Switching energy provider - Leaving British Gas
- Thread starter NeilF
- Start date
The thing while switching is to verify uswitch (or whatever comparison engine you are using) numbers against terms and conditions and do your own maths.
Majority of energy providers will use two types of "dirty" tricks to make their price more appealing - either a daily charge or higher charge for the first XXX kWh in a year. The more of us switch to low energy sources, LED lighting and better insulation the higher those "cover our basic costs" charges become year to year. But focusing on pure energy prices, nobody is really controlling those "standing" prices, let alone the terms and conditions of how these charges are applied. And sometimes, without verifying the automatic calculations of the comparison engine, you can unnowingly manouver yourself into constant higher costs. As an example:
Let's say you are coming from a tariff that has daily charge to a new, seemingly cheaper tarrif that charges higher rate per kWh up to 900 kWh a year for electricity and up to 2680 kWh a year for gas and their terms and conditions speculate it is calendar year, rather your membership year. From previous bills you know you use, let's say 15kWh per day of electricity and 20kWh per day of gas when you use central heating. Which means that you will pay that higher rate for 90 days of electricity and 134 days of gas usage in winter months. That means you will not see those cheaper rates for the rest of this year and minimum first quarter of next year. All in all, you switched over to cheaper plan, but ended up paying almost half a year in a row at much higher prices.
Until "standing charge" and "first XXX kWh" scam is dealt with by regulators and we are left with pure prices per unit, all that switching vs break out of your bill you see on your bills, is there to ef with you and introduce enough confusion to numbers to get you move in circles between handful of companies just massaging and repackaging numbers. For many of us, staying on older "freeze" tariffs from decade ago with old terms and conditions might have been much cheaper choice than switching to new ones, regardless of what uswitch numbers suggest.
Majority of energy providers will use two types of "dirty" tricks to make their price more appealing - either a daily charge or higher charge for the first XXX kWh in a year. The more of us switch to low energy sources, LED lighting and better insulation the higher those "cover our basic costs" charges become year to year. But focusing on pure energy prices, nobody is really controlling those "standing" prices, let alone the terms and conditions of how these charges are applied. And sometimes, without verifying the automatic calculations of the comparison engine, you can unnowingly manouver yourself into constant higher costs. As an example:
Let's say you are coming from a tariff that has daily charge to a new, seemingly cheaper tarrif that charges higher rate per kWh up to 900 kWh a year for electricity and up to 2680 kWh a year for gas and their terms and conditions speculate it is calendar year, rather your membership year. From previous bills you know you use, let's say 15kWh per day of electricity and 20kWh per day of gas when you use central heating. Which means that you will pay that higher rate for 90 days of electricity and 134 days of gas usage in winter months. That means you will not see those cheaper rates for the rest of this year and minimum first quarter of next year. All in all, you switched over to cheaper plan, but ended up paying almost half a year in a row at much higher prices.
Until "standing charge" and "first XXX kWh" scam is dealt with by regulators and we are left with pure prices per unit, all that switching vs break out of your bill you see on your bills, is there to ef with you and introduce enough confusion to numbers to get you move in circles between handful of companies just massaging and repackaging numbers. For many of us, staying on older "freeze" tariffs from decade ago with old terms and conditions might have been much cheaper choice than switching to new ones, regardless of what uswitch numbers suggest.
This thread spurred me on to getting the Electricity meter software up and running again on this pc.
Current cost is so buggy (not been updated since 2009) and I am no software / code writer but I finally got it working. \o/
I really want to make some solar panels of my own now...
Current cost is so buggy (not been updated since 2009) and I am no software / code writer but I finally got it working. \o/
I really want to make some solar panels of my own now...
Recently did this for my mum and Although the First utility company was by far the cheapest about 3 minutes of googling reveals some heavy incompetence stories.
Whilst im aware that may not be indicative of them over all, it does ring some alarm bells.
Whilst im aware that may not be indicative of them over all, it does ring some alarm bells.
Just out of interest, could those that have switched, post up their rates that they've switched to.
As I am thinking of leaving it until after the price rises and coming back to this thread to see what difference it will have made by not bothering until all the others have put their new tariffs on the table.
As I am thinking of leaving it until after the price rises and coming back to this thread to see what difference it will have made by not bothering until all the others have put their new tariffs on the table.
The first column was my existing British Gas tariff. The second column is to fixed First Utility tariff I've moved to.
Soldato
- Joined
- 9 Nov 2005
- Posts
- 9,951
- Location
- Southampton, hopefully not too hot, or too cold
Anyone any idea how close to the end of fixed price deal you need to be, before you can sign up for a new one?
We've been on the Jan 2013 Scottish Power fixed plan for ~12 months, saved us >£30 PCM over the SSE deal on like for like usage.
I've heard/read that if you forget to sign up for a new deal once the old one expires, the account goes to a standard rate that is much more expensive! I'd rather get sorted out with a new fixed price deal ASAP and know it's sorted.
We've been on the Jan 2013 Scottish Power fixed plan for ~12 months, saved us >£30 PCM over the SSE deal on like for like usage.
I've heard/read that if you forget to sign up for a new deal once the old one expires, the account goes to a standard rate that is much more expensive! I'd rather get sorted out with a new fixed price deal ASAP and know it's sorted.
Soldato
- Joined
- 12 May 2004
- Posts
- 7,018
- Location
- England
is switching really worth it? do you really save what they suggest I loath to pay be dd but all the deals need you to be dd
Soldato
- Joined
- 12 May 2004
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- 7,018
- Location
- England
worth locking in now then?
Soldato
- Joined
- 9 Nov 2005
- Posts
- 9,951
- Location
- Southampton, hopefully not too hot, or too cold
Saved >£30pcm by switching during the first year, since I've stopped running a garage aquarium at tropical temps along with recent price reductions enforced through legislation, which in turn has resulted in a further ~£40pcm saving.
Soldato
- Joined
- 12 May 2004
- Posts
- 7,018
- Location
- England
my dec-march bill hit the mat today £603! thats for a 4 bed semi with 3 kids under 5 ( so washing machine/ tumble drier are going twice a day!!!
does that seem a lot?
does that seem a lot?
Seems about right to me, sadly.
Well the government is charging VAT on these essential utilities so it's hardly a paragon of virtue.
Yes using the tumble drier twice a day does seem a lot, try using a washing line.
Soldato
- Joined
- 12 May 2004
- Posts
- 7,018
- Location
- England
Wettest winter on record not had many dry days to Nancy washing out.
