Gas and lec switch....

Hootsmon

any tips or advice for the best way or company for checking out cheaper price?

Bidley

I've used Uswitch in the past, and they've been great. They literally do everything for you.

Paul_C

Bidley said:

I've used Uswitch in the past.

me too, I think the last time I switched was with Moneysavingexpert.com which went ok too.

Hootsmon

thanks guys

octatonic

Be aware that U-Switch get a kickback for the ones they help you switch with.
They are required by law to give details of all deals including the ones they can't help switch with.

I am half way through switching to a company that is like this- U-Switch gave me the details but then I have to organise the switch and speak to the provider. It is roughly 5 mins more work than letting them do it for me and saved me £500 a year.

Roland

Do you use a lot of electricity, or were you coming from a really bad deal?

ICBM

I love the way that the Tories arranged it so people actually think they're switching, and that there's 'competition'. It's the same electricity and gas from the same power stations and gasfields supplied down the same wires and pipes - only the billing agency has changed and they're all in cahoots with each other anyway.

If they renationalised the lot and stopped the private profit-taking we would *all* get cheaper energy.

Hootsmon

Roland said:

Do you use a lot of electricity, or were you coming from a really bad deal?

no.....naggin' wife

octatonic

Roland said:

Do you use a lot of electricity, or were you coming from a really bad deal?

Me?
I change every year to get the best prices.
I go onto a cheap tariff for 12 months with a new provider, they try to jack up the price after a year so I leave and go to a cheaper deal.
I thought everyone was doing this now?

boogieman

We went through the Uswitch route last month. Went for a dual fuel deal and our bill has dropped £30 a month. 

Hootsmon

what happens if you are in credit with the gas and 'lec before the switch?

boogieman

hootsmon said:

what happens if you are in credit with the gas and 'lec before the switch?

They refund any credit to your bank account. Ours took about 3 weeks to come through 

axisus

can't be assed to make the effort.

exocet

ICBM said:

I love the way that the Tories arranged it so people actually think they're switching, and that there's 'competition'. It's the same electricity and gas from the same power stations and gasfields supplied down the same wires and pipes - only the billing agency has changed and they're all in cahoots with each other anyway.

If they renationalised the lot and stopped the private profit-taking we would *all* get cheaper energy.

Ah but you're missing an important point. The power stations and distribution networks have all been bought and sold multiple times and are now owned exclusively by foreign governments, sovereign wealth funds and pension funds. We couldn't re-nationalise them even if we wanted to, we couldn't afford to pay the bills with sterling for starters  

Even after we Brexit we'll still be subsidising French and German governments each and every time we turn on the lights, boil the kettle or heat our poorly insulated houses.

Personally I hate the fake energy market that we have. Instead of switching to "your best value billing provider' it's become an annual task of jumping from one fixed price 12 month contract with exit penalties to another. Yet another "anniversary" to remember .

Whilst I'm on a roll, I also dislike the way that pricing /  savings are presented at the expense of actually revealing what the price structure are. "How much do you currently pay? How big is your house? Oh yes we can save you £200 a year"......yes, but how much IS your energy per KW/h and what are your fixed charges!

olafgarten

We were with Scottish Power for a while but then decided to switch to Sainsburys as they were cheaper. The next day we got a call from Scottish Power telling us they would cut our bill in half. 

octatonic

axisus said:

can't be assed to make the effort.

Save £500 a year for about 30 mins pissing about on the internet and taking two meter readings?
I'll do that rather than go out and earn an extra £500.

exocet

olafgarten said:

We were with Scottish Power for a while but then decided to switch to Sainsburys as they were cheaper. The next day we got a call from Scottish Power telling us they would cut our bill in half. 

A quick "heads up". Sainsburys Energy is actually British Gas....along with their terrible billing and customer service. I know this because I too switched to them last year....it was a calamity! 

strumjoughlamps

Been with OVO past 3 years now, prior to that we switched every year. Well worth getting a quote from them.

grungebob

no issues with BG, have duel fuel deal, four bed house mrs at home with little one all day and my bills are only £60/mth for both elec and gas plus get around £300 back end of each year.

If you want to take issue with the power industry aim your frustrations at the National grid and their biased buying of KW.
Power stations provide daily updates on their ability to generate, the state max output, max peak and their flexibility for certain hours of the day, they then offer the grid a price/KW. After everyone has offered a price you then get to see what other stations have offered. The NG do not buy the cheapest KW each time, they dont even choose the most stable/efficient stations there seems to be a bias towards certain stations that really needs investigating from some external body.

sure there are some days when there's a unexpected frequency shift in the grid ( one or two of the in crowd stations trip or go on outtage or as has happened this week a couple of France's stations go down) and the NG themselves send out invitations and prices /KW for the rest to accept but thats rare.

Gagaryn

strumjoughlamps said:

Been with OVO past 3 years now, prior to that we switched every year. Well worth getting a quote from them.

I'd been with OVO for around 4 years. just left as they are not as competitive as they once were. They are also now doing what they used to slate the big companies for - running loads of different tariffs concurrently all at slightly different rates. I'm now with M&S Energy - a bit cheaper, cashback through Quidco for swapping and vouchers to spend in the shop (food hall!). Plus it's not just electricity, this is the finest Marks and Spencers electricity, rich, creamy negatively charged electrons flowing smoothly though shiny, oxygen free copper... :-)

57Deluxe

some of those newcomers offering really low deals have proven unsustainable and some have gone tits-up...