first:utility - new energy company launches

NonGeographicalMan

The pumping system and valves used on a central heating system also potentially have a significant impact on its operational efficiency. Also its efficiency can be improved by installing thermostatic valves on the radiators in rarely used rooms and setting those valves down at a low level when the room is not in use. Then there is the matter of cavity insulation and loft insulation and insulating draft windows and external doors.

Regarding servicing I have a Glowworm Fuelsaver F and I can confirm that all they normally do is a visual check, a check on the emissions, a pressure test and then removing calcium from the heat exchanger fins with a brush in a normal service. But my sister has the same boiler at her house 60 miles away (they were converted to homes in the same year) and she has twice had problems with a blocked gas jet in the boiler due to dirty gas. I can only assume the gas supply is contaminated in some way there that it has not ever been here. I think the removal of the calcium deposits on the heat exchanger is of some benefit but it only builds up fast enough to need doing once every three years or so. I think there is a balance to be struck somewhere and no service at all for 12 years seems too long in my book.

bardel

Hi all,

Im currently going through a switch to First Utility, I used the Which comparison site and *should* achieve an annual saving of £487.68 over my current provider (Southern Electric).

This will seem like a large saving to most (and myself) but is largely due to high electricity consumption (10,284kwh) and moderate gas (22,368kwh). We have a 4 bed detached house, I work from home and my wife and baby are also here all the time, so the house is pretty much occupied all day every day.

I'm not in the midlands, so can't use their smart meters, but instead am using the iSave tariff whereby no smart meter is deployed.

I've read the terms and conditions and cannot see any reference to the contractual tie in or exit fees that are noted earlier in this thread, so maybe they don't apply to iSave tarrif as they don't have to install meters?

In my area (Eastern) they are significantly cheaper. The standing charges are higher, but if you get lower unit rates for higher standing charges, then this tariff suits moderate to high users?

I'm also a bit bemused by my electricity usage. At my last house I had a spa and air conditioning which used a considerable amount of electric. In this house the spa hasn't been connected and there is no air con, yet the electricity consumption is about 50% higher! To that end, I've just ordered a Efegy Elite monitor to try and fathom out what's using all the electric!

Hopefully this tariff is going to work out for me, not many people seem to be talking about first utility so I'm wondering if I've missed something obvious!

deshepherd

Think the "exit fee" on the iSave is that the 12.5% discount is only applied at the end of the year

NonGeographicalMan

deshepherd wrote: »

Think the "exit fee" on the iSave is that the 12.5% discount is only applied at the end of the year

So you can only leave at the end of the first full year or second full year etc to get the advertised price and if they stick their prices up a lot 6 months in to the year you either lose out on the discount or get clobbered with paying the new high prices.....................

1carminestocky

This is the reason these discounts paid annually in arrears should NOT be included in the price shown on the switching sites! It's clear that bardel hasn't picked up on this T&C even though he/she appears to have had a good look.

Whilst I am in no way suggesting anything bad may happen, there's no way I would agree to a 12.5% discount only paid after 12 months with such an apparently small company.

Chrysalis

ok had a look at the prices for my area, and I am sitting here wondering what all the fuss is about.

8p per unit on electric - very very cheap for my area
2.7p unit for gas, - is cheap also

standing charge is however expensive at £27 a quarter for electric and about £30 a quarter for gas. The gas overall is probably worse than my current supplier, electric should be cheaper if I use more than now, about break even if I use the same as now. This is not taking into account of 12% discount.

£65 fee for smart meter - understandable as long as keep it if leave company
£50 cancellation fee per utility - defenitly understandable since people seem to love chopping and changing every few months.
£10 per month charge for not paying by direct debit - excessive by a long shot.

so they good for heavy users and bad for light users and especially bad for people who dont pay by direct debit and who like to jump ship a lot.

NonGeographicalMan

1carminestocky wrote: »

This is the reason these discounts paid annually in arrears should NOT be included in the price shown on the switching sites! It's clear that bardel hasn't picked up on this T&C even though he/she appears to have had a good look.

In my view this is the reason these once every so often rebates should not be allowed by the regulators either for gas or electricity as they totally distort consumer choices when they look at who they think is cheapest.

And once one of them is allowed to get away with it they all tend to follow suit. Look at what has happened with practically all the big boys in the telecoms and broadband internet industries.:mad:

1carminestocky wrote: »

Whilst I am in no way suggesting anything bad may happen, there's no way I would agree to a 12.5% discount only paid after 12 months with such an apparently small company.

They already have a record of drastically upping their standing charge so that they can offer an apparently lower per unit price on their smart meter tariffs.

NonGeographicalMan

Chrysalis wrote: »

8p per unit on electric - very very cheap for my area 2.7p unit for gas, - is cheap also

standing charge is however expensive at £27 a quarter for electric and about £30 a quarter for gas.

Surely you can see that the apparently low units prices are cross subsidised by the high standing charges, especially for those who are not large volume consumers of gas or electricity.

Chrysalis

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

Surely you can see that the apparently low units prices are cross subsidised by the high standing charges, especially for those who are not large volume consumers of gas or electricity.

I can and I even said it in my post.

they good for heavy users since standing charges dont go up with usage.

NonGeographicalMan

Chrysalis wrote: »

they good for heavy users since standing charges dont go up with usage.

And EDF Energy Online v5 seems good for lower and middle level electricity only users as they only charge for the first 900Kw per annum at a small extra premium (11p or so) compared to the rest of the units at 8.9p. So the standing charge is only about £18 per annum or £4.50 per quarter for their electricity tariff.