Major Comparison diff, same tariff - can anyone help pls?

jubblinsm

I have been looking this week at the various capped / fixed tariffs on energyhelpline and moneysupermarket and the results are a complete mystery for the same providers and I wondered if anyone can help shed some light on why for me please.

We are currently on standard tariffs so thought we may as well fix given the mortgage is also up for renewal! and should be able to make a saving or at least have the reassurance that these prices are fixed for our gas / elec.

Whilst Scottish Power is the cheapest with a small saving on our current pymts on enegyhelpline, British Gas are next with a small increase of £ 49 but a longer fixed period to Dec 2009, with Eon 3rd. However on moneysupermkt SP and Eon results are the same but B Gas states £ 694 increase??!! for the same tariff - Price Guarantee Dec 2009 - can anyone explain why or experienced the same problems themselves?

Any comments welcomed, Thks

Cardew

What data did you put into the websites? Annual kWh or price you pay each month? Must be the kWh for accuracy.

However even then a £694 difference is clearly a mistake.

Try other sites - Uswitch etc.

jubblinsm

Thks for your reply - I input the amount we pay each month on both sites for both gas & elec and all the same other details.

Will try Uswitch as you have suggested Cardew, thank you.

Cardew

As said above, you really do need to enter the annual amount of kWhs for both gas and electricity.

hubballi

As said above, you really do need to enter the annual amount of kWhs for both gas and electricity.

How do you work that out from statements?


I have been doing the same, looking at capped/fixed prices on the 3 websites. Uswitch seems the best with N Power coming out top with free boiler cover for 1 year. As we have a very old boiler it may be worth it.

Cardew

hubballi wrote: »

How do you work that out from statements?


I have been doing the same, looking at capped/fixed prices on the 3 websites. Uswitch seems the best with N Power coming out top with free boiler cover for 1 year. As we have a very old boiler it may be worth it.

Each statement will show, units used and kWhs used for gas, and kWhs used for electricity. You simply add them up.

Or ask your utilty company!

I suspect you will find that the NPower offer on boiler cover will have multiple 'let out clauses' on age/condition of boilers.

hubballi

My electricity statement only shows units. The gas shows KWh.

My statement for July-Oct 2007 Atlantic told me they owe me £70.37 for gas.

My Oct-Apr 2008 I am told I owe £30.63 for Gas. This is why its all so confusing and missleading. I have been running the gas boiler for 10 years without a room thermostat. Just either switched on or off. Now the stat shuts the pump off (the boiler still burns though but I gues not as much fuel if the pump isn't turning). Since I instaled the thermostat last autumn the gas seems to have gone up, not down.

Cardew

hubballi wrote: »

My electricity statement only shows units. The gas shows KWh.

My statement for July-Oct 2007 Atlantic told me they owe me £70.37 for gas.

My Oct-Apr 2008 I am told I owe £30.63 for Gas. This is why its all so confusing and missleading. I have been running the gas boiler for 10 years without a room thermostat. Just either switched on or off. Now the stat shuts the pump off (the boiler still burns though but I gues not as much fuel if the pump isn't turning). Since I instaled the thermostat last autumn the gas seems to have gone up, not down.

A unit of electricity on your bill is a kWh. They are one and the same.

A gas unit can be approx 11kWh or 31kWh depending on your type of meter.

I think you are a little mixed up about how your CH works.

The boiler shuts off when the water for the CH is up to temperature set on the boiler.

As you say the room thermostat shuts off the pump, so with the water not circulating through the radiators, the water temperature in the boiler gets hot very quickly and the boiler shuts off.

However this shutting off is not instantaneous, but the boiler should not keep running after the Room stat has shut off the pump unless the boiler is heating the Domestic Hot Water(for the taps)

Depending where you room stat is situated, it is perfectly possible that it could cause more gas to be used than if you shut the heating on and off manually.
i.e. If your room stat is in a cold hall it will be demanding heat all the time. However you might have switched the boiler off earlier.

hubballi

When I turn the heating on I can hear the boiler flare up, even if the thermostat is already warm enough and the pump isn't turning. When the pump isn't turning, should it just be the normal pilot light, or is the boiler working to keep the central heating water hot enough for when needed?

Cardew

It will fire up initially to keep the water in the boiler itself(very little) up to the temperature set on the boiler thermostat. However as the pump isn't running the boiler should very quickly shut off as it is only heating a small amount of water.