Sites that compare electricity unit prices?

thriftymanc

Are there any sites that compare the actual cost of electricity units directly?

I've been on a load of price comparison sites and they're all pretty useless for me to be honest. Each site gives me a different answer - e.g. one site tells me that my cheapest option is to go with Supplier A, Tariff 1 which will save me £30 a year - but then the next site tells me that my cheapest option is actually Supplier A, Tariff 2 which will save me £40 a year - and the third site tells me that the cheapest I can get is Supplier A, Tariff 1 again but it will actually cost me £45 more a year than I'm currently paying meaning I may as well not switch!

I would like to look at a comparison site where I can type in my current unit rates and it will tell me if there are any cheaper unit rates available. I've googled but couldn't find anything. Does this exist or am I just going to have to look at every single tariff for every single supplier one by one?!

espresso

Simply enter your annual kWh consumption figures to several sites and then use the league tables to do your own sums using a spreadsheet if necessary. You can't blame any site then!

Premier_2

thriftymanc wrote: »

Are there any sites that compare the actual cost of electricity units directly?...

I would much rather use a comparison site where I can type in my current unit rates and it will tell me if there are any cheaper unit rates available. I've googled but couldn't find anything. Does this exist or am I just going to have to look at every single tariff for every single supplier one by one?!

There arn't any because that would only be looking at part of the picture. What you are forgetting is all the various discounts that need to be taken into account.

Cardew

thriftymanc wrote: »

Are there any sites that compare the actual cost of electricity units directly?


I would much rather use a comparison site where I can type in my current unit rates and it will tell me if there are any cheaper unit rates available. I've googled but couldn't find anything. Does this exist or am I just going to have to look at every single tariff for every single supplier one by one?!

There are literally thousands of combinations of company, tariff, area, discounts, tier1,(variable) tier2, daily standing charge etc etc

It needs a huge database, constantly being updated, to provide the sort of infortmation you require.

If you enter the kWh(this is essential for accuracy) for gas and electricity, separately and then as dual fuel in the various websites, there isn't normally a discrepancy of more than a couple of pounds p.a..

From your post it appears that you don't know your annual kWh and rely on the website to guess your consumption. In that case they will do everthing they can to get you switch as that is the reason the websites exist - to gain commission from you switching.

Plushchris

As the others have said, always use kWh to do a comparison and the results should usualy come up very similar.

Then you can compare unit rates when you get to the main comparison page, but again, as the others have said above, the unit rates are only half the story, you have different discounts to take into account and different breaks in tiers or standing charges.

If you have enough time on your hands to bother doing your own spreadsheets (and are a bit nerdy like that) then thats up to you but I have always found the comparison websites fairly accurate (certainly accurate enough to not bother doing spreadsheets and all that)

Premier_2

Doesn't the comparison site specify the unit costs and discounts that apply to come up with your figure?

Admitedly, some sites don't always apply the somewhat confusing discounts accurately.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1221557

(and as you can tell by the length of time I spent editing some of those posts in that thread, it's not easy to work it out accurately yourself either)

ezrollers

Unfortunately, you will have to do the calculations yourself if you want to get accurate prices for your average usage. Comparison sites don't seem to get everything right. I wrote about them in my blog, see signature

BallandChain

I'm glad this subject came up as I've been to various comparison sites only to get different suppliers recommended from each one. I don't have an annual consumption figure (electricity only) to enter as I have only been in my new place for a few months. How do you get around that?

KimYeovil

Just use the command or control key (or whatever the modifier key is named on your system) to open the link to each supplier's tariff details in a new window (or a new tab). You can then quickly compare each tariff's actual prices (unless you're using a netbook.)

For example, with uSwitch, first of all click the 'view all results' at the bottom right then you can quickly pick and choose by control-clicking the underlined tariff name in the second column (Plan features & conditions).

Cardew

BallandChain wrote: »

I'm glad this subject came up as I've been to various comparison sites only to get different suppliers recommended from each one. I don't have an annual consumption figure (electricity only) to enter as I have only been in my new place for a few months. How do you get around that?

Then you have to estimate several times, say, 10,000kWh, then 15,000, 20,000 etc.

Do not let the comparison website estimate for you.

If there is any way they can 'legally' make it appear that another company is better - they will.

BallandChain

Thank you Cardew. I'll try that!