The Captain's Blog ™

I’ve had it up to here [holds hand WAY over head] with the constant doom, gloom, pessimism and mass depression regarding the economy that our nation’s media seems intent on promoting, magnifying and intensifying at every possible opportunity.

Yes, it’s a competitive world out there in the media.

But PLEASE – for the sake of our national sanity, if nothing else – stop proclaiming that things have “dived”, “surged” (only ever in a bad way) or “plummeted” when changes in statistics are actually relatively insignificant.

And why is it that positive news is so often almost completely brushed under the carpet?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our media could make a genuine effort to focus on the facts – and to do so in a more balanced way? Why not try keeping things in perspective and giving at least as much attention to positive economic developments as to negative ones?

We, the UK’s consumers, are this country’s real economic powerhouse. And we need to be very careful. Otherwise, we risk allowing ourselves to be led by self-serving reporting (designed to sell newspapers, attract viewers and/or online traffic) into an even worse mess than we’re already in.

Happy Christmas and all that.

Earlier today, UK energy supplier npower announced price increases of 15.7% for gas and 7.2% for electricity, coming into effect on 1 October 2011. For the average npower dual fuel customer, that will mean a combined price increase of 12.2% – just in time for winter.

Four other of the UK’s big six energy suppliers have already introduced big price hikes, all effective from this month.

» Compare gas and electricity prices and switch online

Of the “big six”, only EDF Energy has yet to join the latest round of variable tariff price increases. EDF’s last increase in March also lagged just a little behind the other five – so I don’t imagine we’ll be waiting long before EDF completes the set once again.

In the meantime, EDF has already replaced its shortest term fixed price plan (mentioned last month) with a slightly more expensive alternative. EDF Fix for 2012 replaces Fixed S@ver 2 with an offer of fixed dual fuel pricing until 31 December 2012. A longer-term option, EDF Fixed Price 2014, enables consumers to secure known pricing until 31 March 2014.