Pre Payment Meters 2 Expensive!! Time 2 Switch, But Who 2?!!

tycoon1day

Hi all,

Our 3 bed semi is fitted with pre payment meters for both gas and electric. (british gas for gas and Eon for electric) We are currently paying around £30 per week for gas and £15 per week for the electic.

There are only 2 of us living in the house and we're both out all day.
we have the gas central heating on a timer twice a day totalling no more than 10 hours. We know we're havin a cold winter but this is 2 much!

We want to get rid of the pre payment meters and pay by monthly direct debit but are confused as who to go with. I have been on 4 or 5 comparison sites and they all say npower is my cheapest option, but when i called them they would not change the meters until i had been on their own pre payment plan for 12 months.

The problem seems to be the meters that i have installed at the moment and whoever i speak to doesnt seem to know whats best for me. I have called uswitch, simply switch, energy helper and edf to name a few but dont seem to be getting anywhere fast.
Any advice would be appreciated as we need to cut these bills now! :eek:
Thanks!

Fire_Fox

Ten hours a day is an awful lot of central heating! It's not the meters, it's the usage. Is it a badly insulated semi or do you like a high ambient temperature?

Magentasue

Try calling your present suppliers and see if they'll change your meters for free. Then think about switching.

tycoon1day

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Ten hours a day is an awful lot of central heating! It's not the meters, it's the usage. Is it a badly insulated semi or do you like a high ambient temperature?

When i say 10 hours a day, that is only over the last month or so during the recent cold spell we've had. That is only 5 medium sized radiators on a medium heat output aswell.

Insulation seems ok, although not air tight, but may be a factor as the house is quite large and sits on a corner plot with 3 external walls. The house never has been especially good at holding heat once the heating turns off.

Perhaps a wall cavity insulation inspection/ replacement is something to think about for the future..

Still need to change the gas and elec providers tho as the pre payment system is undoubtedly the most expensive!

Paulywally_2

Hi

Gas and Elect both on prepayment meters, will never go back to credit meters after BG tried to tell me my gas usage was £7 a day even when it wasn't switched on.

Cheapest for Electric is EDF by far at the moment, actually works out cheaper than the credit meters per KWK, i was with ebico and we use alot of electric, we were paying over £35 a week for that alone, since switching just 2 weeks ago, we have actually increased our usage, and we only used £19 last week, it would of cost us £38 for the same amount with our old supplier.

Gas i will stay with Ebico, the benefits outweigh the cons at present, its a flat rate no matter how much you use, which is brilliant in the warmer months, our central heating is on constantly at 21C and our house it basically open plan, only door thats still attached is the Front and back doors downstairs, rest have been arched wayed. as for upstairs only door thats closed is the bathroom, wife like the rest open because of the cats!.. we turn the heat down to 19C at night.
the last present cold spell , in 12 days we have used £20 worth of gas.

Something to chew from another whos suffered the wrath of prepayment meters.

theres a link on the EDF site somewhere with there prices list.