Electricity Suppliers - advice?

[JohnW2]

The regulator Of??? limits suppliers to a small number of current tariffs, I imagine trying to prevent people being on expensive legacy tariffs at extortionate prices. Well that is the idea

I suppose it all depends upon what is meant by "current tariffs' - I guess it means 'currently available to change to' ...

... I found a dusty corner of the E.ON website which lists 339 E.ON tariffs which are 'currently active' in my postcode area!! I haven't been able to get any sense out of anyone I've tried speaking to about this, but I can but presume that, other than the three I've been 'offered', the other 336 are ones which some customers in my area currently have, but which are not available to switch to.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Notch7]

As I've said, I'm not sure that 'customer service' is much of an issue, since I very rarely need it. Indeed,

Its a problem if they increase the direct debit and a large credit builds up. Or if you switch away from in the future and they dont or wont release any crefit etc.

I stayed with EDF for quite a few years, each year I would do a comparison with the big 6 and it was never worth swapping. However I started to find all the smaller energy companies were much cheaper, so I decided to go with one. Now in 3rd year and no problem. I also switched FIW and SIL -the total savings of all 3 worked out at about £800

 

[JohnW2]

Its a problem if they increase the direct debit and a large credit builds up. Or if you switch away from in the future and they dont or wont release any crefit etc.

That makes sense, but my electricity usage is pretty consistent from year to year (in fact, gradually reducing, as I find more ways of reducing it!), so it's hard to see that they could find much reason to significantly increase the DD during, say, a 3-year fixed-price period.

I stayed with EDF for quite a few years, each year I would do a comparison with the big 6 and it was never worth swapping. However I started to find all the smaller energy companies were much cheaper, so I decided to go with one. Now in 3rd year and no problem. I also switched FIW and SIL -the total savings of all 3 worked out at about £800

It looks as if I would save about £250 per year in the first two years of the 3-year Together Energy deal, in comparison with the 2-year E.ON deal being offered to me - and presumably appreciably more than £250 saving in the third year (when the E.ON price would presumably be appreciably higher) - so in excess of £750 saving over the three years.

Kind Regards, John

 

[AndyPRK]

I recall (maybe 2 years ago) I downloaded an excel spreadsheet from the website with all the companies tariffs for the UK !

Think it was npower

 

[JohnW2]

I recall (maybe 2 years ago) I downloaded an excel spreadsheet from the website with all the companies tariffs for the UK !

Would that be restricted to tariffs which were available for me to switch to - or would it include things like the 339 'currently active' E.ON ones I mentioned?!

Kind Regards, John

 

[winston1]

I've switched several times. Usually the new company bombards me with letters offering a smart meter. I've always refused with no comebacks.

 

[AndyPRK]

currently active

 

[reds42]

Somewhat suprisingly I have not had any supplier try and get me to install a smart meter yet. Maybe its because they haven't had chance before I change supplier again or they go bust!

 

[JohnW2]

currently active

... so, if the same spreadsheet is available today, do you think it would include the 336 'currently active' E.ON tariffs which are not actually available to me?

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

I've switched several times. Usually the new company bombards me with letters offering a smart meter. I've always refused with no comebacks.

A small proportion of the tariffs I've seen on comparison sites say that they are only available to customers who 'accept the offer of a smart meter', but most don't appear to say that. However, even for those that do, I suspect that they would struggle to find a usable GSM signal in my house - so I don't know what they would do then!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Somewhat suprisingly I have not had any supplier try and get me to install a smart meter yet. Maybe its because they haven't had chance before I change supplier again or they go bust!

That's possible! However, as I've just written, only a small proportion of the tariffs I'm find say that 'accepting the offer of a smart meter' is a requirement.

Kind Regards, John

 

[winston1]

That's possible! However, as I've just written, only a small proportion of the tariffs I'm find say that 'accepting the offer of a smart meter' is a requirement.

Kind Regards, John

Well those are the ones to avoid then aren't they. But I'm not sure that such a clause would stand up in court as one does not have to have a smart meter if one does not want one.

 

[JohnW2]

Well those are the ones to avoid then aren't they.

They would be for you. As I've said, personally I'm not fussed about whether or not I have a smart meter - and it would be their problem to find a way of communicating with it!

But I'm not sure that such a clause would stand up in court as one does not have to have a smart meter if one does not want one.

I would imagine that an company's right to restrict a certain type of contract to those who were prepared to accept its conditions would 'stand up in court'. No-one is suggesting that the company would/could 'force' a smart meter onto anyone - merely that some of their tariffs are only available to those who accept a smart meter.

Kind Regards, John

 

[AndyPRK]

... so, if the same spreadsheet is available today, do you think it would include the 336 'currently active' E.ON tariffs which are not actually available to me?

Kind Regards, John

It was from the npower site so no.

If you were with npower. Yes.

 

[AndyPRK]

If you don’t accept a smart meter their small print says they have the right to move you to the standard tariff after x days.

They would quite happily fit a smart meter regardless whether it works as it would help make the quota.
Pain for you to read it though.