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Gas and Electricty

Making your money go further
bruncher
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Gas and Electricty

#410248

Postby bruncher » May 8th, 2021, 12:19 pm

I've been with Octopus Tracker for a while, which has been pretty good although risky as the prices change daily. It's interesting that they are even allowed to have a tariff that always has an element of estimate - even if meter readings are submitted monthly. I believe they use an algorithm based on prices and weather, but it is inevitably inaccurate e.g. if I am away for a week, they have no way to know which week that was, so weather and prices data cannot be applied accurately.

I'm looking around at fixed contracts, but it's hard to find companies that actually make their tariffs available for view.

Igloo has a gas price below 3 pence which is the best I've seen so far, but it's a variable contract.

Has anyone found good fixed prices recently?

staffordian
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#410263

Postby staffordian » May 8th, 2021, 1:35 pm

I'm with Utility Point.

I swapped to them about eighteen months ago having found them competitive via Martin Lewis's energy saving club.

They were the best once my twelve month fix with them expired so I'm still with them.

As for finding details of tariffs, I've found all the ones which Martin Lewis features have full details. I won't consider a tariff unless I see these and plug the figures into a spreadsheet to verify the annual costs based on my most recent 12 month rolling consumption.

I don't rate Utility Point that highly for customer service. Twice they've not amended the direct debit as they said they would (they have 6 months high then 6 months low payments, presumably to ensure they're never subsidising customers over the heavier winter period). First time, they forgot to lower them after six months and second time they forgot to increase them. But both times sorted before the folowing payment was due.

mutantpoodle
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#410450

Postby mutantpoodle » May 9th, 2021, 8:09 am

as already said, all tarifs in results on MSE comparison sites have a 'tarif details' button. so all info is available

I am with AVRO and have been for past 3 years. can definitely recommend
(not so good at answering telephone...Usual covid excuses as with all major companies)
but very quick and good with email / message contact

better prices than most as well !!

fisher
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#410484

Postby fisher » May 9th, 2021, 10:32 am

I use Martin Lewis's moneysavingexpert webite and it's energy saving club. I recently switched to green.energy who had a competitive 2 year fixed deal for me. You can see all the unit prices on the comparison tool.

AF62
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#410540

Postby AF62 » May 9th, 2021, 1:15 pm

Since getting an EV I have changed to Octopus with their ‘Go Faster’ tariff for electricity and have gas supplied on a fixed one year deal by Zog.

The Octopus ’Go Faster’ tariff is a fixed annual tariff, even though it isn’t specifically advertised as such. You pay a standard fixed rate for most of the time, but for 3, 4, or 5 hours at night (your choice) you pay 4.5p or 5p or 5.5p, with those cheap hours starting at 20:30 at the earliest and finishing at 06:30 (start and finish times are your choice). The standing charge is slightly higher at 25p a day.

My choice is 5 hours from 20:30 at 5.5p so as well as charging the car I can run the dishwasher and washing machine in the evening, and during the summer the aircon will be running at those times as well.

Stompa
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#412551

Postby Stompa » May 16th, 2021, 9:30 pm

staffordian wrote:I'm with Utility Point.

They were the best once my twelve month fix with them expired so I'm still with them.

Me too. Though having just had their latest renewal offer (a 32% increase on what I'm currently paying), I may not be for much longer.

taken2often
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#413725

Postby taken2often » May 20th, 2021, 11:58 pm

All the suppliers have the kwh rates and standing charges but they are nearly always tucked away. I got one quote where they were given actual usage KWH and they reduced them to make the monthly rate cheaper, very underhanded. I am with E'on up until end of October will probably have to change as they will try to increase the price. My previous company SSE had a very good price, but I wasted two weeks before their rejection came through. No good deals for existing customers. I did away with all my gas last year just before I starteed with them , On 0.1529p per KWH 0.157p standing charge per day.

E'on administration is rubbish, been in dispute for over two month relating to meter readings. Phone calls, on line chats nothing works. Spoke to a very nice young man in South Africa for about 20min he could do nothing except arrange a date for a Smart Meter to be fitted. I have used 1863 KWH over 200 days. They have reduced my estimated monthe D/D from £41 to £29 and say that I am £25.00 in credit. This could be a disaster for any one on low income.

staffordian
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#413765

Postby staffordian » May 21st, 2021, 9:09 am

taken2often wrote:...They have reduced my estimated monthe D/D from £41 to £29 and say that I am £25.00 in credit. This could be a disaster for any one on low income.

I'm not sure if it is still the case, but when we were with Eon, as we were for several years up to January 2017, an account holder could go online and change the direct debit amount themselves. This could be upwards or downwards as appropriate, but I guess some sort of AI might have flagged up any ridiculously excessive changes.

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#414177

Postby UncleEbenezer » May 22nd, 2021, 3:49 pm

bruncher wrote:I've been with Octopus Tracker for a while, which has been pretty good although risky as the prices change daily. It's interesting that they are even allowed to have a tariff that always has an element of estimate - even if meter readings are submitted monthly. I believe they use an algorithm based on prices and weather, but it is inevitably inaccurate e.g. if I am away for a week, they have no way to know which week that was, so weather and prices data cannot be applied accurately.

Doesn't a smart meter enable them to deal with precisely that kind of case, by metering your usage and knowing the price all as it happens?

Surely that's how your dishwasher knows the best time to come on when you've set it to run overnight?

bruncher
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442216

Postby bruncher » September 14th, 2021, 3:18 pm

Utility Point have gone bust. I wonder who will get their customers.

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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442241

Postby Stompa » September 14th, 2021, 4:54 pm

bruncher wrote:Utility Point have gone bust. I wonder who will get their customers.

Phew, thank goodness I left them a couple of months ago. Just a shame I chose to move to PfP Energy who went bust a week ago!

staffordian
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442253

Postby staffordian » September 14th, 2021, 5:41 pm

bruncher wrote:Utility Point have gone bust. I wonder who will get their customers.

Yes, just had a lengthy email from them which I've not yet had chance to read and digest. Not been in this situation before.

Presumably whoever takes over can charge whatever they choose, but we then have the option to move away?

AIUI, our credit is safe, and will be transferred to the new supplier, and we should not attempt a transfer in the interim, but wait until after the enforced move.

Is that correct?

TIA

Staffordian

bruncher
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442376

Postby bruncher » September 15th, 2021, 12:33 am

staffordian wrote:
bruncher wrote:Utility Point have gone bust. I wonder who will get their customers.

Yes, just had a lengthy email from them which I've not yet had chance to read and digest. Not been in this situation before.

Presumably whoever takes over can charge whatever they choose, but we then have the option to move away?

AIUI, our credit is safe, and will be transferred to the new supplier, and we should not attempt a transfer in the interim, but wait until after the enforced move.

Is that correct?

TIA

Staffordian


I was in this situation a couple of years ago. I was told to do nothing, then I was transferred to Octopus, on their standard variable tariff. It was possible to switch tariff.

I left Octopus three months ago, perhaps I'll be sent back.

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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442394

Postby pje16 » September 15th, 2021, 8:29 am

mutantpoodle wrote:I am with AVRO and have been for past 3 years. can definitely recommend

Thanks, not heard of them before, so had a quick look and they are competitive
cheers

staffordian
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442398

Postby staffordian » September 15th, 2021, 8:54 am

bruncher wrote:
staffordian wrote:
bruncher wrote:Utility Point have gone bust. I wonder who will get their customers.

Yes, just had a lengthy email from them which I've not yet had chance to read and digest. Not been in this situation before.

Presumably whoever takes over can charge whatever they choose, but we then have the option to move away?

AIUI, our credit is safe, and will be transferred to the new supplier, and we should not attempt a transfer in the interim, but wait until after the enforced move.

Is that correct?

TIA

Staffordian


I was in this situation a couple of years ago. I was told to do nothing, then I was transferred to Octopus, on their standard variable tariff. It was possible to switch tariff.

I left Octopus three months ago, perhaps I'll be sent back.

Can you recall the sort of timescale involved?

Are we talking days, weeks or months before a transfer?

Just thinking that any gas or electricity used between now and then is at an unknown, but doubtless far more expensive price...

Stompa
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442459

Postby Stompa » September 15th, 2021, 12:50 pm

pje16 wrote:
mutantpoodle wrote:I am with AVRO and have been for past 3 years. can definitely recommend

Thanks, not heard of them before, so had a quick look and they are competitive
cheers

I hope they're not next....

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/o ... nformation

Stompa
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442466

Postby Stompa » September 15th, 2021, 1:06 pm

staffordian wrote:AIUI, our credit is safe, and will be transferred to the new supplier, and we should not attempt a transfer in the interim, but wait until after the enforced move.

Is that correct?

That's my understanding. You get moved to the 'Supplier of Last Resort', and once that has happened you can switch elsewhere. So UP -> SoLR -> New Supplier.

I've read that if you attempt to switch elsewhere prior to the move to the SoLR having completed then you run the risk of the switch to SoLR kicking in at the end, so UP -> New Supplier -> SoLR.

Normally when you switch there's a 14 day cooling off period before anything happens, I don't know if this happens in the case of a switch to a SoLR. You'd think not, but who knows!

I also don't know how promptly the SoLR informs you once the switch has been completed. But there are a couple of websites where you can check for yourself:

https://www.energynetworks.org/operatin ... k-operator

https://findmysupplier.energy/webapp/index.html

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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442593

Postby simoan » September 15th, 2021, 6:24 pm

Stompa wrote:
pje16 wrote:
mutantpoodle wrote:I am with AVRO and have been for past 3 years. can definitely recommend

Thanks, not heard of them before, so had a quick look and they are competitive
cheers

I hope they're not next....

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/o ... nformation

I initiated a switch to them last Friday :( I have just emailed to cancel. It looks like they are gone; having checked the latest dual-fuel deals on MSE Cheap Energy Club, Avro have already been removed!!!

All the best, Si

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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442629

Postby AF62 » September 15th, 2021, 8:31 pm

staffordian wrote:Can you recall the sort of timescale involved?

Are we talking days, weeks or months before a transfer?


When Yorkshire Energy went under last December it took about a month for the SOLR (Scottish Power in that case) to show my account on their system and so I could start a transfer, and then another month before I was with the new chosen supplier.

staffordian wrote:
Just thinking that any gas or electricity used between now and then is at an unknown, but doubtless far more expensive price...


“Far more expensive” depends on your previous deal. The SOLR tariff isn’t going to be market leading, but it isn’t going to be astronomical either as they will want to retain some of the inherited customers.

staffordian
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Re: Gas and Electricty

#442638

Postby staffordian » September 15th, 2021, 9:42 pm

AF62 wrote:
staffordian wrote:Can you recall the sort of timescale involved?

Are we talking days, weeks or months before a transfer?


When Yorkshire Energy went under last December it took about a month for the SOLR (Scottish Power in that case) to show my account on their system and so I could start a transfer, and then another month before I was with the new chosen supplier.

staffordian wrote:
Just thinking that any gas or electricity used between now and then is at an unknown, but doubtless far more expensive price...


“Far more expensive” depends on your previous deal. The SOLR tariff isn’t going to be market leading, but it isn’t going to be astronomical either as they will want to retain some of the inherited customers.

Many thanks for that. I'll put it to the back of my mind for a while then :D

As to cost, a possible reason for Utility Point's failure could have been their cheap fixed tariffs. Only last week, I looked at whether swapping to a new fixed deal might be worthwhile, but the cheapest would have been 33% higher than my Utility Point tariff, so I'm not expecting to be better off :)


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