Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route?

meagan

I live in lincolnshire and have received in the post today a leaflet from NORTHERN LPG stating no vat on deliveries ,free boiler breakdown etc,tel.no 01423 770793.I have already signed a contract but if I hadn't i would be giving them a call.thought this might be useful to someone

LittleVermin

meagan wrote: »

I live in lincolnshire and have received in the post today a leaflet from NORTHERN LPG stating no vat on deliveries ,free boiler breakdown etc,tel.no 01423 770793.I have already signed a contract but if I hadn't i would be giving them a call.thought this might be useful to someone

Indeed, Meagan!

In fact it might be very useful to mcbunny.

But I thought I remembered a post about Northern Energy from this forum when I was trying to switch. Quick forum search and indeed there's one from ancillotti #177 in this thread. He wasn't a happy bunny as his LPG price had risen 44% in 8 months but he managed to get an instant reduction from 49ppl to 36.5ppl (#134 in LPG/LPG Prices).

Then a google search showed that "Northern LPG is the commercial arm of the Northern Energy family" ... and this was on the LPG Home Heat website!

LPG Home Heat will supply mcbunny in DN14 0GL. Lucky bunny!

One of the USPs of NorthernLPG/NorthernGas/LPGHomeHeat is no VAT on deliveries ... but lots of people do not realise that VAT on LPG is only 5%.

The retail price of gas at present is around 40ppl - 5% of that is 2 ... so charging no VAT can be allowed for fairly easily - especially when the wholesale price of gas is about one third of its retail price. You know the saying: "there are as many ways to fleece an LPG user as there are ways to skin a cat"? In fact it's probably in the boardroom of one or two suppliers!

There are 10 possible suppliers for DN14 0GL - I wonder how many more horror stories he can dig up by using the search facility?

Rob (GrandadRob) has already recommended avoiding Flogas. To call Rob an unhappy bunny over his treatment by Flogas is a bit of an understatement!

But some people have posted some very good deals (even from the majors).


John aka LittleVermin ... a moderately happy vermin now I've escaped from BP! But not so happy that after I left someone posted a good deal with BP on this forum.

val2761

Hi I am due to move into a house with LPG central heating and hot water. I believe the current owner pays £67 a month with Shell and the tank is topped up automatically. I wonder how quickly I will need to contact Shell or any other company once I move in as I do not want to be without gas. Also will the gas in the tank already be paid for in which case will it become mine?? Sorry that is probably a really stupid question. The house is in Samlesbury near Preston (PR5 0UA) and if any one knows of the cheapest supplier locally I would be most grateful. It has to be said I was not horrified at that price as I currently pay £118 a month for mains gas. Also I am struggling to understand this whole posting threads thing, is ther a user guide somewhere? Many thanks to Little vermin for tips so far

PhilCS

I have just received an invoice from Flogas for my last gas delivery. The cost of gas in now 49 ppl + VAT and a standing charge of 13.15 ppd + VAT . I’m now paying 10 ppl more than I did at the same time last year. My contract with Flogas ends early next year and therefore would be free to look for another supplier. Can anyone recommend a good supplier in the Carmarthenshire please.

val2761

Re: my earlier post and thanks to little vermin here is a list of suppliers for the area I am moving to

Calor
Shell
Flogas
Extra Gas
Extra Fuel -
Premier LPG
BDS Fuels

Can any fellow LPG users recommend any of these or indeed are there any I should stay clear of.

x-x_2

I switched about this time last year from Flogas (who I would not recommend) to Shell who have been very good. Last year they quoted me 33p/l fixed for 6 months so I filled my tank at 33p/l straight away and again in June this year and now have a full tank. So probably 1 more full tank before my 2 year contact is up.

Transfer from Flogas to Shell was quick and easy and all done by Sell.

Shell have put up the price of LPG, in August an increase of 5p/l and this week a further 4p/l which now works out at 41p/l

Monthly rental £5/month

Extrafuel are showing a price of 43.84p/l on their website
Countrywide (but unfortunately they are not) appear to be very good but they don't deliver to all areas.

LittleVermin

x-x wrote: »

I switched about this time last year <snip> to Shell. <snip> Last year they quoted me 33p/l fixed for 6 months so I filled my tank at 33p/l straight away and again in June this year. <snip>

Shell have put up the price of LPG, in August an increase of 5p/l and this week a further 4p/l which now works out at 41p/l <snip>

.... this shows why it is VITAL to get a maximum rate of rise written into the contract! And to hold the supplier to it.

If you read old posts you'll see that several suppliers have offered low initial prices. And at least one supplier (Calor) tried to ignore its maximum rise clause, and at least one supplier (BP) tried to include a wriggle out clause with the maximum rise in a new contract. And one supplier (Flogas) has never been reported to have a maximum rise clause in its contracts (maybe PhilCS can ask, please?).

The movement of Extra Fuel's price, posted on their website and which goes up or down each month (and is the price for everybody for the whole of that month) gives you an idea of the wholesale price's movements. I believe the wholesale price is roughly 1/3 of the retail price (but maybe one of the people in the LPG industry who have posted on the forum before can let us know if I am writing rubbish?).

x-x_2

In reply to LittleVermin

there is a clause in the Shell contract which limits the rise to 10p in any 6 month period and I was aware that the price may increase.
The only way of finding out the price of LPG is if more people post details of their contracts.
At present I have 1 more year on my contract and I have a full tank so I probably only going to pay for 1 more tank full at the higher price.
At 41p/l it still looks like it is cheaper than most other suppliers.
I happy that I am no longer with Flogas and I would not go back to them even if they offered me the best deal. Avoid Flogas at all costs.
If you really want to cut your fuel bills invest in some good insulation, you can get good deals on loft and wall insulation

LittleVermin

x-x wrote: »

In reply to LittleVermin

there is a clause in the Shell contract which limits the rise to 10p in any 6 month period

Thanks, x-x, for the info. But with the help of this forum people should be able to do much better than this.

HateLPG, in a post on 25th May this year, said old Calor contracts had a max rise of 2.5ppl in 6 months, new ones 3.5ppl in 6 months.

He had also got nearly £1000 refunded by Calor when he made them stick to the contract and recalculate the amounts they had charged him. See http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=33132999&postcount=102

I hope everyone will post the prices, guarantees, maximum price rises and rental charges they get offered - for all the suppliers. And say which area they live in.

aureole

Shell offered me 38ppl for a 2 year contract with a cap of 3ppl every 6 months. £60/year tank rental. This is in Cambs. and was based on 2000l/year consumption (~£80/month) in September.

I rang Calor for a competitive quote and they offered me.... 49ppl. Once I'd stopped laughing I politely declined. They also offered to get a supervisor to ring me back: I've heard nothing...