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[pscocoa]

I am running my dad's house at moment and getting to grips with some of the bills.

He only has a gas fire, a gas wall heater and a gas water heater but his gas bill is £1000+ per annum.

The wall heater is on 24/7 and uses 1kwh per hour on average so more or less £1 per day I think.

Fed usage data into Compare the Market  and they came up with 25% saving if switching to Npower from the current supplier British Gas. Does this seem achievable?

[Taxi_Driver]

Comparasion web sites dont check all suppliers......try looking at cooperative energy.....

I used to be with southern electric for both gas and electric and switched to the coop.....the saving on standing charge was about £40/yr just for gas......plus i liked the simplicity of the tariffs....theres only two (or there was, maybe just one now).....they charge they same amount per unit for the 1st unit used as the last unit (unlike the other big six) so if you can make some savings its worth more  . You certainly notice the difference if you swap out old domestic appliances for energy efficient ones 

[allen25]

I agree, your 24kWh per day would cost around £1 per day.

£1000 per annum for gas would cover a typical 3/4 bed house with central heating. Current competitive prices (recently increased, inc VAT) would buy you an average of around 60 kWh per day.

The most competitive prices are generally achieved by choosing a single supplier for both gas and electricity and choosing to pay by direct debit. If you have never changed supplier and have different suppliers for gas and electricity etc you may well save the suggested 25% as your current rates are likely to be 'out of the market'.

Once you are in the competitive market, and checking prices regularly, there isn't really too much to be gained by switching with the exception that suppliers typically match each other over time, one following another up or down.

Although completely possible, £1000 pa is high for the appliances listed. It may be actual meter readings correcting previous estimates that has delivered this figure (not necessarily all consumed in the 12 month period)?

If you switch, I would recommend you take meter readings for your peace of mind.

I hope this helps.

[pscocoa]

Thanks - I haven't started on the electric yet which is with EON.

Meter readings up to date and taken by Meter Reader but some big swings in comparative quarters.

Have come up with a couple of possible reasons for this high consumption now . It is no wonder old people get issues with heating bills - he does of course get his fuel allowance.

We are comparing a house which has a gas fire on from 9am to 11pm as well for substantial periods of the year with a centrally heated 4 bed where maybe it is on for a couple of 4 hour slots.

[Vamps]

I have thought about changing but when I look at my bill, I just have no idea how to compare...   Seems to be a number of different tariffs depending on how much you use, it's hardly user friendly....

[albitz]

Get the cheapest fixed price you can,if its not too late to do so.We fixed (well swmbo did)about 18 months ago for a 3 year period iirc. Was a wise move.I cant see energy prices dropping for the foreseeable future.The green agenda,future shortage of supply,spineless corrupt politicians and  corparate greed wouldnt allow it.

[Kevin Wood]

I have thought about changing but when I look at my bill, I just have no idea how to compare...   Seems to be a number of different tariffs depending on how much you use, it's hardly user friendly....

That's just what they want you to think.

As with mobile phones, etc. Make the tariffs so complex that they can't be easily compared, and nobody will know they're being ripped off.

Best thing to do is to make a note of every meter reading so you know exactly what you use then trawl the comparison sites.

[aaronjb]

I have thought about changing but when I look at my bill, I just have no idea how to compare...   Seems to be a number of different tariffs depending on how much you use, it's hardly user friendly....

I always have a problem with that, too.. especially as I've spotted - a number of times - that when a site asks what tariff you're on with your current supplier the price they use for comparison is vastly different to the price I'm actually paying with my current supplier.

A couple of times their examples have shown a significant saving, but when working it out manually I've calculated I'd end up paying quite a bit more.. I don't think my maths is that bad, but it leaves me wondering if you can really trust any of those comparison sites at all. Or the utility companies for that matter..

Which is why I've been with Scottish Power for the last six or seven years now.

[Kevin Wood]

I always have a problem with that, too.. especially as I've spotted - a number of times - that when a site asks what tariff you're on with your current supplier the price they use for comparison is vastly different to the price I'm actually paying with my current supplier.

Hence the need to know your consumption and compare based on that rather than your current tariff.

A couple of times their examples have shown a significant saving, but when working it out manually I've calculated I'd end up paying quite a bit more.. I don't think my maths is that bad, but it leaves me wondering if you can really trust any of those comparison sites at all. Or the utility companies for that matter..

Which is why I've been with Scottish Power for the last six or seven years now.

Me too. Got some fixed price deal with them a few years back and been passed to a few new deals since, expecting to get shafted, but, surprisingly, they are still quite competitive.

[cleggy]

I looked at switching to the CoOperative for both Gas and Electric currently from EON, but by the time you added in the cancellation fees it wasn't worth it.

[aaronjb]

Hence the need to know your consumption and compare based on that rather than your current tariff.

Aye - and I'd add your current price per kWh (and how many kWh at each rate if it's split rate like the SP tariff I'm on).. the latter is what makes it annoyingly non trivial to work out how much everything should cost, of course.

Me too. Got some fixed price deal with them a few years back and been passed to a few new deals since, expecting to get shafted, but, surprisingly, they are still quite competitive.

Yup - when I moved house I switched back to them as part of the moving in process and they got me on a deal almost as good as the one I'd been on previously, just because I'd been a long standing customer (OK, we all know a certain amount of that is sales BS). These days it seems I could save perhaps £90 a year by switching, which hardly seems worth the hassle.. but maybe I should call them and threaten it anyway

[allen25]

Just some additional thought for you, which may help some save some money. Consider it like a petrol pump, with a few extras to consider...remove the extras from your mind, the confusion factors, and it may help.

Standing charges for gas and electricity account for around 15 to 20% of fuel cost per annum. This is a typical figure and varies for individuals depending upon their individual consumption profile.

Given this, the kWh consumed makes up the rest (typically 80%+). For many, you will be paying a single (flat) rate for both gas and electricity. So, for example, if for electricity you are paying a rate of say 11.5p/kWh and you can switch and buy for 10.5p/kWh, then by switching you are likely to save near 9% for every unit you buy. So without knowing your consumption, you can make an assessment and choose to switch or not. If you use 6000kWh per annum in the above example the difference between the prices stated is £60 per annum.

Same thought process for gas...different figures.

When considering, standing charges are usually listed as pence per day (or maths equivalent) make sure they are not unreasonably different. The more fuel you use, the less impact the standing charges have on the overall equation.

When comparing rates, make sure you are comparing like for like, ie. incl or excl VAT. For residential use that's probably about it.

It is more complex for business use so be careful.

I don't work for comparison sites, I'm a long serving electricity industry chap who has been helped a great deal by the advice on the site, so if this helps any of you that's great.