Sir, – A stubborn stance has been adopted by energy supply mammoths refusing to do the honourable thing, notwithstanding the bumper profit levels they are currently enjoying.
In the past week, I received formal notice of proposed increases from my TV/internet service provider and my mobile phone service supplier of the order of 8.78 per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively even though both are, as I understand it, annually renewable contracts whose terms have already been mutually agreed for the current year.
Can our politicians do no better than utter meaningless platitudes while turning a blind eye to what seems to be unchallengeable profit-grabbing behemoths behaving in a despicably opportunistic manner towards their customers in difficult times? – Yours, etc,
FRANK SLOWEY,
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Gorey,
Co Wexford.
Sir, – So we have all been advised that turning down our space-heating thermostats by one degree will (a) reduce fossil fuel consumption and (b) keep more money in our respective pockets. In my own case, consuming liquefied petroleum gas to heat my home and turning down my space heating thermostat by one degree, my liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumption has definitely reduced, confirming (a) above. However, since I’m now consuming less LPG, the supplier has changed the price band from €1.0974 per litre to €1.1645 per litre (including carbon tax and VAT) as a reward for my efforts, resulting in an increase of approximately 6.1 per cent, which clearly is not keeping more money in my pocket, negating (b) above.
The old adage “the house always wins” springs to mind. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN McNALLY,
Skerries,
Co Dublin.
