comparing suppliers by unit price

smithyjules

I may be really dense here but on the on line comparison sites it only seems to compare prices by consumption/usage. We have only just moved into our house and i haven't a clue what our usage is/should be.I only know the prices per unit etc that our current supplier charges.is there a way of comparing the unit prices online without going to each individual supplier?We a re currently with Eon.
Many thanks for any help

Cat695

I'm glad you've asked this because i was wondering the same thing (buying my first place this year)

How do you know whats the best/cheapest when you've not been using it(well paying for it)

Magentasue

The thing is, nobody can tell you. There are so many variables - the building, how much you're in, how many gadgets, how careful/frugal/lazy you are, how many people in the house, when they're in, how warm you like it ...

Try this thread, or google for some ideas:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1328353.

Once you put how many kwh per year in the online comparison sites, you can compare the tariffs.

Fire_Fox

Wait one month after moving in and read your meter again. Then you will have a monthly figure - from that you can guess at quarterly. Then plug your figures into a price comparison site. I don't think Eon are known for being cheap - Scottish Power are best for me in an all electric flat.

If you haven't moved in yet, ask the previous tenants for either a copy of the bill or a breakdown of their kwh usage.

smithyjules

thank you for your replies so far. My unit prices are clearly stated on my bill so i don't see how it can't be easy to find out the unit prices for other companies i just don't know how to go about doing it! What i am after is just like finding out how much telephone companies charge per minute and finding the cheapest supplier only this doesn't seem to be that easy. I do understand that the bill is down to usage but if the inital charges for each unit of electric are too high them surely i'm onto a looser before i start being frugal about how often i have the heating on etc.any ideas?

posted_2

Because of the intentionally complicated way the companies compete, it's not really a good guide, tariffs are complicated - eg tiers, some charge x for the first y units, different discounts for direct debit/dual fuel etc. put some guestimate kwh figures in a comparison site is the easiest way.

Magentasue

I think you only have two choices. One, go to each supplier's website and check every tariff. Two, calculate some reasonable annual kwh figures for your family, put them in a site and check the tariffs of the cheapest options.

What you want is quite reasonable but I don't think it's out there. One of the reasons comparison sites ask for your postcode is because there are regional variations in kwh prices. Add to that the different tariffs offered, the different tiering rates and standing charges, discounts for dual fuel and DD payment etc and you can see why people use the comparison sites rather than checking things out themselves from scratch.

jd87

Like posted says above, the main problem is tiers. If company A charges 7.45p for the first 700 units, then 11.20p for all units over that, but company B charges 9.30p for the first 300 units, then 10.50p for all units over that, how can you compare them easily?

Also, the country is divided into energy regions, and unit prices vary from one region to another, so comparison sites would have to list the exact unit prices for each region.

smithyjules

ok i think i am getting the picture now-not as sily as i thought huff!why are things never as easy as they could be?to make them more money i guess! thanks again for the replies x