The Cheapest Energy So Far

[Sachakins]

So the amount of time you must be wasting, coupled with the hassle, and the checking and this and that, is really not worth the few quid you might sasave.

I do it for all my renewals, yes it probable takes 2 days of effort over the year, and I look at company service etc not just price or what's short term gain. My yearly savings account for around £375-£425. When you look at the bills you can effect.
Some can't be negotiated, Water, Council tax. But things like insurances, mobile, telephone, broadband, subscriptions, savings interest rates, etc are all easy gains for little effort.

The one thing that you need to account for is that these or not predominantly savings all in one go, but are a way of minimising future price rises.

If you just let stuff renew as you gone along, you'll soon be paying over the odds on lots of things, which will mount up to a few hundred quid year on year

If you can afford that, then that's fine. If you think the effort is difficulty that's fine. But if you think you could be paying £450 more than needed and not saving £400, then you actually giving away a potential £850 you don't need to.

 

[johnb80]

This is actually the kind of thing that makes me avoid a company. They were more than prepared to charge you more than they needed to. I won’t use a company that comes back with a ‘discount’ when I’m taking too long to decide on an order. If a company isn’t prepared to offer their best price right away I don’t want anything to do with them.

Aye, thats my stance too, I have made two exceptions though, my car insurance because I do like DirectLine as a company and Ive been impressed by the way they handled a friends claim and the AA their renewal dropped to less than half what I paid the previous year to retain me as a customer. Very tempted to say stuff it, you have given me your best price straight away but why cut off my nose to spite my face.

 

[johnb80]

I just stick with Scottish/British gas for elec' and gas.
Are they expensive ? Probably
But what is clear is if you go a cheaper company, you need to jump through hoops, and attempting to contact them is an exercise in patience.
Or the company shuts down and you're left jumping through more hoops in an attempt to remedy the problem, more than likely by accepting a more expensive rate and then yet again looking to get cheaper from there.

So the amount of time you must be wasting, coupled with the hassle, and the checking and this and that, is really not worth the few quid you might save.

British Gas are the very worst energy company of all, dreadful service and very high prices, you should change to another energy supplier, any of them are better in all respects than BG.

 

[TRITON]

British Gas are the very worst energy company of all, dreadful service and very high prices, you should change to another energy supplier, any of them are better in all respects than BG.

Dreadful service ? Cant see how. I phone and its picked up within the minute, they send out my paper bills each quarter and i pay them within the month.

What else is it you're expecting them to do ?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

THey made my daughter's life a misery for months, trying to claim £2300 she didn't owe. Even when it all cleared up she found she still had a black mark on her credit record - she only found this out when she went for a mortgge.

 

[johnb80]

Dreadful service ? Cant see how.

Really...... Have a service plan with them that rockets in price every year, call them for the service they dont turn up, have a breakdown and 2 missed appointments to fix it, boiler cant be repaired and they take weeks to sort out replacement. Hive, also part of BG decide to swith off their servers handling Hive CCTV security rendering everyone's kit useless with very little warning. Price of their energy is considerably higher than most others

What else is it you're expecting them to do ?

The exact opposite of the above is what I expect them to do. Theyre a dreadful company, the very cesspit of energy suppliers.

 

[TRITON]

Mine is simple bills for energy in the form of gas and elec, and from S/BG thats all i need them to do. I have no use for hive and tbh im not even sure what that is all about.

My boiler+gas fire is covered by Domestic&general, and I'm i think just under £20/month for that. No appointments have ever been missed, and ive even had them out twice on a return call out because i was unsure of the last service(boiler rattled when it came on. simple fix which cost nothing extra)

My gas and electric total annual cost is about £950(or less)

 

[johnb80]

Mine is simple bills for energy in the form of gas and elec, and from S/BG thats all i need them to do. I have no use for hive and tbh im not even sure what that is all about.

Understood but it is all part of what BG is about.

My boiler+gas fire is covered by Domestic&general, and I'm i think just under £20/month for that. No appointments have ever been missed, and ive even had them out twice on a return call out because i was unsure of the last service(boiler rattled when it came on. simple fix which cost nothing extra)

Not sure of the point here other than you DONT use BG for your service.

My gas and electric total annual cost is about £950(or less)

And would be less with other suppliers.

 

[Spectric]

With the market being unstable and prices more likely to rise than fall then getting a fixed rate has to be a good solution so you know where you stand, if it tracks the price you are hoping for it to go down not up !

 

[Oldman]

Heres their prices I have got on their Lifestyle Tariff:-

View attachment 187070

John were those prices plus VAT or inclusive?
Still awaiting an email reply from Tomato customer care....

 

[johnb80]

John were those prices plus VAT or inclusive?
Still awaiting an email reply from Tomato customer care....

Including VAT !

Just like Octopus, Tomato are slow on the emails, very quick on the phone though.

 

[Sachakins]

With the market being unstable and prices more likely to rise than fall then getting a fixed rate has to be a good solution so you know where you stand, if it tracks the price you are hoping for it to go down not up !

Only problem is most fixed rate deals are a minimum 12 months and usually come with exit fees before end of term.
OFGEM revise rates every 3 months, so you could easily be caught out in the long term.

 

[johnb80]

Only problem is most fixed rate deals are a minimum 12 months and usually come with exit fees before end of term.
OFGEM revise rates every 3 months, so you could easily be caught out in the long term.

Not with this one, Tomato have no exit fees.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've had fixed rate deals for lots of years and have always come out on top.

 

[Sachakins]

Not with this one, Tomato have no exit fees.

That's why I said most, not all.
Picking one with no exit fees is most important. You did well, wish others had the same sense.

 

[Sachakins]

I've had fixed rate deals for lots of years and have always come out on top.

I've had them on and off over the years. Currently on a variable deal, but on ev tariff, so only 7p/kwh overnight, but this tariff charges all night rate usage at this rate not just EV charging. Day rate is 25p, but the kicker is standing charge is 62p per day.
However, we have changed our usage to take benefit of costs by batch cooking after 11:30 pm,and seting dishwasher and washing machine for start after the cheap rate kicks in.
Yes it means adjusting your usage pattern, but at same time reduces load on grid at peak times, so benefits others and night rates tend to use more green energy product from wind power.

 

[Spectric]

Not with this one, Tomato have no exit fees.

The Octopus fixed also has no exit fees, my last one did so why. Well the Octopus advisor said for this next 12 months you will not want to leave anyway as the prices will be increasing.

 

[johnb80]

I've had them on and off over the years. Currently on a variable deal, but on ev tariff, so only 7p/kwh overnight, but this tariff charges all night rate usage at this rate not just EV charging.

Yep, Tomato is the same, whole house supply for 6 hours overnight at 5p kWh

Day rate is 25p,

23.16 with Tomato and 13.37 for 4 hours of peak rate too

but the kicker is standing charge is 62p per day.

40.82 standing charge

However, we have changed our usage to take benefit of costs by batch cooking after 11:30 pm,and seting dishwasher and washing machine for start after the cheap rate kicks in.

Aye, I installed batteries so I only use off peak, during the peak time the house runs off the stored energy.

Yes it means adjusting your usage pattern, but at same time reduces load on grid at peak times, so benefits others and night rates tend to use more green energy product from wind power.

I'm not convinced about energy being greener at night, theres the total loss of Solar PV that feeds the grid during the daylight hours.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You're not convinced about energy being greener at night? I'm not convinvinced about 100% of my electricity being renewable. That to me is an out and out lie.

 

[Sachakins]

@johnb80 Thanks for that, doing my due diligence on them, so far, I have found their estimate of my usage is way out, nearly 390kwh and
Tomato still have an OPEN ofgem investigation into them, just as they did when they were called Logicor Energy. They were continually are late paying their renewable certificate bills under Logicor brand!

This is my first look this morning, so need to do more yet.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publicatio...tions-under-slcs-4a-and-5-electricity-licence