 government ministers head off on their St Patrick's Junkets ,covering all corners of the Globe.

I'll say it again ..electricity is cheap ..even with all the hikes and we,ve had three or four hikes...it's the PSO levy ,vat and government taxes that drive it through the roof ...a person said already today that the vat rate needs to be lowered on everything for a year untill things settle...and to gettingold2013 ...there's something wrong with your bill.are u out of contract yet ''change provider.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613617#Comment_118613617

I agree, I mentioned this earlier, I've long being paying more in levies and standing charges than I do for actual electricity 👍

the_syco

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118612466#Comment_118612466

The electric "oil heater" is expensive to run.

OP, if you rent, look in the attic at the insulation, and see if you landlord will improve it. Government has increased the grant for insulation; https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/government-launches-the-national-retrofitting-scheme/#grants-equivalent-to-80-of-the-typical-cost-for-attic-and-cavity-wall-insulation

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613678#Comment_118613678

I'm sensing it's an owner occupier home and if it's like my 200 year old cottage (before I renovated it) this scheme will either require substantial borrowings or strict criteria attached for those in receipt of "Certain SW payments " to get 100% grant and all this aside from the possibility ,if it takes off (and I doubt it will) , a decade for retrofitters to get to them 🤔

the_syco

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118613706#Comment_118613706

If it's owner occupied, insulating the sons room would cut down on the electricity usage. Have seen a few places with no insulation in the attic, and it's a relatively cheap fix. Insulation roll (with plastic sheeting to keep it dry) would assist.