have you remembered to switch tariff?

talking about electricity...I was questioning an out of proportion bill and the explanation was that I should have kept on checking the "tariff page" every now and then in order to switch to the lowest quotation available at that moment.

 

I just switched following an email from 38 degrees. Got a much better deal than Scottish power.

 

Ive done a few comparisons but noticed that when working out the figures myself the savings were no where near the figures claimed by the comparison sites.
When looking at rate and usage and standing charges im lucky if i get near to half of the claimed saving ?
Very suspicious,the next power comparison site scandal ?

 

This is interesting. We have only one electrical supplier. No choice but to deal with government controlled Bendovercorp.....

Wish I had at least some choice...

We get charged low rates between 7p.m. and 7a.m. and medium rates after 11a.m to 5 p.m. then high during the other periods. They do adjust the medium and high rates by season for the 11 to 5 times but it is always the high rate when people need to prepare breakfast or supper. Very unfair to young families with kids and 9 to 5 jobs. :(

 

I think one of the reasons they are rolling out "smart" meters here is that in the future we will be able to choose to run appliances etc during a cheap time and choose to use expensive power at other times.
The cheap rate will be between 03;01 and 03:05 on a tuesday and the expensive rates will be all other times .

 

Yes, and the saving will be 1/1000 th of the smart meter cost.

 

The question of tariffs always makes peoples blood boil . When I was with nPower they had over 250 electricity tariffs ! There cannot be that many different usage scenarios for that. I think all the big 5 suppliers have reduced the number now.
At my annual review with nPower they offered the "best" tariff for me . I was planning to transfer to OVO and save approx £250 a year dual fuel. When canceling with nPower they said we have a better best tariff we can offer you ! Been with OVO 2 years now , no problems.
It pays to switch.

PS Just done a quick Uswitch check and now nPower are the cheapest ! They are losing money , customers and jobs at the moment . So the pricing must now be competitive.

 

I went with Places for People energy in the end, and got a better deal than on the price comparison site by going through 38 degrees. Then got a phone call from Scottish power offering me a better tariff surprise surprise, but it still wasn't as good as my new provider. I will be very interested to see my bills over the next 12 months.

 

Why don't these robbing companies just have one tarrif for Gas and Electricity, when you try and understand them you need a degree in nuclear science, or when try to speak to someone at the company, they must have a script they use.
We check our energy on line we recently found we were £295.00 in credit, it took 3 phone calls to get our money, it was only when I got on the phone and threatened legal action we got the money back, I also asked for the interest they made on our money as well, didn't get that.

 

I think the word competition doesn't really come into it, I'd prefer it as it was, just the one supplier, government run.
As with all these so called competitive things,electric, gas mobile phones etc.
Its impossible to actually compare, they make their pricing as confusing as possible so as to bamboozle us.

I've only changed once, and scared to go through the process again.
It took me at least 6 months to sort out, and at one time I was paying two suppliers for the same gas/electric.
Dont really know for sure to this day if I lost out during the change over, their billing is so difficult to understand.
Now I just put in my meter readings each month and pay for what I've used.

Energy companies along with water companies seem to have the most confusing way of writing a bill I have ever seen.