Tag Archive for switch energy supplier

The truth about energy switching

What is really going on with this energy switching business?

We conducted a recent survey at Energy Advisory Service UK.

The real aim of this survey was to find out how many People really save money on their energy bills.

It’s a sad fact that the majority of the population just can’t be bothered when it comes to looking for a cheaper price for their energy bills.

These are the categories I have placed Consumers:

  • Reluctant to switch energy supplier. This applies to most People
  • Have switched in the past, but don’t check prices on a regular basis
  • Switch to the cheapest Tariff every time my prices increase. This applies to the fewest.

Although the Government have been running campaigns to urge Consumers to switch to a cheaper priced energy deal, in most cases, this has been falling on deaf ears.

Is it simply because, People just don’t understand it? Or perhaps they think it’s just too much hassle!

Latest statistics show that, those who can’t be bothered switching to a cheaper tariff, have paid an additional £4.1 Billion to Their energy suppliers. This figure applies to everyone Who is paying standard energy prices.

The truth is, it’s very straight forward to switch your energy supplier these days. The new supplier handles everything for you.

All you have to do is, get quotes through a comparison site and choose a cheaper energy deal.

 

Get quotes from an approved energy comparison site

Please choose a comparison site from the approved list below

We have reviewed these comparison sites based on the following criteria, and awarded 1 star for each of the following:

  1. Customer Service
  2. Consumer Focus Accredited
  3. Consumer Site Watch Approved
  4. User privacy
  5. Free energy saving products

We hope this information helps to remove any confusion over which comparison to choose for switching your gas and electricity supplier. All of these sites are Consumer Focus Accredited. Although they all meet a strict set of rules, some offer a bit more than others.

 

 Comparison site  1 2  3  4 5 Order free gift

& compare

UK Power           Next
Energy Helpline           Next
Which?         Next
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At Energy Advisory Service UK, we like to help you find ways of saving on your energy bills. If you have applied for the free plug in energy monitor, we will send you some more information on how you can keep an eye on your consumption, how to work out your gas usage, and some other useful tools to help you save money on your energy bills.

All of this will be made available to you at no charge.

We will not pass your information to any third party. We will only contact you to give you access to your free stuff. We may contact you again in the future if we see any sharp increase in your energy prices.

If you need any help with the switching process, or any advice relating to your energy supply, please contact us through one of the methods on the contact page. You will find the link at the top of the page!

what is the point of switching energy supplier

Is it worth switching energy supplier?

Surely when you switch gas and electricity supplier, the prices will just go up again anyway. So what is the point of switching in the first place?

Put it this way – If you were handed £100 cash just for the sake of switching to a different tariff, would you refuse it?

Most of the energy suppliers are touting for your business through comparison sites. They offer introductory prices to entice you in. These lower prices are normally set below their standard prices for about one year!

Once your online intructory tariff comes to an end your new supplier will transfer you onto their standard online prices.

You may want to shop around again at this point, to find out which supplier is now offering the cheapest online introductory enticing deal.

So, can you even be bothered to go through the process of switching energy supplier?

This is entirely up to you. But the switching process is very straight forward these days. You keep the same meters, pipes and wires. Nothing changes, apart from where your bill comes from!

The real question is – Do you really want cheaper gas and electricity?

winter energy bills

Your gas & electricity bills for the Winter

This is the time of the year we all dread, me included. Our Winter bills, in many cases, amount to more than half our annual spend on gas & electricity.

So how can we control this?

It really is down to us all as individuals, to have some sort of understanding how our energy is priced.

Take a look at your energy bills, and try to get around the confusion of:

  • KWH
  • Tier 1
  • Tier 2
  • Standing charge
  • Standard energy
  • General domestic – no standing charge

These are pretty much, typical of the terminology you will find on your energy bills.

Unit of measure for gas & electricity

Your gas and electricity usage is measured in KWH (kilowatt Hours)

How your supplier charges you

Your energy supplier will charge you so much per KWH

Similar to

It’s similar to filling your car up with fuel, where you pay so much per litre.

Other charges on the bills

With energy, there are other charges to consider. You will either pay a standing charge. Or, you will be on a 2 tier tariff. The first tier generally covers what you would have paid on a standing charge.

What tariff are you on?

The type of tariff you are on, is on your bill. If you haven’t switched to an online tariff within the last year, you are most likely paying standard energy prices

Can I get a cheaper energy deal?

Once you understand which tariff you are on, and you know how much you will expect to spend over the coming year. You have enough information to make a comparison!

You can get the best deals by paying for your gas & electricity bills by Direct Debit. Your energy supplier will divide your annual spend by 12 equal monthly payments.

This also means you won’t be faced with a big Winter bill.

Get quotes from all the energy suppliers with this comparison tool.

Just hit the start button your savings start here

 

how to switch energy supplier

Get cheaper gas & electricity prices by switching your supplier

If you are new to switching your energy supplier, you will find this guide quite useful.

Many People are now turning to price comparison sites to compare all the energy deals from all the gas & electricity suppliers.

By comparing all the suppliers in one place, you can see who is offering the cheapest priced deals, or the best fixed price tariff.

Please bookmark this page then open in a new window, so you can follow the instructions

What you need to compare suppliers:

  • Your gas & electricity bills
  • Your annual energy statement ( Your supplier should have sent you one of these)
  • If you have your statement, this tells you how many KWH of gas & electricity you consumed over the previous year.

How to compare prices:

Gas

  1. Press the green start button on the right
  2. enter you postcode and expected spend on gas & electricity
  3. click submit
  4. Select your current tariff (this is shown on your bill)
  5. Select your current payment method
  6. If you don’t know you current usage, selecting the don’t know option will do a calculation based on the UK average consumption of 16500 KWH for gas

Electricity

  1. Follow steps as above from 4 to 6
  2. Economy 7 is normally present when you don’t have gas heating. And has 2 meter readings, for day & night usage
  3. If you don’t know you current usage, selecting the don’t know option will do a calculation based on the UK average consumption of 3300 KWH for electricity

Next

Select your preferred payment method (best prices are available when you choose to pay by direct debit) Then click view results

You are now presented with all the energy suppliers prices for all the different tariffs. As a rule of thumb, you would choose the cheapest, which is the first one you see. During the threat of price rises, it would be wise to choose a fixed price tariff.

Select the tariff which suits you best, then enter your billing information as requested. Your new supplier will then handle the whole switching process.

They will ask you for your meter readings on the day of the switch over.

If you come across anything you are not sure about, please leave a comment below