first:utility (probably OT)

[Gordon Henderson]

A bit OK, but this is probably the best place to ponder this...

So the winter fuel bill is in.. Ouch..

Going through u-switch as I usually do - the savings from moving have hardly been worth while, (like a tenner a year!) so I've never bothered, but this time there is a new kid on the block - first:utility - or at least in my area... (Devon)

However there are no reviews on u-switch about them, and they want 2-year lock-in (£100 buy-out, but u-switch estimate it'll save me £157 a year)

So ... Hmm...

Anyone know how their smart meters work? They say a "communications network", but they don't say what... Their pretty pictures seem to indicate some sort of wireless conection - fine for the electric meter, as it can get power, but what about the gas meter?

Anyone using them or any opinions?

Cheers,

Gordon

[Colin Wilson]

Ouch, that lock-in fee is a killer

Check out social tariffs, i'm with Ebico

[Gordon Henderson]

Quite - however if it saves me £157 a year, thats just over 300 in 2 years, so if I did have to pay the £100 to get out, I'm still quids in, however.. My concern is that of the wholesale priced dropping and being stuck with higher rates...

I checked them - good idea, but £183 a year more than e-on I'm with now...

British Gas is surprisingly the cheapest according to u-switch right now. They reckon I can save nearly £250...

Gordon

[Corporal Jones]

EDF (online 6) comes out best for me, £347 saving per year.

[Mark]

E.ON (powergen) is the cheapest for me. Their tariffs and discount levels are not the simplest though! Some of their bills are pretty incomprehensible too.

[Calvin]

Am I missing something here, you guys don't actually believe the figures from u-switch do you?

Whenever I've looked at switching I've used my exact usage figures for the last few years and the published tariffs from the suppliers. I now have a spreadsheet set up so all I need to do is input the current tariffs (oh, I'm such a geek). What is shocking is that the u-switch figures are total bollocks. Often suppliers they claim will save me money would in fact cost me lots more. In general it's not worth switching.

[Another Dave]

Care to post it somewhere? I'd be interested too.

Another Dave

[Mark]

If you can actually find the tariff details then you can check the figures yourself.

I find that all price comparison sites give roughly the same results and I have manually calculated a few myself. They don't agree in absolute terms with uswitch but they are a good benchmark IMHO.

[Chris J Dixon]

I have found that all sites show negative savings against my Scottish Power tariff, so I'll stick for the moment.

I'm bemused by those who call at the door, or accost me when out, and claim, without any information about my existing arrangements, that they can save me large amounts. It is simply fiction.

Chris

[Dave Liquorice]

This is waht I do but some suppliers don't half make it hard to find the= ir tariff details, if I can't find what I want in afew minutes online they =

get dropped from the list...

When I last looked at the comparison sites it was pretty clear from the =

way the data was presented and what that data was (fields and values) th= at there was really only 2 perhaps 3 backend databases and all the front en= ds were simply that a front end. Some of which when you looked closely were= all from the same parent company all using the same database.

They are close enough but I wouldn't switch without checking my useage against the suggested tariff and my current costs. Our main lecky supply= is from Scottish Power, last time I checked it was the best deal at leas= t within =A310 or =A320/year which isn't worth worrying about.

Just for fun I've just used uswitch to check, it's a while since I did i= t anyway. Only three cheaper options N-Power "Sign Online V14 - Paperless =

Billing & Standar Billing" both save me =A315.03 (wow!). However EDF Ene= rgy "Online Version 6" says it will save me =A368.96 and I get Nectar points= (wow!). I shall be plugging the tariff details of that into my checking =

spread sheet, then perhaps start reading the small print...

[John J Armstrong]

Might be, might not be. There are no easy answers. I was a cold caller for a well known national supplier, seven years ago, and while there is no doubt that there was a lot of sharp practice going on in the trade, there were and are savings to be made, depending on individual circumstances. Tariffs as shown on sites like uswitch are confusing. You need to know the cost per unit, the standing charge, which may of course be hidden, and your annual usage. Best to do the calculation yourself.

There's a lot of ignorance on both sides of the doorstep. Some of the reasons for not even considering a change of supplier had to be heard to be believed. And some of the misinformation bandied about by sellers was shocking too!

John

[Dave Liquorice]

Well my spread sheet says I'll save =A368 as well. So I wanders off to E= DF website, no sign of the "Online Version 6" tariff. Not listed in the electricity price list just Standard, E7 and E10.

[sm_jamieson]

When I told a doorstep energy salesman I was not interested, he said "you must be stupid if you don't want to save money". I said "I do my own research". He said "but you don't have to, I'm here". Surely door sellers can't believe that anyone trusts them ? This guy actually had an answer for everything (he was quite "skilled" at his job !). Now I don't even engage them in conversation. It's a waste of energy. Simon.

[Mark]

But you may be rejecting the cheapest. EON make their tariff details pretty secret, especially their variable "discount" levels. I am as sure as I can be they are among the cheapest for me last time I checked.

That would explain it.

And the names that the price comparison sites give the tariffs often doesn't match the ones that the energy companies use themselves. EnergyOnline super-duper-extra-sexy saver v678 is pretty meaningless IMHO.

[Dave Liquorice]

This is very true but I couldn't find any trace of any "online" tariffs = on the EDF site even in the downloadable .pdf price list. Nearly =A370/year= is worth spending a bit of time digging for but not whole days.

[Corporal Jones]

file on page for online tariff

[Rick]

I have just signed up with them. From what I can gather they change the meters. The meters use mobile phone networks to send readings back, no more estimated bills. The smart meter is an add on and gives you real time usage, handy to see just how much use everything is drawing on standby, the dehumidifier, the tank with only 3 fishes in it etc. I have taken their 3 tier tariff, looks like it might be best for me as long as at weekends we sit in the darkness and don't eat during the day.

I'll report back when it's installed.