“How in the Name of God is This Possible”: Europeans Share Massive Energy Bills Ahead of ‘Terrifying Winter’

Shocked Europeans, mostly from Ireland and the United Kingdom, posted viral photos of shockingly high energy bills amid the energy crisis.

Several posts came from small businesses that are getting crushed by the astronomical payments.

It’s likely they won’t be operational much longer due to the bills.

“One such owner is Geraldine Dolan, who owns the Poppyfields cafe in Athlone, Ireland – and was charged nearly €10,000 (US$10,021) for just over two months of energy usage,” Zero Hedge reported.

“How in the name of God is this possible,” tweeted Dolan.

I got this electricity bill today, how in the name of God is this possible, we're a small coffee shop in westmeath pic.twitter.com/uz5J8BePhB

— poppyfields cafe.🇺🇦 (@DolanGeraldine) August 29, 2022

The Irish Times noted:

The cost of electricity to the Poppyfields cafe for 73 days from early June until the end of August came in at €9,024.70 an increase of 250 per cent in just 12 months. There doesn’t include the €812.22 in VAT, which brought her total bill to €9,836.92.

It has left Geraldine Dolan wondering if she will be able to continue running the business she has owned for the last 16 years as Ireland heads into what is certain to be a winter of rising energy prices and cost of living spikes.

Meanwhile, the umbrella group which represents small and medium businesses in Ireland has warned that the experience of the cafe in Athlone is being replicated across the country and suggested that the Government had failed to appreciate how “toxic” the issue of spiralling energy prices was likely to be this winter.

“I was working in the cafe on Monday morning when the bill arrived,” Ms Dolan said. “When I opened it I thought I was seeing things or had missed a decimal point. It really took the wind out of my sails. ”

She has been an active energy switcher in recent years and moved from Bord Gáis Energy to Iberdrola, a Spanish-based energy provider at the end of last year.

The energy crisis is also impacting UK pensioners, who expect an 80% rise in energy bills in October.

The Daily Mail reports:

Elderly Britons are set to welcome a boost of around £1,000 to their state pension payments next year thanks to the return of the triple lock, however the cost of living crisis will still leave them significantly poorer.

However, the price cap for energy bills will rise by 80 per cent to £3,549 in October, and it is predicted to rise over £6,600 next year according to Cornwall Insight.

Higher energy bills often hurt pensioners significantly more than the rest of the population because they spend a greater amount of their income on heating their home.

While the state pension has increased and will pay out an annual average of £9,623 after next April, just £3,000 will be left to live on per year once bills have been paid – even after the triple lock raise.

The triple lock is a promise made by the Government to raise pension payments by either inflation, average earnings or 2.5 percent – whichever is the highest rate.

However, inflation may almost double to 18.6 per cent by spring, according to analysis by Citigroup, leaving pensioners nearly £1,000 worse off.

Zero Hedge added:

According to Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, “‘It’s a truly frightening prospect and one that most could not have prepared for, and never expected to face at this point in their lives,” adding “I think a lot of older people will be utterly bewildered that it has come to this and will also feel badly let down, and I can’t say I blame them.”

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But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Twitter researcher ‘Crab Man’ (@crabcrawler1), who compiles deep dives on a wide variety of topics (and is absolutely worth a follow), has put together a lengthy thread of similar cases – and put it in the context of the current European energy backdrop. The situation is dire, to say the least.

https://twitter.com/crabcrawler1/status/1564628114038296580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1564628114038296580%7Ctwgr%5Ed0e3d89d7095ac798e0df3c1ecce9e39c8ccb3b8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fenergy%2Fhow-name-god-shocked-europeans-post-astronomical-energy-bills-terrifying-winter-approaches

https://twitter.com/crabcrawler1/status/1564679043013922816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1564679043013922816%7Ctwgr%5Ed0e3d89d7095ac798e0df3c1ecce9e39c8ccb3b8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fenergy%2Fhow-name-god-shocked-europeans-post-astronomical-energy-bills-terrifying-winter-approaches

https://twitter.com/crabcrawler1/status/1564679937696694272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1564679937696694272%7Ctwgr%5Ed0e3d89d7095ac798e0df3c1ecce9e39c8ccb3b8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fenergy%2Fhow-name-god-shocked-europeans-post-astronomical-energy-bills-terrifying-winter-approaches

https://twitter.com/crabcrawler1/status/1564682501414653955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1564682501414653955%7Ctwgr%5Ed0e3d89d7095ac798e0df3c1ecce9e39c8ccb3b8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fenergy%2Fhow-name-god-shocked-europeans-post-astronomical-energy-bills-terrifying-winter-approaches

https://twitter.com/crabcrawler1/status/1564689747553001475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1564689747553001475%7Ctwgr%5Ed0e3d89d7095ac798e0df3c1ecce9e39c8ccb3b8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fenergy%2Fhow-name-god-shocked-europeans-post-astronomical-energy-bills-terrifying-winter-approaches