Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route?

caroline233 · 25 October 2012 at 12:29PM

My contract with BP (Macgas) is up in December so I've been ringing around for prices. Cardiff gas were lovely and offered 47ppl with 20p/day tank rental, Macgas 47.95ppl & £60pa rental and best so far Countrywide at 44ppl & £50pa tank rental. I've also asked about resiting the tank and maybe getting an underground tank. Cardiff gas don't do it but were really helpful suggested how to go about buying my own tank, Macgas quoted £2000 plus VAT for an underground tank and countrywide would do it for NOTHING!

How has everyone found Countrywide? So far it seems to be a no-brainer, subject to hearing everyone's terrible experiences. Advice please.

longforgotten · 25 October 2012 at 2:17PM

I have been very happy with Countrywide thus far.

First went to them in 2009 at 32ppl + vat. The price went up of course but not as quickly as some. I phoned them when the contract was up and now on a 'rolling' contract at 46ppl+vat. I admit I do not know what the difference is between a 'rolling' contract and the two year contract. I do think if we signed for two years they would drop the price a little but I'm assuming 'rolling' gives room for haggling if the price should be hiked up ?

The quarterly rental fee is £12.50 + VAT.

What I particularly like is they will deliver when you still have 40% in the tank. I heard from a neighbour that when the weather was really bad a couple of years ago Calor would only deliver if you had 20% or under in the tank. I now make sure that I order when tank 40% full as there is then plenty of time for delivery and no worries about running out of gas.

All contact with them has been very friendly, they seem a happy bunch.

So far so good...................;)

taunton24 · 25 October 2012 at 2:51PM

ilikecookies wrote: »

Hi Taunton,

I was in a similar situation to you. Flogas did increase the price and by quite eye-watering amounts: started at 39ppl in August 2010 which rose 4 times to reach 59.5ppl by February 2011. There attitude to such rises and "customer service" made the increases even more galling.

We too looked at changing supplier but the tank siting was an issue for most suppliers though we did find a good independent who would take on the existing tank so it might be worth you giving some of the smaller companies a call if they serve your area.

But in the end as we needed to replace the boiler anyway (as we inherited a horrifically inefficient Rayburn with the house - we're talking 50-60% efficient vs 90-97% available today) and wanted to store more fuel than the biggest LPG tank would allow so we switched to an oil boiler and a 2500 tank. I have no regrets as we can fill up when it's cheap (well cheaper!) and ride out the winter increases.

Thanks very much for the reply! We are in a slightly different situation as the boiler is only a couple of years old and pretty efficent so it wouldnt make sense to rip the whole thing out! Interestingly we are in a courtyard of 4 barns that were originally put onto LPG, 3 have stayed with it (although the other two have managed to change supplier as they have no tank issues!) and 1 has gone to oil.
Looks like I will have to stay with Flo Gas and keep the woodburner ramped up!!!!

chubbs85240 · 26 October 2012 at 12:46PM

Remember and ask all the suppliers if they'll move your tank, a couple said they'd resite mine (as long as I put the concrete down) for a minimal £100 cost

use the link on the previous page to check for all the suppliers in your area.

111KAB · 29 October 2012 at 11:21AM

Countrywide - Worcester depot - my experience.

Small village where almost everyone is on either LPG or oil (one house on elec) .... LPG suppliers vary but 3 of us on Countrywide. One of the other Countrywide users is a good friend so we ended up comparing bills ~ I have lived in my house 30 years and my friend 25 years. Over this time our bills (both in terms of tank rental and LPG cost) have varied considerably, sometimes in my favour and at other times in my friend's favour. Even deliveries in the same week had differing litre costs.
Due to the differences we first negotiated zero tank rental (£50 + vat saving pa) then we obtained various rebates etc to both our benefits.
I have just put down the 'phone and been quoted 49.5 p/litre + 5%. I now have to check with my friend to see what he last paid. Unfortunately this is the only way to deal with it but it is worth it as the variations can be vast ~ I just wish they had one common price and stuck to it.

fourmerk · 29 October 2012 at 11:56AM

My contract with Flogas expires in August 2013. I have just had a letter saying the price per litre is going up to 59.38p. This is the second increase in a year. The annual increase works out at 22%.

I can't afford to use my cental heating this winter at that price and I live in an old, cold farmhouse. At present, I only use LPG fuel to heat water for an hour a day and to cook, yet my last top up was over £400 for 3 months usage.

Phoned Flogas today who say that's the price and there's nothing they can do about it, yet my neighbour is paying Flogas considerably less per litre.

Help, please?
From about to be frozen fourmerk

LittleVermin · 29 October 2012 at 1:22PM

fourmerk wrote: »

My contract with Flogas expires in August 2013. <snip>
Phoned Flogas today who say that's the price and there's nothing they can do about it, yet my neighbour is paying Flogas considerably less per litre.

111KAB wrote: »

Countrywide - Worcester depot - my experience.

Small village where almost everyone is on either LPG or oil (one house on elec) .... LPG suppliers vary but 3 of us on Countrywide. One of the other Countrywide users is a good friend so we ended up comparing bills ~ I have lived in my house 30 years and my friend 25 years. Over this time our bills (both in terms of tank rental and LPG cost) have varied considerably, sometimes in my favour and at other times in my friend's favour. Even deliveries in the same week had differing litre costs.
Due to the differences we first negotiated zero tank rental (£50 + vat saving pa) then we obtained various rebates etc to both our benefits.
I have just put down the 'phone and been quoted 49.5 p/litre + 5%. I now have to check with my friend to see what he last paid. Unfortunately this is the only way to deal with it but it is worth it as the variations can be vast ~ I just wish they had one common price and stuck to it.

An LPG supplier charging neighbours different prices is a common complaint (Flogas earned a slot on BBC1's "Don't get done, get Dom" for charging everyone on an estate different prices, from 35 to 51.9ppl -see here, and also here - and GrandadRob - here - reported Countrywide was charging neighbours 42 and 55ppl simultaneously. Different price rises from Flogas for same street - see here).

One solution is to form a buying group. It's harder to do this for LPG than with heating oil because of the 2yr contract tie-in but mbday (here) reported he succeeded with Calor.

I'm no economist but the price the supplier charges you is the total of the wholesale cost plus a share of the fixed costs (office, depot, tankers, etc) plus delivery cost plus profit. All you can have an input over is delivery cost, if you join up with neighbours, and profit (yes, they need to keep the volumes up!). Ask the tanker driver where he/she is going next - or follow him/her - or put a note in the local post office/parish mag. Some suppliers top-up tanks when they are in the area, so reducing their delivery costs.

Congratulations to 111KAB for getting Countrywide to move! Countrywide is involved with a tie-in with Flogas (see here). There have been mixed reports about Countrywide - though most are positive. (Use "Search this Thread" to find the relevant posts).

sk240 · 29 October 2012 at 2:07PM

Well i just got a letter from flogas, and they tell me that that are increasing my already eye watering price fro 63ppl to 67ppl! talk about a bunch of robbing b**ta**s.

LittleVermin · 29 October 2012 at 3:52PM

Check this out:

http://www.malvernhills.gov.uk/cms/communications/news/2012/october/lpg%20fuel%20deal.aspx

Basically Malvern Hills district council has a deal with Lister Gases to provide anyone in the district with bulk LPG at a fixed price about wholesale (ANSI) - with the price changing at the beginning of each month.

October's price is 48.5ppl if you use over 2,500l p.a. - and tank rental is £50 p.a. for a 2000l above-ground tank. People need to sign up for the usual 2 yr exclusivity contract with Lister's - so if you are in the area but in a contract you'll have to wait until your present contract ends. If you use less than 2,500l p.a. the price is 3ppl more (I, and others, would advise you NOT to 'over-estimate' your usage - despite the advice from one person on this forum). Underground tank rental is £75p.a. (they need new cathodic protection each year) and 1200l above-ground tanks £40 p.a.

Check out the small print here. It all seems good (and in Arial 11 so hardly small print). I don't know what Lister's contract is like.

The deal applies to people in Malvern Hills (some or all of postcodes WR8, WR14, WR15, etc).

The press release says that in the district

Between 800 and 1,000 households are thought to use LPG.

That's a lot of potential extra business for Lister. Hooray!

Maybe people elsewhere in Worcestershire - and neighbouring counties - might like to get onto their councils to try to do a deal with Lister, or other suppliers. And why not others, elsewhere? There's a lot of hot air about fuel poverty but usually rather less action, so :T to Malvern Hills DC. And :T to Lister Gases.

BTW - good reports about Lister on the forum! On their website (here) they say they supply

West Midlands, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire

BTW #2 - this seems to be the deal referred to by Dr48 here - so maybe add your thanks, if you haven't already.
..

Milltir · 30 October 2012 at 1:15PM

chubbs85240 wrote: »

Hello again.

I am still deciding on what to do, but was wondering what the thoughts on here were.

So far the Jgas option ooks the best at 46ppl +VAT (and I will ask them about the 42PPL )

however, I spoke to a small local supplier called Gaulds Gas, who are based in a neighbouring town.

They are a small family run business and dont ask for any contracts or anything, they just offer a good local friendly service and hope that is enough to keep clients on board - they do however charge 52,9 ppl +VAT

I like the sound of them and the idea of dealing locally, but the price is not the best.

She did however tell me that the cheapest place out there is Avantigas, she told me that they can not even buy it bulk (8 tons at a time) as cheap as they sell it direct.

I have tried contacting Avantigas twice for a quote and as yet have not heard back from their local rep

so question is, are Avantigas worth dealing with, if they come in cheapest, bearing in mind the customer service thus far has been abysmal

thanks

I am in a similar part of the world and have switched to Avanti - they were offering the best deal at the time. I have not had the easiest of times setting up direct debits with them, and they are only showing one of our names on correspondence (both of us signed the contract), but their head office people I have spoken to on the phone seem OK - call the 0808 number on their website.

Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route?

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