Npower and 'no standing charge'

Burlesque_Babe

Both I and my OH have had an npower sales rep at the door with some spiel about if we switch npower won't charge the standing charge. I've had a search and can't find anything from anyone else about this, but what does it actually mean? does it mean they don't charge for something in one way, but their tariff will be higher in another?

I would never EVER sign with a salesman on the door and do all my comparisons online etc, but I'm just interested to know what he was actually saying. He wouldn't go any further unless I let him in to 'check' my meter and I wasn't going to do that!

ahsar32

i'm with npower and as far as i know they don't have a standing charge, my average electric biil with them is about £260 odd a quarter which i think is bloody expensive,i'm in the process of looking for a cheaper provider.I was thinking about BG's online tariff but still not sure which one to go for.(by the way british gas do a credit check before they sign you up, do all providers do this?)

Cardew

That is a new twist.

If you have a couple of days to spare, read the thread on 'sculpting'.

All Utility companies(except Ebico) get you to pay a 'standing charge'.

With some it is a daily charge, but most charge extra for the first units(kWh) you use; these are called tier 1 or primary units.

All companies except NPower have the same number of Tier units each month. However NPower have 'invented' a complicated system that you can be absolutely certain does not work to your advantage.

The bottom line is that the salesman is talking nonsense.

1carminestocky

ahsar32 wrote: »

i'm with npower and as far as i know they don't have a standing charge, my average electric biil with them is about £260 odd a quarter which i think is bloody expensive,i'm in the process of looking for a cheaper provider.I was thinking about BG's online tariff but still not sure which one to go for.(by the way british gas do a credit check before they sign you up, do all providers do this?)

If you are paying npower's standard leccy tariff then you need to get off that ASAP! It's absolutely ridiculously overpriced. Get your annual leccy usage from npower (they are obligated to tell you this) and get on the switching sites and realise how much you have been needlessly donating to their profits each year. :eek:

ahsar32

i've just got my annual usage for gas and electric but it's in units would these figures be the same in kwh, sorry so sound dumb but the way they work out the bills really confuses me.

1carminestocky

ahsar32 wrote: »

i've just got my annual usage for gas and electric but it's in units would these figures be the same in kwh, sorry so sound dumb but the way they work out the bills really confuses me.

What is the figure they have quoted you? We'll work from there...

ahsar32

gas 16335, electric 7957

1carminestocky

I hope for your sake that they are kwhs! I'm sure they are, btw.

If you ARE on the standard rate then you are paying literally HUNDREDS of POUNDS a year too much for your leccy!!

Sorry, I forgot to ask your area but in my area (Yorkshire) you would save FIVE HUNDRED & TWENTY POUNDS per year by switching your leccy to EDFs Online Version 6!!! OK, you would lose the duel fuel discount but I can't see it being anything like £520!!

PS Funnily enough, your gas charges can't be beaten!!

ahsar32

thanks, funny you should say that about my gas, my bill last month was £70(quarter) and the one before was £50(per quarter) i hope they are charging me right, my bill says actual meter reading not estimated so hopefully they won't stick a huge bill on me, anyway thanks for your help i'm off to switch the lectric now.

Burlesque_Babe

cheers for that - I was guessing they are just going to hide it in some way.

Having worked for a cable TV company many years ago and seeing the antics some of the sales team got up to door to door (I hasten to add I was not part of the sales team!!!) I would never sign up to anything on the doorstep knowing the tricks they can pull.