Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route?

ewazix · 19 July 2011 at 5:07PM

My two year contract with Flogas has just ended, the robbing B's offered 59p P/L 20 p per day (underground tank) and £50 rebate but would not fix the price or offer a contract get-out if they jack up prices too high. They had me over last time by offering a cute deal then jacking the price, once bitten!

Calor offered 47.4p P/L fixed for 6 months, 23p per day, £100 rebate and a get out of contract clause if their price rises more than 3.5p P/L.

I'm not stupid and realise that Calor will try it on in due course but at least the contract is not so one-sided, so I've gone with Calor and would have done even if Flogas matched the deal. I always get the feeling Flogas are too sharp for their own good and a bit of research on the web throws up some interesting corporate stories so I'm not surprised.

pennypinchUK · 3 August 2011 at 11:53AM

Just had a quote from Move Valley Farmers (MVF) for supply of Calor LPG. Currently 44.5p per litre, variable, 2 year contract. They buy the tank from your current supplier and charge rent according to the age, location and condition of the tank. MVF also quoted 46p per litre from FloGas, fixed for only 3 months and then variable. The person at MVF said Calor are normally in the low to mid price range.

LittleVermin · 3 August 2011 at 12:12PM

Extra Fuel website http://www.extrafuel.co.uk/

June price - 47.95 ppl

July price - 50.22 ppl - up 2.27 ppl

August price - 49.22 ppl - down 1.00 ppl

LittleVermin · 3 August 2011 at 12:33PM

pennypinchUK wrote: »

Just had a quote from Move Valley Farmers (MVF) for supply of Calor LPG. Currently 44.5p per litre, variable, 2 year contract. They buy the tank from your current supplier and charge rent according to the age, location and condition of the tank. MVF also quoted 46p per litre from FloGas, fixed for only 3 months and then variable. The person at MVF said Calor are normally in the low to mid price range.

1. 44.5ppl looks like an 'introductory offer' to get you to sign up - look at what Extra Fuel (aka Extra Gas) is charging this month. Extra Gas is a small Manchester-based independent supplier and can't afford to make sweet deals to entice the punters to sign up!

2. "variable" - enough said. I should ensure you get a contract with a clause specifying maximum rate of rise. See many other posts in this thread. And then make sure Calor stick to this (they are notorious for corporate amnesia!) - see other posts.

3. The price for the tank comes from the formula on pages 16-19 of the Competition Commission Order: http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/current/gas/lpg_order_final.pdf Lots more useful stuff!

4. If you think you might want to own your tank in future you might want a new tank installed (rather than a transfer). Yes, some grief, etc - but it's summertime so a good time for uplift.

5. Many posts on this thread give Calor a much better record for customer service than Flogas.

6. Just seen your post on the (mains) Gas & Electricity board. Your 'normal' price from BP - 58ppl - is high. And compare their (superspecial *****) discount price of 52ppl with Extra Gas's August price. And the 52ppl guaranteed for 6 whole months - so that might be for just one fill - depending on your tank size and usage!

Good luck!

PS Extra Gas subcontract deliveries to Flogas in my area (Cornwall) - and obviously still make a profit!

PPS I wonder what Calor would offer you if you didn't go through Mole Valley Farmers.

..

pennypinchUK · 3 August 2011 at 8:13PM

LittleVermin wrote: »

1. 44.5ppl looks like an 'introductory offer' to get you to sign up - look at what Extra Fuel (aka Extra Gas) is charging this month. Extra Gas is a small Manchester-based independent supplier and can't afford to make sweet deals to entice the punters to sign up!

2. "variable" - enough said. I should ensure you get a contract with a clause specifying maximum rate of rise. See many other posts in this thread. And then make sure Calor stick to this (they are notorious for corporate amnesia!) - see other posts.

PPS I wonder what Calor would offer you if you didn't go through Mole Valley Farmers.

..

Thanks LittleVermin for your reply - all good points, and yes the "variable" leaves it uncomfortably open. Mole Valley Farmers is a not-for-profit farmers co-operative that operates in the South West and their head office just happens to be 10 miles down the road from me (not often in North Devon that I find myself in the right place, for once!). However, they supply across the country, but you have to be a member of MVF (£10pa). They negotiate bulk deals with the gas companies, hence the (at least on the surface) reduced rate.

And as you've correctly seen from my separate posting, at the beginning of today I was being pressed by BP to agree to 58p per litre, so a few hours later I'm much more informed, and I may well save a chunk of cash. A good day's work!

Rhino666 · 3 August 2011 at 11:10PM

Hi

I moved into my new house in devon on 30th June. Calor supplied the LPG in a 2000 litre above ground tank to the previous owner. They quickly contacted me with an offer of 48.4p + VAT per litre, fixed for 6 months with the usual contract not to increase more than 3.5% in each following 3 month period. A 2 year contract with tank charge of 16.9p + VAT per day.

LittleVermin from this forum was very helpful with advice so before signing to Calor I approached MVF. Initially they quoted 49.5p a litre but were on the point of getting the quarterly rate change from Calor. The quote is now 44.5p with a more expensive commercial tank charge of £24.01 + VAT per quarter. It costs £18 to join MV plus for 2 years and the Calor contract through them (Framtrade) is 2 years.

MVF seem like decent people although getting them to answer the phone directly without replying to a message has eluded me so far. You need to join MV Plus as a credit customer which requires two trade references. Hopefully I am making the right decision here.

the_wee_scot · 9 August 2011 at 11:24PM

methusala wrote: »

Can anyone tell me is it possible to purchase your own LPG tank and from where ??

I'm pleased to say yes it is possible. it might not be cheep but here's a link or two to manufactures.

schneider industry

petrotechnik - click on cz products and pick either above or below ground tanks.

(as a new user im not allowed to post links so hopefuly this will still help)

Worth getting in touch with them.

I'm seriously considering getting my own tank. I run a charity in Scotland and I'm thinking about getting our own tank because knowing that we have a years worth of gas at the summer price and knowing its all done dusted and paid for will be great. It means you don't have a cloud hanging over you every month as you dread the gas bill arriving.

I would say that if you're going to get you're own tank make dam sure YOU write the contract and agreement. It's you're tank and you should include things like the supplier being responsible for the maintenance of it. If you don't you could find some very big bills arriving for maintenance work on you're tank.

Check with the above manufactures if they will install the tank and if they offer a maintenance package. If they don't contact calorforce. they install tanks and maintain them but they're a separate wing of calor and don't just do calor tanks.

Let me know how you get on with this if you could please.

LittleVermin · 10 August 2011 at 12:15AM

the_wee_scot wrote: »

I'm pleased to say yes it is possible.

...........................

Let me know how you get on with this if you could please.

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the info - here are the links:

Schneider http://www.schneider-industry.co.uk/page2.html

Petrotechnik CZ: http://www.petrotechnik.com/czproducts.html

Calorforce: http://www.calor.co.uk/customer-services/stockists-and-installers/calorforce/calorforce-lpg-installers/

There was an estimate on this forum from someone in the industry for around £1500 to buy your own tank: see here. Calor have useful info on tank siting.

There are registered LPG engineers throughout the UK who'll do installation and testing - being independent they might be cheaper than Calorforce. (e.g. D.P.Wilsdon in St Agnes, Cornwall)

Several people who own their own tanks have posted fairly recently on the forum. Most will probably have bought their tanks from their former supplier at the end of contract (using the formula here).

The tank needs to have a basic visual check every year (done by the tanker driver) and major tests every ten years.

You'd need to check that LPG suppliers will fill a tank owned by a customer. I'm pretty sure Extra Fuel, based in Manchester, will but they are a small company and use third parties to fill outside their local area - so (for example) Flogas fill for them in Cornwall. Of course Flogas might give you the best quote for a fill - but at least you can see Extra Fuel's monthly price on-line.

Some companies seem wary of filling underground tanks which they do not own - or of taking over underground tanks from another supplier.

And, finally, LPG is not always cheaper in the summer (several posts on this). The autogas price is a good proxy for the wholesale LPG price.

And, "wee scot", you have replied to a post made in September 2008 by methusala and though, being methusala, he is probably still alive he hasn't been active on any MSE forum since Spring 2009 so I doubt if he'll reply. (Of course methusala may be a woman!).

Good luck!

the_wee_scot · 10 August 2011 at 2:04AM

Any one in Scotland had any experance of J Gas?

the_wee_scot · 10 August 2011 at 2:11AM

Thank you "Littlevermin" for the info and welcome. Very usefull indeed info indeed! I asked Extra fuel but they said no to supply in my area :-( I found a scottish indapendent (see my other post re Jgas) so hopefuly with them being indapendent they'll be okay with not owning the tank.

2009! wow! oh well never mind lol. :-)

Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route?

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