Energy Suppliers

[McPhee]

give us a zoom on an individual day - are you using negligible electricty 4-7pm ?
when I had downloaded octopus historic csv's consumption was prohibitory during those hours ... we like to eat in that slot.

Our usage varies a lot day-to-day at the moment; not much structure to the day. But last Friday might provide some insight:

Green = Agile Price
Red = Go price
Blue = Usage

From a prices point of view, not an unusual day at the moment. Peak pricing outside of the 4-7pm surge was 6.6p per kWh at 7:30am. Absolute peak was 19.4p at 18:30. So versus Bulb, for example, we were saving 8p-12.5p per kWh for 21 hours, with a max ~5p per kWh premium (18:30-19:00). In total, the day was 70p cheaper than Bulb. So a lower difference than average £30/30 days), but still a significant difference.

Peak pricing at the moment only tends to be a maximum ~7p per kWh premium versus Octo Go and Bulb. On the other hand, the prices for the other 21 hours per day are anything from 6p lower, to 19p lower (highest negative I've had was -4.6p per kWh). We still eat during the peak if we want to. Same goes for things like watching TV or using the PC. The only things we avoid are tasks like clothes washing and charging the car, which can just be done later (or earlier).

Also knocked a third off my gas price at the same time as switching to Agile. So my Direct Debit is getting slashed once they bill me (currently £126/month, but could probably be £80 or less while still building a balance for Winter).

 

[Kemik]

give us a zoom on an individual day - are you using negligible electricty 4-7pm ?
when I had downloaded octopus historic csv's consumption was prohibitory during those hours ... we like to eat in that slot.

Historic pricing for the past year is here: https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/...tatics/data/agile-rates/agile_rates_2019.xlsx
This site also has some comparisons: https://www.energy-stats.uk/octopus-go-versus-agile/

I switched yesterday from Go to Agile. Work until 5.30pm and then get in at about 6.30pm so cheaper the rest of the day works best for me. Hell, all of today I'm getting paid to use electricity except for between 4pm and 7pm. Off to start the car charging!

 

[jpaul]

Our usage varies a lot day-to-day at the moment; not much structure to the day. But last Friday might provide some insight:

ok thanks ... hadn't realised their app was a nice, it would tell me accurately 4-7pm slot, and daily, usage distribution
Covid, has definitely impacted pricing for them, I add 23jan2020 eastern, so that would have been 25p/Kwhr, 2x bulb,
which had put me off before ... I need to manually check the meter, 4-7pm, for a few days.

 

[V_R]

My 2 year fix with OVO is ending in a couple of months, looking at the MSE CEC Brithish Gas or Tonik seem to fit the bill, anyone got anyone else I should be looking at?

 

[McPhee]

ok thanks ... hadn't realised their app was a nice, it would tell me accurately 4-7pm slot, and daily, usage distribution
Covid, has definitely impacted pricing for them, I add 23jan2020 eastern, so that would have been 25p/Kwhr, 2x bulb,
which had put me off before ... I need to manually check the meter, 4-7pm, for a few days.

Yeah, I'd been put off by similar before. I'm fairly sure savings have always been possible, but to save anything significant you needed high night time or day time usage, and to be able to control use between 4pm and 7pm. If I charged my car at 30p per kWh, for example, that could wipe out a week's worth of savings under more typical conditions. If the missus got home from work and decided she needed to wash her uniform for the next day, that could wipe out a day's worth, etc.

But right now wholesale prices are crazy low. They've been negative since 9am, and won't go in to the black for another half hour. Agile seems one of the few ways of accessing these prices. Once things are back to normal, I'll review it. If it isn't saving us money any more, it'll be back to Go.

 

[Orionaut]

(Sorry for typos in title, was fighting not only the bloody caps lock but for some reason, insert text too! )

As above,

I have an unoccupied property with no utility usage.

I would love to be in a position to sell, but just now, not an option really.

In the mean time, Paying daily charges for utilities that I do not use sucks!

Who can I switch to?

 

[kindai]

Ring the utility company and ask them to waive the standing charge as nothing is being used at the household.

 

[varkanoid]

I was one of the first households to get a Smart Meter from British Gas in 2006 there was a trial of 500 households and we were offered this in conjunction with a new meter for free. (Back then I think you had to pay for them). The meter is a monochrome LCD ECO METER LANDIS + GYR 5262c and it has faithfully worked all this time and gives an accurate reading of both gas and electric meter readings and even shows details of the energy we have provided from our Solar Panels. Its been practically faultless. It originally used O2's mobile network to report to British Gas. We ditched British Gas shortly after we moved in and moved providers obviously the meter was then no good outside British Gas. Eventually we got to Sainsburys Energy in 2016 and as they were a British Gas reseller we were very surprised that the meter was still working and they could connect to it to get the billing info (it was correct I always manually checked). I tried to get a new meter from Sainsburys Energy but they did not provide them. Since then we have moved on to another provider.

Sadly this little monitors display is fading and getting difficult to read so I contacted LANDIS about if I could get a replacement that was compatible and they didnt want to know told me to ask British Gas which is of no help as they are not our provider. Lo and behold after much searching I found one now for sale on Ebay. However after reading up I reckon this would be no good as I think a proper technician would need to pair it with my meters. Would this be correct - so if I bought say a newer (old) Geo British Gas Smart Meter off the bay its not a simple case of pairing it myself ?

 

[BigBoy]

Sadly this little monitors display is fading and getting difficult to read so I contacted LANDIS about if I could get a replacement that was compatible and they didnt want to know told me to ask British Gas which is of no help as they are not our provider. Lo and behold after much searching I found one now for sale on Ebay. However after reading up I reckon this would be no good as I think a proper technician would need to pair it with my meters. Would this be correct - so if I bought say a newer (old) Geo British Gas Smart Meter off the bay its not a simple case of pairing it myself ?

You are correct, it wont work unfortunately, you could possibly remove the screen and replace it with the one from ebay, depends on how technical you are feeling. I know the meter and IHD you mean and this has always been a fault with them.

Sainsburys were part of BG just a different trade name, sadly now folded. Talk to your current provider and see if you can have a SMETS2 meter installed, for the hour it take to install it would be worth the upgrade, your old L&G meter is now end of life (over 20 years old) and requires replacing.

 

[jcr]

(Sorry for typos in title, was fighting not only the bloody caps lock but for some reason, insert text too! )

As above,

I have an unoccupied property with no utility usage.

I would love to be in a position to sell, but just now, not an option really.

In the mean time, Paying daily charges for utilities that I do not use sucks!

Who can I switch to?

im with utilita. no standing charge, just pay for what is used.

 

[varkanoid]

You are correct, it wont work unfortunately, you could possibly remove the screen and replace it with the one from ebay, depends on how technical you are feeling. I know the meter and IHD you mean and this has always been a fault with them.

Sainsburys were part of BG just a different trade name, sadly now folded. Talk to your current provider and see if you can have a SMETS2 meter installed, for the hour it take to install it would be worth the upgrade, your old L&G meter is now end of life (over 20 years old) and requires replacing.

Actually that might be a good idea and replace the screen. I think I might buy the one off the bay. Our current provider is So Energy they do not have a smart meter being outside the big energy companies. Both our meters were replaced with Landis ones in 2010 so they are 10 years old. They both are digital and still look like new. The electric one is a Landis Gyr+ E470 and the Gas one is a Landis Gyr+ Libra 310P.

 

[LeeUK]

(Sorry for typos in title, was fighting not only the bloody caps lock but for some reason, insert text too! )

As above,

I have an unoccupied property with no utility usage.

I would love to be in a position to sell, but just now, not an option really.

In the mean time, Paying daily charges for utilities that I do not use sucks!

Who can I switch to?

I think Ebico still do a no standing charge tariff but think you still have to spend a nominal amount on leccy a year. Think to stop cases like this and empty holiday homes etc.

 

[BigBoy]

Actually that might be a good idea and replace the screen. I think I might buy the one off the bay. Our current provider is So Energy they do not have a smart meter being outside the big energy companies. Both our meters were replaced with Landis ones in 2010 so they are 10 years old. They both are digital and still look like new. The electric one is a Landis Gyr+ E470 and the Gas one is a Landis Gyr+ Libra 310P.

I would try exchanging the screens, the IHD is yours (as they were gifted from your provider) so do what you want with it.

The meter has a good 10yrs left then.

 

[Ahleckz]

Has anyone got any experience with energy companies for empty properties? I'm with Shell, and they won't entertain lowering my direct debit although my meter readings haven't moved in some time as I no longer live there and it's empty.

They were quite low for a standing charge already, but I'm thinking it's best to look for the cheapest standard charge unless there are providers designed for this sort of thing? I assume I can't have no supply?

 

[BigBoy]

Has anyone got any experience with energy companies for empty properties? I'm with Shell, and they won't entertain lowering my direct debit although my meter readings haven't moved in some time as I no longer live there and it's empty.

They were quite low for a standing charge already, but I'm thinking it's best to look for the cheapest standard charge unless there are providers designed for this sort of thing? I assume I can't have no supply?

You can be disconnected but it's £400 (what we EDF charge) so not worth it whens charge is around £85per year.

 

[LeeUK]

Has anyone got any experience with energy companies for empty properties? I'm with Shell, and they won't entertain lowering my direct debit although my meter readings haven't moved in some time as I no longer live there and it's empty.

They were quite low for a standing charge already, but I'm thinking it's best to look for the cheapest standard charge unless there are providers designed for this sort of thing? I assume I can't have no supply?

Ebico Zero tariff but you need to spend at least £52 a year on leccy. I don't know any others but someone mentioned Utilita above. Another thing you could do is get a supplier who accepts pay on receipt of bill then you can just pay what you owe each month/quarter without running up a huge DD credit balance.

 

[jpaul]

Sadly this little monitors display is fading and getting difficult to read so I contacted LANDIS about if I could get a replacement that was compatible and they didnt want to know told me to ask British Gas which is of no help as they are not our provider. Lo and behold after much searching I found one now for sale on Ebay. However after reading up I reckon this would be no good as I think a proper technician would need to pair it with my meters. Would this be correct - so if I bought say a newer (old) Geo British Gas Smart Meter off the bay its not a simple case of pairing it myself ?

or look for a third party monitor ... if you have a smarthings/zigbee home hub, you can find some,
I'm not into smart lighting but that kind of smart appeals, if, you already have the hub.

 

[varkanoid]

No I dont.

 

[SixTwoSix]

My 2 year fix with OVO is ending in a couple of months, looking at the MSE CEC Brithish Gas or Tonik seem to fit the bill, anyone got anyone else I should be looking at?

Still with bulb here after two years. Keep checking all the competitive deals and once you balance out the night/day usage or standing charges, nothing has been cheaper yet. Generally spend a good couple of hours once a month comparing.

 

[LeeUK]

I like the smaller providers who don't put accounts on your credit file. I know British Gas report to your credit file and I don't like it because after you leave after a year or whatever, you're still stuck with them making your credit report look messy for 6 more years. Same with broadband providers, TalkTalk do this too.