Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route?

dickiedoodah wrote: »

I seem to remember reading somewhere if the the price went above 3/3.5 ppl we could change suppliers.
Can anyone confirm this or was it just with one supplier?

It varies from supplier-to-supplier, and also from contract-to-contract with a given supplier. For example, Calor in recent times have offered contracts with "get out" clauses set at rates of 3ppl every six months, 3.5ppl every six months and even 3.5ppl every three months, so you'll need to check your contract carefully.

Also, not all suppliers include any such clause at present, Flogas being a notable and probably the most significant example. Previous Flogas contracts have been criticised by the OFT for failing to include such a clause, and this is an area that the OFT are (supposedly) looking to tighten up on. There has been a lot of discussion on these points in this thread over the past year to 18 months, so if you read back a few pages, I'm sure all your questions on this matter will be answered.

dickiedoodah wrote: »

A slightly different matter, has anyone thought about trying to raise a petition of 100,000 signatures via the e-petition scheme to start a debate about LPG capping or introducing a regulator in the House of Commons?
Considering we have 4 million (mostly disgruntled) users it shouldn't be too difficult. We could start a simple website where LPG users register.
Anybody interested?

Nice idea. I am one of the eight who have already signed, so only another 99,992 to go! The problem is finding 100,000 users to sign it. I am going from memory here, but the figure of 4 million is the total number of Off Mains energy users in the UK. The majority of these use heating oil, with a small number using wood stoves or renewables. The number of domestic LPG users in the UK is closer to the 270,000 mark, of whom a signifiant proportion use bottled LPG. I seem to remember that the total number of bulk LPG users was recently quoted as being closer to 150,000, which in the grand scheme of things is a pretty minority voice.

Anyway, no harm to be had in signing - and for those who wish to, the petition can be found here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/14598

As for moving LPG regulation further up the agenda, the recent OFT study into Off Mains Energy Supply did LPG users no favours at all (plenty on that subject posted in this thread too!); And persistent letter writing to MPs, the OFT and the Secretary of State seems to have no more significant affect than banging your head repeatedly against a (very thick) brick wall, partly because LPG users are such a small minority and partly because of political reluctance to do anything that would discourage any movement away from any non-renewable energy source. I really would like to see this moved up the political agenda but I'm really not entirely sure how this can be done.

Make no mistake, there are a few good and honest guys out there, (i.e. some of the smaller independent suppliers), but the domestic LPG supply industry is self-regulated (via UKLPG) and by-and-large appears to me and to many other users to be dangerously out of control. Despite the Competition Commision Order of 2009 competition simply does not work effectively in this market, indeed, some would even argue that the CC Orders have, in hindsight, served to reduce competition and increase prices! (Incidentally, in repsect of pricing, I have also heard some pretty convincing arguments that for many lower-consumption bulk users, moving to 47kg cylinder supply could also work out significantly cheaper than continuing with bulk supply in the medium to long term).

I fear that the bottom line is that, like it or not, every LPG user probably has to accept the the LPG market is likely to stay pretty much as it is for the forseeable future. So we have to take responsibility to educate ourselves, to understand our contracts, to ensure that we don't get taken for a ride over price increases, to insulate our homes like it's going out of fashion, and prepare to move to microgeneration and/or renewable heat sources as soon as practically and economically viable (i.e. when your LPG boiler reaches the end of its life, of not sooner). And look on the bright side - Calor, Flogas et. al. aren't going to look quite so smug or smart when nobody is buying their LPG anymore

Thanks for the e-petition link Hate duly signed. Remember, what seems, way back when Voisin posted his manifesto on here that Martin Lewis was supposed to follow up? As I remember we achieved quite a few sign ups and was about the level where ML should have taken it up. Whatever happened to the Manifesto I wonder??

No further call from Countrywide.......

HateLPG wrote: »

Why am I not surprised?

This is LPG-land - if you want a deal, you've got to do all the homework and all the running. No supplier out there is going to offer you any sort of deal until they fully realise that you are serious and that you are not simply going to roll over and continue buying LPG from them as if nothing had happened!

Great reply earlier Hatelpg - many Thanks.

Re Countrywide had a call last night, The chap I spoke to humbly admitted that it wasn't the most brilliant idea of Countrywide to increase prices in the current climate as all others had done their dirty work before Christmas. For some reason Countrywide had held, maybe to see how the market played out.
He emphasised the light and heavy users would get differing prices and also added that many LPG suppliers had over bought stocks because of last winter and this may hold off further rises until stocks have dropped. They have certainly noticed how customers have reacted especially in reducing their heating habits this together with large price increases is all effecting supply.
He also said that customers could ring/write to Countrywide and they would be happy to negotiate where they could, (he had received a number of calls since the annoucement of the 3.5ppl rise)!

The E-petition idea would require some heavy PR to succeed and I added another thread on this forum to promote, let's hope something comes of it! And of course as you say, there is a big difference between 4 million and 150,000!

Lucky me!

Received a letter earlier today from Avanti (ex Shell). Apparently:

Over recent months the product price of LPG has continued on an upward trend, and whilst we have absorbed as many costs as possible an increase in our LPG price has become necessary.

With immediate effect an increase of 2 pence per litre has been applied to your account.

It's so nice to know that I haven't been forgotten. I wonder if this is an "across the board" rise, or is just being targeted at certain customers? Has anyone else had a similar letter recently?

Or, hot on the heels of Countrywide's latest increase, is this just the second in the latest round of price rises?