OT ? Comparing Energy Suppliers

[naffer]

I would like to build some tables & from them graphs of the costs of energy from different suppliers across a range of consumptions. Suppliers now, mostly, charge a standing charge which can vary greatly and with them a range of costs per kilowatt. Put simply, the charges are gener ally linear, of the shape a + bx , where a is the standing charge, b is th e unit charge & x is the amount used.

With a good overview of a supplier's tariffs a simple graph could be drawn for each plan and the cross-over points identified.

Does anyone know where the data can be found? All, well it appears to be a ll, the comparison sites require you to load your specific usage and then t hey send back spot prices derived from each supplier's data. Effectively, as single point on a graph.

Access to an overview of all the tariffs in an area would enable a much mor e informed judgement to be made and would identify if you were near a cross

-over point.

[alan]

I think you will have to go to a comparison site with real usage figures and then go to all the likely candidate companies web sites to find the tariffs.

I'm in the process of looking for a new supplier. When entering the actual usage for the (previous) year in one comparison site it will give the price to pay with the current supplier and the savings to be made with a new supplier. BUT the site assumes that you will be stupid enough to be on "Standard" charging with the old supplier. As a result the comparison is £100 to £150 in error, in favour of a new supplier.

Furthermore most cheaper comparisons seem to be for fixed price deals of

1 to 2 years. A few companies have said that people signing up to fixed price deals will not, for the life of the contract, have any rebate or lower prices as a result of the Government reducing green taxation this year.

I'm also finding that some suppliers are still out to make finding pricing difficult. What use is entering a postcode to find out the energy cost and being presented of an AVERAGE spend of residents in the local area with the same post code? I live in street where a third of houses have been converted to flats and my nearby neighbours don't all work and someone is in all day.

[Dave Liquorice]

Which site is that, so I can avoid it? All the ones I played with about 9 months ago asked for old suplier and the tarrif you were on and used that for the old cost calculation. As I've already been through the switching loop a few times the indicated savings were minimal £20/year mark, some didn't find any savings at all.

Agreed, all suppliers should be forced to present their tariff information in a clear and standard way. If on the web, enter your region (or postcode), fuel (gas, electric or both), inc/ex VAT, then get the options clearly laid out: tariff name, standing charge, p/unit, discounts.

No spending half an hour digging about their marketing puff web site "experience" to find a 10 M byte .pdf that lists everything they do for every region.

None what so ever but the sheple probably like it as they see if they are spending more or less than everyone else. The fact that it's all just bullshit doesn't occur to sheple.

[Andy Cap]

There was a bit about this on Moneybox at lunchtime, saying how those tariffs with high standing charges penalise low users and of course, those few people who don't use any gas at all are better off having the gas meter removed altogether. Apparently BG want £80+ to do that and Scottish Energy apparently charge £400. Sounded almost unbelieveable. The only supplier that was mentioned which didn't have a standing charge and doesn't plan to introduce one was Ebico.

Andy C

[Dave Liquorice]

So low users should choose a a tariff with low or no standing charge, are people really so thick?

I have an nPower electricty tariff with no standing charge, "Price Fix April 2015 Elec DD" 14.2 p/kWHr + VAT.

[harryagain]

Though I had a gas meter, I haven't used any gas for years & there was no charge. With the recent (well just over a year ago) changes, they were proposing to charge me 100/yr for using no gas.

So I told them to bugger off and take the meter away which eventually they did. THERE IS A CHARGE FOR THIS! Around 100! But I found out that if you're over 65 they have to do it for free.

Just yesterday I got a post card asking me what happened to the meter????! Also threatening to cut my gas supply off.

Talk about barking mad.

[alan]

The costs for meters etc. are built into the tariffs and the tarrif you are paying would probably suit a very low user.

According to some sites I'm below an average user of electricity for my area and based on the difference in my (future) tarrif plus a standing charge and your costs without a standing charge I would be paying the same as you for my electricity usage. Anyone with above average usage may be paying more with your scheme.

[harryagain]

They all have a standing charge now/meter rental under the new simplification rules. It was all supposed to make choosing tariff simpler compared will dual pricing where the price change kicked in at different levels.

[alan]

Who charge 19.64p per kWh.

The break even point is around 1250 KWh per annum (when compared to the companies with the higher standing charges)

[Dave Liquorice]

Maximum, inc VAT, North of Scotland.

Minimum, 17.08 inc VAT, East Midlands

10 of the 14 regions are 17.? p/kWHr

If going to them keep a close eye on the "fixed rate" period, the site is a bit variable on the end date between "Autumn 2014" and "Spring 2015", the latter has a small print get out the former doesn't.

[Dave Liquorice]

This use I have on the above tariff is low, 1000 kWHr/year. You think I haven't done the maths? I also have 11.143 p/kWHr standing charge £76.48, that would cost me £73.13/year more at low use. At the (high ) use that tariff has the nPower one would be would be £167.37 more. Spreadsheets are essential...

Just pointing out that "pay for what you use" at an elevated rate and no standing charge/meter rental that is so good for low users is no longer only available from Ebico.