first:utility - new energy company launches

filmnoir

One thing to consider at this stage is even though the meter being used by First Utility are supported by thereselves and the meter operator they employ to look after the meter and the data collector who collects the automated meter reads and passes them to First Utility, the chances are other suppliers (Big Six and small 8) and the meter operators they employ and the data collector who reads their meter may not be able to support the meter from First Utility. Therefore there is a chance that if you change from First Utility you may need to go back to a supported meter with other suppliers.

The Goverment has only now in the last month upheld its mandate in smart metering for the domestic market and the industry (The ERA the association of mainly big six suppliers) has highlighted key issues such as these and transfering data, openning and closing reads etc. In a nutshell some suppliers won't be able to support the meter if you swap back.

http://www.energy-retail.org.uk/smartmeters.html

Highlights some of the known problems that need to be addressed by suppliers at large with the roll out of smart metering for the domestic market.

At the moment all the suppliers now with the Goverments mandate of 2020 to install smart metering in all domestic supplies are now working towards the working out of these details.

On the price side the smaller 8 suppliers always have trouble competing with the big six's on price which was highlighted in a recent OFGEM report. However that said I did hear on Watchdog First Utilty have reduced their prices and the first to pass savings on based on the downward trend in Gas and Electric wholesale prices. I pity the poor people who jumped into fix price capped earlier this year when the credit crunch was looming.

And yes I work in the industry, have worked previously for one of the big six and no Im not in sales:)

HexusOdy

First Utilities current Tariffs are slightly better (Standing charge much cheaper) than Scottish Power who I'm currently with, and who I switched too not long ago because they were cheapest.

But Tariff aside, the point of switching to First Utility is they are a digital company where everyone else is Analogue. They can react infinately quicker to changes in the market.

Their overheads are less, your billed completely accurately and most of all you can monitor and conserve energy infinately more efficiently.

Someone here mentions a plug in monitor that costs £6.99, how are you going to plug that into your integrated frigde with a plug you can't see? Or you lighting with no plugs, or storage heaters or all the other things that don't have plugs?

The ability to monitor you usage at all times with their in home display is priceless in my opinion. Plus the ability to monitor and compare your usage online to help save money.

P.S. You can now easily see all Tariffs on their website. Much easier than most other energy companies infact.

1carminestocky

Note: Times are shown in GMT and all prices shown include VAT.
On registration a connection fee of £99 applies and there is a cancellation fee of £100 if your contract is terminated within the initial contract period of 24 months. These charges cover the cost of the smart meters and their installation.
Any instances under our terms & conditions where we are required to impose default rates on residential tariffs will be reflected by a 20% increase being applied to the standing charge and unit rates. *Subject to regional variations

Ouch! I understand *why* they have to do this but I do think it will be a deal breaker for most interested punters...

Prices aren't bad, though (but of course there are the rest of the Big 6 to arrive with their response to BG)

Electricity:

Standing Charge pence per day 10.83
Daytime 7.30am-12.30am 10.09
Night time 12.30am-7.30am 10.09

GAS:

Standing Charge p/day 4.96
Single rate p/kWh 3.48

(Yorkshire Region)

Premier_2

HexusOdy wrote: »

...Someone here mentions a plug in monitor that costs £6.99, how are you going to plug that into your integrated frigde with a plug you can't see? Or you lighting with no plugs, or storage heaters or all the other things that don't have plugs?

If you read the post, you'll see it specifically says it measures the consumption of plug-in appliances
(a) I don't have an integrated fridge
(b) if you do have one, you should aquaint yourself with where the plug is and ensure it is acccessible - you never know when you might need to gain access to it.

With regards to aother appliances, you'll see that the same poster who suggests the £6.99 monitor also refers to an owl type monitor in a subsequent post in this thread.

It is the owl type monitor that compares more closely with the monitor that FU provide.
Some suppliers supply this type of monitor for free, or they can be purchased for about £28. Yes a bit more than £6.99 but still substantially less than £50 joining fee to get one from FU.

Still, its a digital supplier (whatever that means? ), so that is why you opted for them. I don't care if my supplier is clockwork, I'll still opt for them if they are cheaper than FU which they usually are! (see earlier posts for explanation of why FU are not the cheapest)

Cardew

HexusOdy wrote: »

First Utilities current Tariffs are slightly better (Standing charge much cheaper) than Scottish Power who I'm currently with, and who I switched too not long ago because they were cheapest.

But Tariff aside, the point of switching to First Utility is they are a digital company where everyone else is Analogue. They can react infinately quicker to changes in the market.

Their overheads are less, your billed completely accurately and most of all you can monitor and conserve energy infinately more efficiently.

Someone here mentions a plug in monitor that costs £6.99, how are you going to plug that into your integrated frigde with a plug you can't see? Or you lighting with no plugs, or storage heaters or all the other things that don't have plugs?

The ability to monitor you usage at all times with their in home display is priceless in my opinion. Plus the ability to monitor and compare your usage online to help save money.

P.S. You can now easily see all Tariffs on their website. Much easier than most other energy companies infact.

They might have the ability to react quickly(raising as well as lowering their prices!!) but will they? You are tied into a 2 year contract any way.

You are absolutely correct that a plug in meter can't monitor your fridge with the inaccessible plug, or other storage heaters etc.

However if your compressor on the fridge is, say 150 watts it will use(unsurprisingly!) 150 watts. What is important is to determine the period the compressor is running and the period it is not. Unless you sit by the 'smart' meter 24/7 with a stopwatch and try to work out the average consumption, what help is it that it tells you it is using 150 watts some of the time?

The same argument for your lights - if you have a 50 watt bulb

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. Storage heater 3.4kW

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, Immersion heater 3kW

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HexusOdy

A few points to cover here from different posters

1, Installation is now £49 not £99. I know the PDF's still say £99 but if you call you will find its now £49.

2, When I said they are Digital and others are analogue what I meant was is its like the difference between an MP3 Player and an old record player. First give you the ability to monitor and control what you use extremely conveniently. You control what you pay not vice versa.

3, It doesn't matter how many £6.99 plug in monitors you have or how many owl monitors (all the ones I have seen don't do dual rates) you can never know exactly what you have used or easily compare your usage unless you spend an enormous amount of time with a calculator, pad and pencil.

4, I'm just giving my opinion. I'm sure many of you are happy with what you have. But for me personally just the ability to monitor what I use accurately and in real time is priceless as I live in an all electric apartment

Premier_2

HexusOdy wrote: »

...2, When I said they are Digital and others are analogue what I meant was is its like the difference between an MP3 Player and an old record player. First give you the ability to monitor and control what you use extremely conveniently. You control what you pay not vice versa...

HexusOdy wrote: »

3, It doesn't matter how many £6.99 plug in monitors you have or how many owl monitors (all the ones I have seen don't do dual rates) you can never know exactly what you have used or easily compare your usage unless you spend an enormous amount of time with a calculator, pad and pencil.

You obviously haven't looked at these type of monitors much have you? But as you have paid £49 to sign up to FU for a minimum of 2 years, I suppose you have no need to.

Cardew

HexusOdy wrote: »

2, When I said they are Digital and others are analogue what I meant was is its like the difference between an MP3 Player and an old record player. First give you the ability to monitor and control what you use extremely conveniently. You control what you pay not vice versa.

3, It doesn't matter how many £6.99 plug in monitors you have or how many owl monitors (all the ones I have seen don't do dual rates) you can never know exactly what you have used or easily compare your usage unless you spend an enormous amount of time with a calculator, pad and pencil.

4, I'm just giving my opinion. I'm sure many of you are happy with what you have. But for me personally just the ability to monitor what I use accurately and in real time is priceless as I live in an all electric apartment

So how much does your fridge and/or freezer cost you to run?

Ditto washing machine? Dishwasher? immersion heater? just about everything else that has variable power and or a thermostat?

How does it give you the ability to "control" anything?

So it might demonstrate to some people that switching on, say, a 3kW immersion heater will cause their consumption to jump by a rate of 3kW. It will give them absolutely no idea how much their immersion heater cost to run.

At least the Owl type meter(and I am not a fan of the device) can be set so that those who cannot do simple arithmetic can see that switching on the immersion heater will use electricity at a rate of xxp per hour - but not how much it costs to run overall. (Do not all those owl meters cope with dual rates? - I thought they did)

filmnoir

2. Is defunct really. Whether you have a analogue or digital meter. You can monitor and reduce your usage with a analogue meter. What smart metering does is able to do this easier and ensures you are only invoiced to accurate reads. I have an analgue meter and I am invoiced to acctual reads and know my consumption habits.

3. Most owl monitors are within a 20% tolerance, and the display units in fist utilites smart metering is down to its manufacturer. I cant confirm but from my knowledge the HDU from First Utility and Owl monitor use the same methods for installation. There is not set industry standard as yet, but the original white paper consulatation by the Goverment showed that 100% accuracy was not the aim of the display unit, but to provide attention to when and how much approxmatley you consume to change your habits. If your looking for a 100% real time HDU think again because thats not what you will get.

First utility at the moment in their terms and conditions do not state how acurate their display unit is or how it is installed. If they say 100% then in reality thats not true as they would be given a tolerance range, just like electric meters and just like any other HDU's.

And as my posts say above, the industry hasn't determined how this is going to work as yet.

Ammok

I'm convinced, going to give it try. Does not seem to be anyone on here who uses the system with any negative feedback, so got to be worth a go. Installation is free if I keep it two years. I can tell you to the last penny or watt what energy I've used in the last ten years and the bills too, so should be able to give a true account of the effectiveness of this. I'm with Southern Electric at the mo and they want 2 grand for the year, so anything under is a saving.