All hands to the pumps!

Motorists are finding the current increases in petrol/diesel prices a big drain on their income. I know to fill up my tank it is now costing well over €53 compared to €40 a year ago. The official statistics confirm this with diesel prices increasing a massive 65% in the last 4 years and petrol prices increasing by almost 40%.

Despite repeated calls from CAI and others to Government to do their bit by reducing either excise or VAT on petrol/diesel they have steadfastly refused to do so. The irony of course in all this is that high petrol/diesel prices are in the interests of Government because the higher the price the greater the amount of VAT revenue generated for the Exchequer.

However given the huge hole fuel costs are burning in all our incomes, it is not enough for Government to sit back and tell us to shop around, they have a duty to assist us in that regard. Therefore there are three things the should be doing (which I am calling Fuelwatch Ireland) to assist motorists with high fuel costs and to drive greater competition at the pumps! As a preface I want to say that I am in favour of measures to car journeys and oil dependency, but that cannot be achieved overnight and we all don't live within walking distance of public transport, so in the meantime something must be done.

It could consist of the following aspects.

A statutory fuel price database where all service stations in the state would be legally required to register their current prices so that consumers could check online where they could get the cheapest prices in their area. Fuelwatch Ireland would be based on the very successful fuelwatch database in Western Australia which is now being expanded across Australia. Legislation would be required to ensure all service stations comply with the scheme.

There are a number of websites already which provide information on petrol and diesel prices and those running these websites must be commended for the assistance and information they provide. However since there is no obligation on the stations to cooperate with these websites and they depend on information being sent in by motorists and in some cases the prices can be out of date. A statutory website would include all stations and would ensure that the information provided was up to date. Like the grocery price surveys, this would assist consumers to shop around and get the best price. It works very well in Australia, I cannot see any reason why it couldn't work here. It would be quick, easy and cheap to do.

I also think we need to investigate the price of fuel at the pump. I would really like to see the Government commission a study to investigate whether fuel prices in Ireland have increased in line with global prices or if price increases have surpassed global oil prices. Also would be useful to examine the extent to which price decreases have been passed onto the consumer at the pump as quickly as price increases appear to be. I have no evidence to indicate that price reductions are not being passed on, but given the significant fluctuations in price in the last year, it is important to make sure that the current volatile market situation is not being exploited further.

And finally I think we could assist motorists to maximize fuel efficiency when using their car which would be good not only for the pocket, but also kinder on the environment. I am not an expert on this, but the Government could develop and distribute practical information to all motorists on the national vehicle register on how they can reduce their fuel costs. All register vehicle owners could be sent a leaflet and this information could also be put online. While this leaflet would outline the options for reducing car use, it would also provide information on how motorists could reduce fuel use even while using their car. It would cover areas such as servicing, speed and driving patterns, tyre type etc where consumers could reduce their fuel use which we don't always think about in relation to reducing costs, well I don't anyhow. This could be easily done with the assistance of motoring experts.

Basically in my humble opinion it's time for the Government to do something to assist motorists given the high cost of fuel. They can't reduce the price of a barrel of oil, but they make a contribution and these proposals would go some way to allievate all our pain at the pumps!


Petrol protests Indonesian style!

Stop the Lights another ESB price increase!

Friday was a bad day for consumers following the announcement that the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) had sanctioned a 17.5% increase in electricity costs for domestic consumers. This is going to hit us all in the pockets as electricity is a cost most of us cannot do without, particularly as we face into the autumn and winter months. I know the increased cost may encourage some householders to cut back on unnecessary use of electricity, but in general we all need "the electric" to heat our homes and to use a range of modern conveniences. This increase will in particular hit those on low and fixed incomes, some will get support through the households benefits package but others will probably have to cut back and perhaps end up ill as the result of a lack of heating or will go into debt to meet these bills.

OK I acknowledge that utility prices were always likely to increase given the increase in oil and gas in recent months, but the manner and nature of the announcement were troubling from my perspective. It smacked of very co-ordinated news management between the regulator and regulated in my view and we were all softened up for the bad news well in advance. For months we have been "informed" that prices were going to increase massively, some figures of up to 30% were mentioned. A day before the announcement by CER, ESB held a news conference on their 2007 annual report were they pre-announced their decision to make a €300m rebate to relieve costs to consumers. Then a day later, CER comes out and says they are planning to sanction a 17.5% increase (although technically it the final decision will be made on July 18th) There was no consultation with CAI or other consumer bodies as far as I know and of course the timing of the decision on the day after the Oireachtas rose for the summer recess meant it would get less political scrutiny. Also the rationale and background available at present from CER for the price increase is paltry running to a page and a half.


One response to the price increase!

There is little we can do about this price increase now, however it does highlight a need to change the process so that the interests and voice of consumers is fully taken into account. More information is required as to how this price increase was sanctioned, a full public consultation process and a real examination of ESB costs to determine if they can achieve greater internal savings rather than just passing on costs to the consumer! The €300m once off rebate will do nothing to address the long term inefficiencies of ESB. We know that the wage bill in ESB is much higher than comparative providers in other European countries. And we need competition so that domestic consumers have the choice of switching providers for better value if want to, which domestic consumers cannot do now almost 10 years after supposed deregulation.

Of course like CIE the fact that the Government is both the owner and regulator (if indirectly) of ESB creates a conflict of interest. The Government got a significant rebate from ESB last year and given the current state of the public finances, it is unlikely that the Government would want to forego this. However the cost to individual households and to our competitveness should in my view take precedence over temporary funding streams....but don't hold your breath!