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MSE News: Confusion over David Cameron's energy pledge
Former_MSE_Helen
Posts: 2,382 Forumite
in Energy
"The Energy Minister cast doubt on the Prime Minister's promise to force suppliers to give users their cheapest tariff ..."
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Comments
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Apparently the statement by the Energy minister now states that Utility companies must 'offer' customers the cheapest tariff, instead of 'move them' to the cheapest tariff.
So if they are not on the internet, does that 'offer' not apply?
Indeed how on earth will any Utility company know what is the best tariff. Does the customer have gas CH,(or just gas for cooker) Oil/LPG/solid fuel/storage heaters.
What type of property? standard of insulation, Do they work? go to bed early/late, live alone, or 15 people in house. Cook with gas or electric, bath or shower(or neither!!)
After customer has been in property, say, a year the company might have a good idea of the most suitable tariff, However what is the health warning on shares? - 'past performance is no indication of future etc.'
Woe betide any company who thinks it is offering the best tariff, but it turns out they would have been better off on a different tariff from the company.0 -
I actually voted for at least one half of these clowns :embarasse and still can't think off hand of a single announcement they've made that wasn't either surrounded in confusion, reneged upon, ill considered or dropped.
Unbelieveable!!0 -
Never let the facts get in the way of a good headline.
This whole nonsense is a knee jerk reaction by the PM to the recent price rises in an attempt to get a few more votes by attempting to show the public that they 'care'.0 -
Standard User Price - Guideline Annual fee.
There should be a standard user price advertised for every tariff published. This would generate the transparency required in the industry.
Worked out and regulated in the same way that MPG figures for new cars have to be published. I.e. a standard usage annual cycle and amount of fuel used - set by the goverment.
The usage cycle should be government defined, following the winter/summer fuel demand and sized for whatever is considered a "typical house" or for example a 4kWh annual use of electricity, and say 8kWh of gas. i.e. an Annual bill. (There is no need to go into derivations of how the house uses the energy - that is an unecessary complication - just one number £ is required).
Then all the tarrifs would be able to post an equitable annual price for a typical household use for that fuel type - enabling us to compare all of them quickly and easily. We would then have a baseline which we could build into our purchase decision.
As it is we have no guideline and a marketing maze.
This type of standardisation guide exists for the economy of cars, fridges, cookers and freezers, dishwashers and boilers because they all use energy. There is no reason why it can't be applied to gas and electricity tariffs but spelt out in plain £pounds and pence.0 -
Standard User Price - Guideline Annual fee.
There should be a standard user price advertised for every tariff published. This would generate the transparency required in the industry.
Worked out and regulated in the same way that MPG figures for new cars have to be published. I.e. a standard usage annual cycle and amount of fuel used - set by the goverment.
The usage cycle should be government defined, following the winter/summer fuel demand and sized for whatever is considered a "typical house" or for example a 4kWh annual use of electricity, and say 8kWh of gas. i.e. an Annual bill. (There is no need to go into derivations of how the house uses the energy - that is an unecessary complication - just one number £ is required).
Then all the tarrifs would be able to post an equitable annual price for a typical household use for that fuel type - enabling us to compare all of them quickly and easily. We would then have a baseline which we could build into our purchase decision.
As it is we have no guideline and a marketing maze.
This type of standardisation guide exists for the economy of cars, fridges, cookers and freezers, dishwashers and boilers because they all use energy. There is no reason why it can't be applied to gas and electricity tariffs but spelt out in plain £pounds and pence.
Can you spell that out in English please?0 -
wantanswers wrote: »Can you spell that out in English please?
The suppliers should be forced to say what their tarrif would cost an average household per year.
The "average household" should be standardised by the government so all tarrifs can be compared.0 -
It seems to me that what WTPooh is asking for is rather less than what comparison sites already offer. There are figures quoted for 'average use' (which is defined, so you can see whether your own situation is comparable) but it is easy to feed in details of your own usage to find the best deal for your exact circumstances.0
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It seems to me that what WTPooh is asking for is rather less than what comparison sites already offer. There are figures quoted for 'average use' (which is defined, so you can see whether your own situation is comparable) but it is easy to feed in details of your own usage to find the best deal for your exact circumstances.
Ok, then perhaps I just want that "average use" cost to be more readily publicised, more clearly "officially rubber stamped" because I'm not aware of any average definition they have to use, and extremely consistently displayed and quoted everywhere.
It should be the first number you read next to any tarrif, not hidden in the small print.0 -
It seems to me that what WTPooh is asking for is rather less than what comparison sites already offer. There are figures quoted for 'average use' (which is defined, so you can see whether your own situation is comparable) but it is easy to feed in details of your own usage to find the best deal for your exact circumstances.
I'm fortunate spot1034 I have access to the internet and also I monitor my energy closely so at the touch of a button I can be there or there about with calculating my annual usage and cost and quickly compare what i'm being told, which in some cases is a complete load of bull.
I despair for many folk, especially the old and those who do not have access to the internet, who are just being ripped off left right and centre What Cameron is suggesting will not help at all in my opinion!0 -
While I think it is a good concept to provide a means for comparing energy suppliers' charges, how long will it be before they tailor their "best" tariff to be the cheapest for the government defined averge user?
Car manufacturers are quite adept at setting their engine management systems to give the best results for the standard fuel consumption tests.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the In My Home MoneySaving, Energy and Techie Stuff boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
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