Changing energy suppliers .

[Evans Electric]

Just wondering if we could run with this and get some different opinions in. 

With British Gas pushing up their charges I will need to look at changing suppliers .   I'm one of the many who tends to resist change so am still with BG  and N Power   ( I refuse to use their lower case n )  

Any horror stories ?  

Do they all insist on fitting their own Smart Ass meter .  I presume they don't want to be sending round the old fashioned meter reader anymore.    I don't particularly want even more radio frequencies passing through the house.   I believe they use the cell phone network?      

 

[Sharpend]

I'm with Edf dual fixed tariffs. Have been for a number of years, there probably is cheaper but I have a top execs details for when I'm not happy. So all comes our in my favour (well as well as it can)  

 

[ProDave]

Our building site was with Ebico, because it had no standing charge (but a higher unit price) which suited us well when it was just a building site using a small amount of lecky for power tools. But when we moved in, we needed something cheaper.

The cheapest I could find was IRESA, 11.136p per KWh fixed for 12 months (if anyone finds cheaper please let us know)

However, they stopcocked up the switchover by somehow getting our MPAN number wrong. It took them 3 months to sort it out before the switch finally happened. So I don't know if I would recommend them.

 

[Lurch]

Horror stories with every supplier, no matter how well established or how big or small. Just go with the cheapest, and ignore what everyone else says.

The energy suppliers to some extent have the same problem as telecoms and broadband providers, they can only do what their suppliers/rules allow them to do and they can only work in a particular way.

 

[Murdoch]

The biggest issue, as a consumer, is comparing them all. 

Why can't they just state the cost per unit, like it used to be?

As for smart meters, no thank you.

We are with first utility - I give then customer readings once a month.

 

[Adam W]

I was with NPower for several years and had no problem with them.  They announced they were putting their prices up and I did a couple of price comparison searches which told me I could save money by switching to Green Star Energy, who I'd never heard of, but decided to give them a go.   It's too early to tell how good they are yet, but I returned NPower's call as part of the switch, and spoke to some kid who was supposed to work out that NPower are actually cheaper and that I shouldn't switch.  I wasn't really listening to what he was saying because I was paying more attention to his colleagues dicking about in the background.  Online reviews don't seem that reliable since people only seem to write a review of their energy provider when they are unhappy with them.

 

[ProDave]

N Power are the ones that refused to take a report of dangerous meter tails from me, they would only accept that information by post. Remember that when your supply head is on fire. You might wish you were with a different supplier........

 

[Tony S]

A note for any doddering old sods like me. If you change supplier after the first quarter of a year you will loose your DWP “warm homes” allowance for that year. If you do change get on to your energy supplier ASAP to register for the allowance.*

A friend was gloating he would save £80 per annum as he’d changed supplier, he lost the £140 allowance.

Look before you leap.

* The supplier will be all gushing about giving you the allowance, it’s ****** all to do with them, the DWP make the decision.

 

[revjames]

I really am confused.com now. I just moved house and am on prepayment meters. I did the price comparison thing and listed my provider of gas and leccy as british gas and chose prepayment as the billing method. It came back saying I would save £51 a year by switching? I thought it would be a lot more. Elec is 14.65/kwh and 26p a day not sure about gas

 

[binky]

what will work best for you Rev is dependent on your energy use. If you use little leccy, a smaller day charge should work better for you. If you have Solar PV, a smaller day charge is better, if you use lots of leccy, a lower kWh rate is better.

The amount of tariffs is very confusing, and really is a scandal.

 

[revjames]

Last house was 4000kwh electricity and 16000kwh gas, but new place is smaller, better insulated and double glazes so hopefully less. I thought prepayment meters charged you more than standard credit meters

 

[binky]

they do, you have to pay for admin of system.

 

[Murdoch]

Last house was 4000kwh electricity and 16000kwh gas, but new place is smaller, better insulated and double glazes so hopefully less. I thought prepayment meters charged you more than standard credit meters

Could you not swap away from pre payment? These are the most expensive ways to pay.........

 

[Tony S]

Just to add to the warm homes discount here is the criteria.

 

[revjames]

Could you not swap away from pre payment? These are the most expensive ways to pay.........

I am looking into it but if I put all the data in including the usage as stated above all the sites say I could save £51 or similar. I'm sure they are wrong and will keep looking. I need numbers for example 14.65p per unit and 26p/day for elec is what I pay. Why dont they give me the numbers and let me work it out myself

 

[Murdoch]

I am looking into it but if I put all the data in including the usage as stated above all the sites say I could save £51 or similar. I'm sure they are wrong and will keep looking. I need numbers for example 14.65p per unit and 26p/day for elec is what I pay. Why dont they give me the numbers and let me work it out myself

The last thing the suppliers want is for us to be able to compare prices easily!

you wouldn't fill up your fuel tank if you couldn't see the price per litre......

 

[ProDave]

I am looking into it but if I put all the data in including the usage as stated above all the sites say I could save £51 or similar. I'm sure they are wrong and will keep looking. I need numbers for example 14.65p per unit and 26p/day for elec is what I pay. Why dont they give me the numbers and let me work it out myself

As I said before, IRESA 11.16p per unit, 21p per day was the cheapest I could find. They are not (or were not when I last looked) on the compare sites.

 

[revjames]

As I said before, IRESA 11.16p per unit, 21p per day was the cheapest I could find. They are not (or were not when I last looked) on the compare sites.

must have missed that post Dave, will check it out

ELECTRICITY , Prepayment only & GAS , Prepayment only

Personal Projection: £1,131.49 Annually

GAS

Unit Rate: 3.010 p/kWh

Standing Charge 25.850p/day

Exit Fee: £ 0.000

Assumed Annual Consumption: 12500 kWh

Estimated Annual Cost: £ 494.13

Tariff Comparison Rate: 3.95 p/kWh

ELECTRICITY

Unit Rate: 13.455 p/kWh

Standing Charge: 18.850p/day

Exit Fee: £ 0.000

Assumed Annual Consumption: 4000 kWh

Estimated Annual Cost: £ 637.35

Tariff Comparison Rate: 15.93 p/kWh

sounds like you have a good deal Dave, sadly not available now

 

[binky]

Sainsburys were doing a good deal, albeit that was a few years ago.

 

[revjames]

As I said before, IRESA 11.16p per unit, 21p per day was the cheapest I could find. They are not (or were not when I last looked) on the compare sites.

must have missed that post Dave, will check it out

I figured I need to get British Gas (current supplier) to change the meters from prepayment to credit. To do this they need to do a credit check. Imagine my surprise when they said sorry, we cant help you. Credit score has gone through the floor since moving house. Prior to moving I had a very good rating. Whats happened?