Gas and Electric Bills

[IC1967]

With news of gas and electricity prices going up again I thought I'd start a thread to encourage those of you that have never changed supplier to change. I constantly change my supplier for the best deal and did a comparison with British Gas for gas and electric on their standard tariff with payment by posted bill.

If I had been on this 'standard' deal that many people are on because they haven't ever changed supplier then they would be paying 40% more than I currently pay. That equates to an extra £36 per month. A not insignificant amount.

With gas and electric bills having doubled after allowing for inflation over the last 10 years it makes sense to be a 'changer'. One word of warning though. Unless you switch to a fixed deal you may well find that you get caught out with a 9/10% increase very soon as not all the energy suppliers have increased their prices yet this time around.

So if you want to do a variable deal wait until the dust has settled and all companies are on a level playing field before you commit. I personally will be going for a fixed deal as prices are only ever going to go up by more than the rate of inflation for years to come.

[Iberian Red]

A very patronising post. Do you think we're all stupid? Personally I change suppliers on a regular basis. Whenever one disappears or gets nicked, I move on to the next. Let me give you a bit of advice,always have one than more supplier.

[dknward2]

Signed up to price promise April 2015 with British gas (other tariffs are available)
A few months back I have been paying more but now with this rise I am back in front so any other rises means iam even more in front

[not on facebook]

It must be in a mess When the PM og great britian tells all and sundry to
Change Supply company if you are with British gas.

bought a new flat screen tv out Here few weeks back and there was an offer in the shop Of 500kr back if we changed our electric Supply company.

Looked at all the small print and it was a far better deal we was paying into,so we took the offer Of money back

500kr is about £55 give or take

[IC1967]

A very patronising post. Do you think we're all stupid? Personally I change suppliers on a regular basis. Whenever one disappears or gets nicked, I move on to the next. Let me give you a bit of advice,always have one than more supplier.

I'm afraid you're the one that is very patronising. I'll let the the other readers of the forum decide whether you are also stupid.

You obviously don't know that more than 6 people in 10 have never changed supplier in the 23 years since the energy industry was privatised so are paying through the nose. I was just trying to point out to some of these people that the savings on fuel bills can be quite significant by giving a practical real life example.

[IC1967]

Signed up to price promise April 2015 with British gas (other tariffs are available)
A few months back I have been paying more but now with this rise I am back in front so any other rises means iam even more in front

Glad to hear it. I was looking to do the same thing with my current supplier but they would have wanted to charge me 25% more than I am currently paying! I used USwitch and found a company (First Utility) that were prepared to offer me the same deal with only a 5% increase. So it pays to shop around.

[wilts rover]

Mick
You say you change suppliers regularly, how often is that? Do you go for the cheapest fixed term deals or alternative standard ones, as I understand there are penalties involved in changing from the cheaper deals?
Thanks for your info btw.

[IC1967]

I tend to fix for periods of 12 to 18 months. My current deal was a fix for 18 months so I've been quids in. This time I've gone for a 14 months fix which is 5% more than my current deal. This deal was due to end at the end of January 2014 but I've changed now before the 9/10% increase comes into effect. If you are currently into a fixed deal you need to check if there are any exit fees for leaving the deal early. I had to stay with my current supplier for 12 months after which I could change supplier with no exit fees.

My advice would be to fix for a reasonable period. Currently there are offers for fixes up until April 2015. Thats what I've gone for to mitigate the current hike in prices and to not suffer another similar rise in 12 months time. If you go on a variable tariff you are betting prices are going to go down. All the evidence points to the opposite happening.

[Iberian Red]

Thanks darling, you know how to put a man in his place. Excuse me for my ignorance,I thought yoy were being ironic by crossing the Daily Mail money section and top tips from Viz. Anyway,what do yoy do when your dealer gets busted? Change suppliers? Or a secrte winter stash? If so,I'm looking into the posibility of becoming a squirrel this winter. Thanks for the tip.

[IC1967]

You'll have to forgive me for not giving a coherent response to your post. I'm afraid I found most of it incomprehensible. I could offer some advice on what to do if your dealer gets busted though. I'd give up the drugs or try and find another dealer. I'd also refrain from posting if I was under the influence.

[Donnywolf]

It must be in a mess When the PM og great britian tells all and sundry to
Change Supply company if you are with British gas.

bought a new flat screen tv out Here few weeks back and there was an offer in the shop Of 500kr back if we changed our electric Supply company.

Looked at all the small print and it was a far better deal we was paying into,so we took the offer Of money back

500kr is about £55 give or take

... which is about 7 pints a year according to this ?

http://www.pintprice.com/city.php?/Oslo/Norway/gbp.htm

Averages out at 18 pints of ale over here in "blighty" 

[roversdude]

I'm in a bit of a quandary having just moved and not having anything to compare usage against

[jonnydog]

I've just switched in the last hour and fixed until 2015 to a lower price than I'm already paying. I used this site:-

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub

Very much worth doing!

[not on facebook]

It must be in a mess When the PM og great britian tells all and sundry to
Change Supply company if you are with British gas.

bought a new flat screen tv out Here few weeks back and there was an offer in the shop Of 500kr back if we changed our electric Supply company.

Looked at all the small print and it was a far better deal we was paying into,so we took the offer Of money back

500kr is about £55 give or take

... which is about 7 pints a year according to this ?

http://www.pintprice.com/city.php?/Oslo/Norway/gbp.htm

Averages out at 18 pints of ale over here in "blighty" 

I have converted to muslim ,so drink dont come into my equation anymore sorry to say

[jonnydog]

It must be in a mess When the PM og great britian tells all and sundry to
Change Supply company if you are with British gas.

bought a new flat screen tv out Here few weeks back and there was an offer in the shop Of 500kr back if we changed our electric Supply company.

Looked at all the small print and it was a far better deal we was paying into,so we took the offer Of money back

500kr is about £55 give or take

... which is about 7 pints a year according to this ?

http://www.pintprice.com/city.php?/Oslo/Norway/gbp.htm

Averages out at 18 pints of ale over here in "blighty" 

I have converted to muslim ,so drink dont come into my equation anymore sorry to say

You are Cat Stevens and I claim my £5!

[River Don]

N Power has just announced it's pushing it's duel fuel bills up by more than 10% this morning.

The energy Market isn't a real competitive market, it's a cartel. They will all follow suit.

If you want to change and fix a cheaper bill, better do it now, I suspect the offers won't be around much longer.

[roversdude]

Managed to change to First Utility
Big thanks to IC1967 for post and Jonnydog for link

[IC1967]

I would recommend joining the Cheap Energy Club referred to earlier by johnnydog . Here is the link:

https://cheapenergyclub.moneysavingexpert.com/register

The advantages listed on the website are as follows:

1. Check you're on the cheapest deal
We'll do a full market comparison to check you're not overpaying on your current deal. If not great, if you are we'll help you switch.

2. Constantly monitor your tariff
Energy bills move all the time. Just because your tariff is cheapest now, doesn't mean it always will be. Both because yours may get more expensive and the competition's may get cheaper.

3. Alert you when it's time to switch again
When the time is right for you to switch based on your current tariff and preferences, we'll alert you and show you the best deals.

I agree with River Don. Get switched as soon as possible before the deals end.

[jonnydog]

I switched last night to a cheaper deal than what I'm paying now with British Gas...

TO NPOWER!!

Hopefully my application will be the lower rate rather then the rates published today following their hike. I've got 14 days as cooling off period, but as long as NPower stand by the prices when I made the application last night I'm fixed till April '15.

IC1967 - As you have some savvy in this area, will my tariff be at the rate of when I applied?

[IC1967]

IC1967 - As you have some savvy in this area, will my tariff be at the rate of when I applied?

Yes it will be. You get the rate you agree to on the day you do the deal. In any case the announced price rise doesn't take effect until 23rd November so you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

In theory all the current rates will be available up until this date. However in practice the companies pull the best deals before this date and bring out new ones that aren't as good as what is currently on offer. You did right to change now. I would urge everyone else to do the same and save some money.

[IC1967]

I'd also recommend checking out this link as you may be due free insulation if you are on certain benefits. At the very least we all probably know someone who could benefit and need a bit of help e.g. pensioners. The way fuel prices are going we all need to do our bit to stop the needless deaths of old folk due to a reluctance to heat their homes due to lack of money:

http://www.which.co.uk/energy/creating-an-energy-saving-home/guides/energy-grants/free-insulation-deals/

[Boomstick]

I wonder if the current price hikes are caused in part by red eds promise to freeze the prices IF he get in power.
The irony of course is that there is a cat in hells chance of him being elected!

[IC1967]

I wonder if the current price hikes are caused in part by red eds promise to freeze the prices IF he get in power.
The irony of course is that there is a cat in hells chance of him being elected!

You could be on to something there. It just shows how economically illiterate the Labour party is if it thinks it can freeze prices and the suppliers won't hike them before and after the freeze to compensate.

Luckily the economy has turned a corner and the good news just keeps on coming for the Tories. Labour have got no chance of being elected now.

[River Don]

I wonder if the current price hikes are caused in part by red eds promise to freeze the prices IF he get in power.
The irony of course is that there is a cat in hells chance of him being elected!

You could be on to something there. It just shows how economically illiterate the Labour party is if it thinks it can freeze prices and the suppliers won't hike them before and after the freeze to compensate.

Luckily the economy has turned a corner and the good news just keeps on coming for the Tories. Labour have got no chance of being elected now.

Has the economy turned a corner yet?

Average wage rises are still running way below inflation. It's a funny sort of recovery when most people are still getting poorer.

[IC1967]

Has the economy turned a corner yet?

Labour is looking less and less likely to win the election boosting business confidence. Unemployment is falling (not going up like Ed Balls said it would). There are more people in work than ever before.  There have been far more private sector jobs created than ones lost in the bloated public sector. House prices are going up (not a good thing IMHO). I could go on.

[River Don]

Has the economy turned a corner yet?

Labour is looking less and less likely to win the election boosting business confidence. Unemployment is falling (not going up like Ed Balls said it would). There are more people in work than ever before.  There have been far more private sector jobs created than ones lost in the bloated public sector. House prices are going up (not a good thing IMHO). I could go on.

I think Labour probably will still win because an incumbent government doesn't usually improve on it's vote and UKIP will screw them in key marginals.

Not that I think a Labour victory in the UK will amount to anymore than Hollandes victory in France.

The unemployment figures in the UK are suspect because of numerous factors including underemployment. The private sector would outstrip the public sector in employment since the public sector has been put on hold.

The housing boom is just that and so far its only really noticeable in the SE. It is not a good thing.

Please go on.

[IC1967]

Please go on.

The deficit down by a third. Low interest rates. Exports doubled to China. Taxpayers’ money back from the banks, not going in. I could go on.

[Dagenham Rover]

Please go on.

The deficit down by a third. Low interest rates. Exports doubled to China. Taxpayers’ money back from the banks, not going in. I could go on.

yes because they are having us over with a power station 

[Bentley Bullet]

The price we pay for our gas stinks, and the electric is shocking.

[River Don]

Please go on.

The deficit down by a third. Low interest rates. Exports doubled to China. Taxpayers’ money back from the banks, not going in. I could go on.

The deficit is helped quite considerably by a bit of creative accounting and the sale of Royal Mail.

Interest rates have been low since before the coalition took over. They are stuck low, not just here but right across the west. There IS NOT much prospect of them rising, no matter who is in government.

Exports up to China? yes mainly through Jaguar Landrover I expect. A lone success story. Shame they are owned by Tata motors.

Money returned from banks? That is a contentious issue, I don't trust it for a minute, for instance they are still busy forming a bad bank out of the ruins of RBS right now. The banks are very, very adept at hiding their colossal losses. Do you trust the banks?