Energy Suppliers

[chrcoluk]

Given that the energy price cap is £1,277, would it not benefit many to just move to the standard rates of their supplier? That way you never pay more than the cap. It sounds too obvious so I must be missing something!

Yep I posted this in the other thread, Octopus have now removed their standard tariff, which shows that is the cheaper option.

 

[chrcoluk]

I wonder if anyone on a good deal who doesn't have a smart meter will send high readings and pay more under current deal. Then when they switch under read until it evens out again.

Essentially paying current deals prices for another few months.

Done it before my expiry of 5 oct, sent one quite high, I am over £700 in credit it seems a no brainer. However I do wonder if they tally it on next quarterly bill rather than the reading date.

 

[Joeyuk]

Glad I didn’t swap a few months ago now. Stayed with Scottish power on a 2 year fixed deal, wasn’t the cheapest but has worked out well now.

Economy 7 meter is still the wrong way round, mining on 4 gpu’s so bill is high now. Using 402kWh “night rate” 9.2p and 224kWh “day” 19.1p pm but luckily I don’t bother heating the flat so gas is always zero.

 

[gpuerrilla]

Need some sort of "chu-chingg" sound on IHDs for every pound spent. That'll get people running around switching things off.

When we were installing them early days before SMETS1, people unplugged the units that told them the info. When we asked them they either

• got bored of the device pretty quick
• it stopped working as the transmitter/receiver was poor
• people got arrogant and declared they knew how much x appliance cost to run so they saw no value in it.

Oh and the equipment would get ripped out if they switched supplier at the time so it was a complete waste of energy!

 

[Trifid]

Having worked in the retail energy sector for a few years now I am still shocked on a daily basis as to how many people don't know and have no interest in ever knowing how much they spend on fuel. It's horrific!

I much prefer having my DD take my actual usage for the previous month. Makes you much more aware of how much it costs to heat a house. Plus from a budgeting perspective, I am much more likely to be going out in the summer which costs more then staying in, in the winter.

 

[Surveyor]

Does anyone know what the price cap is per kWh from 1 October? I can find it shown to the nearest penny, 4p for gas and 21p for electricity, but not the precise figures which are to three decimal places.

 

[thenewoc]

Is there any cap on daily standing charges, these seem to be ramping up considerably too?

 

[chrcoluk]

Is there any cap on daily standing charges, these seem to be ramping up considerably too?

I believe so as I think the cap uses something called TCR which factors in standing fees.

https://www.simplyswitch.com/energy/guides/tariff-comparison-rates-explained/#:~:text=A TCR is a rate,the rate displayed per kWh.&text=They are all based on,the medium energy user group.

Also note the cap assumes you pay by DD, it is higher if you pay in other ways.

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/35113911

 

[BigBoy]

Its all been dumbed down, comparison sites use ££ per year instead of unit cost, ofgem removed the requirement to show it a few years back and even made it hard to work out what the actual cap is.

It was removed to make.it simpler for the general public to work out what things will cost as most people budget on a monthly basis

In regards to individual device usage is there is a few things to consider.

First I think is the variance from property to property there is things like tapping supplies seemingly common in flats, there is people reporting they move from flat to their own house and suddenly for same usage pattern they have much lower meter readings.

I myself have an issue where my landlord is paying some of my electric bill as I discovered my meter goes up with everything turned off, and instead of getting electricians out to check all the flats he just came to an agreement with me to pay part of the bill. When the switch was flipped on my meter 2 lights went out in a neighbours flat. (this is my complication of moving to smart meter, dont think will ever be resolved so will be resolved when I move)

This is most likely from a borrowed neutral and should be rectified immediately as it can potentially be very dangerous, the smart meter installer should not have installed the meter if this was the case.

Smart meters are a step forward, but I feel we should be seeing watt readings on power sockets as a standard thing.

personal choice not industry thing

As for kettles they are actually efficient. Heating water in a kettle e.g. to wash up dishes is often more efficient than using a boiler to do the same thing. I found half filling my kettle is optimal as its not heating a full load but also when I drink coffee after coffee, the reboils are fast as the water doesnt fully cool down.

where you are technically correct kettles are actually a very poor way of heating water, research thermodynamics...
Also the more often you boil water the more minerals you strip from it. If you are drinking coffee by the volume you say you are then I suggest getting a one cup kettle as they are efficient.

Small ovens are more efficient than larger ones, and microwaves are more efficient than ovens.

Funny that smaller means it uses less energy to provide heat for a smaller space again understand thermodynamics...

I also found using portable heater in my room is more efficient than using my boiler, my boiler is several decades old, and on the rare occasion I need heating, the portable heater has the room up to temp within a few minutes vs needing 1-2 hours on the boiler to do the same thing, plus the boiler is heating rooms I am not using. This is going to be even more paramount given gas is rising faster than electric.

However my boiler is more efficient than using my electric immersion heater for baths.

Only heating the space you are using is a great idea in principal, but as electricity is roughly 6x more expensive than gas it's by no means cost effective, not to mention the potential increase in damp/mould in other part of the property that are not heated or aired regularly.

On a whole you make some valid points but unfortunately lots of your thinking is flawed and proven so by science..

For reference I have held a position with a major supplier for the last 25 years, I have a Electro Mechanical engineering degree and a HNC as well a HND and many many other qualifications to do with the electro chemical world. Math, Science and electricity ar my thing!

 

[theone8181]

Had a look at outfox and there rates are about 17p and 3p. We must just use a lot of leccy.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Hi David,

Recently we got in touch to let you know that your supplier, The People's Energy Company, had ceased trading.

Good news - Ofgem have now announced that British Gas will be taking over your supply!

Here’s what’ll happen now:

1. In the coming weeks, your new supplier will get in touch with you as they begin taking over your supply.

1. We won’t try switching you until this process is complete. It’s best to sit tight as any switch attempt you make may be blocked until they have fully taken over.

1. Your new supplier may try and offer you a different tariff, with a fixed term. It’s best not to agree to any new contract with them, as it will prevent us from switching you to a new supplier.

1. Once you are with your new supplier, we will run a comparison to scan the market for a deal worth switching you to. The good news is that you will not be charged any exit fees if we begin to switch you.

If you have any questions, please visit Ofgem's questions and answers on your new supplier or get in touch via our Contact Us page.

In the meantime, sit back, relax and we will be in touch soon.

All the best,

Look After My Bills team

 

[BigBoy]

Correct. I used to install metering equipment for domestic then commercial. Then during the smart metering movement people seemed to think it will solve loads of problems.. what is needed is education and changing habits.

Totally, I switched from Major business to domestic as I stepped down from a high flying fast paced life style but stayed with the same company, Smart metering was the best option for me and TBH it's been a fairly bumpy ride.

Education of the masses is key, we all live a very much on standby life style that is expected to be on at the press of a remote control and most people don't understand the cost involved with that.

 

[MissChief]

The way the adverts talk about a smart meter saving you hundreds are nonsense. Sure it means more accurate bills but the only way it will affect someone’s bill is when they see ow much things cost. I doubt the change will be £100’s even over a year.

 

[HungryHippos]

smart meter won't save you anything as long as you take meter readings reasonably often, once a month, usage won't change.

The only way they could save you anything is if they tell you you're doing something that uses too much, so you change what you do to use less.

 

[ik9000]

The way the adverts talk about a smart meter saving you hundreds are nonsense. Sure it means more accurate bills but the only way it will affect someone’s bill is when they see ow much things cost. I doubt the change will be £100’s even over a year.

this^ It's why I don't want one. I have a digital non-smart meter. It charges me what I use. I know what I use because I pay the bill. I am careful about switching things off at the plug already and choose devices based on energy efficiency. It will make NO difference to me, just make the house more hackable, and give the energy company data on when I'm in/out/on holiday. I'd rather have the privacy and keep my current meter thanks.

 

[ik9000]

smart meter won't save you anything as long as you take meter readings reasonably often, once a month, usage won't change.

The only way they could save you anything is if they tell you you're doing something that uses too much, so you change what you do to use less.

Exactly - any meter can do that. Just take a reading each month and look at your charge rates as defined in your bill. People are so lazy it's untrue.

 

[bloodiedathame]

smart meter won't save you anything as long as you take meter readings reasonably often, once a month, usage won't change.

The only way they could save you anything is if they tell you you're doing something that uses too much, so you change what you do to use less.

A meter can allow you to move to a tariff like octopus agile, normal rate during day, cheap at night. It's definitely saving me money.

 

[chrcoluk]

The way the adverts talk about a smart meter saving you hundreds are nonsense. Sure it means more accurate bills but the only way it will affect someone’s bill is when they see ow much things cost. I doubt the change will be £100’s even over a year.

I think it depends on usage, I keep 2 pcs on 24/7 fridge on 24/7 and thats the bulk of my electric. So those 5p unit early morning hours will save a fair bit.

But for people who fire a ton of stuff up at peak hours the difference will be less felt.

 

[MissChief]

I think it depends on usage, I keep 2 pcs on 24/7 fridge on 24/7 and thats the bulk of my electric. So those 5p unit early morning hours will save a fair bit.

But for people who fire a ton of stuff up at peak hours the difference will be less felt.

But that's due to your tariff, not the smart meter itself? ALthough I agree the smart meter manages the changeover between both tariffs.

 

[jpaul]

A meter can allow you to move to a tariff like octopus agile, normal rate during day, cheap at night. It's definitely saving me money.

+1
many of the longer fixed contracts are only accessible with a smart meter too - they are subsidising the tarif to fulfill government install obligations from the non-smarters,
probably some monetization of the telematics too

As for the IHD accompanying the smart meter I still want one where you can download to a smartphone/computer 5 minute usage to see accurately cooking/big-unit useage.