Utilities warehouse

Cardew

Dai_Archway wrote: »

I am an existing UW gas and electric customer (not a distributor) and have been happy with the service even though it was my wife that signed us up through a friend. I am thinking of changing career to becoming an energy saving consultant so I thought I had better start with my own bills first!

By doing some calculations I realise I shouldnt be on Economy 7 as I am only doing 15% electric at night so by switching to General tariff I could save £110 pa. but aside from that I stuck my annual usage figures into energyhelpline.com and sure enough they say they could save me money. However when I click on the links to try and verify the stated possible savings they dont add up. Apart from the fact that the tariffs are ruddy confusing (the first 1143 kWh per quarter at one rate, thereafter another, 5% discount for monthly dd) the initial rates are way higher.

E.g. my gas is 3.6 p /kWh and my day elec is 13.7p/kWh and my night elec is 3.5 p/kWh.

So has any one else found this? Am I wrong to verify the savings using the tarrifs that pop up when I click on "show me the details"? Should I be getting the figures from elsewhere? Ideally I would like to get away from UW as I dont like paying £5 a month even though a Southern Electric guy who came to the door says he cant beat the price. I dont get prospero as I am a not a consumer monkey who would spend anything therefore save anything (to be fair I never heard of it until I came on this forum).

Any companies that anyone can reccomend? Eon came out top as being able to save me money but when I looked the reviews I almost shat myself. I do not want to switch to a company that doesn't know how to bill and interact with customers.

I am in Kent if that makes any difference. I know I am probably a !!!!!! for asking for solid advice/opinions in teh middlel of a flame war but hey ho

Dave

Welcome to the forum.

With 15% of electric used at night, you are correct that you should not be on Economy 7 with any company.

All of the companies(except Ebico) have a 'standing charge'. This charge is raised by paying xxp per day, or by having a 2 rate charging system where the first xxxunits are charged at a higher rate.

Most companies give a discount for having dual fuel and for paying by direct debit.

Every one of the Big 6 have gas and electricity tariffs that are much cheaper than UW.

You can enter your consumption in kWh into any one of the many comparison websites and you will confirm that fact.

For most people on average consumption UW is around 50th place out of 60 odd tariffs.

If you post your consumption figures and area of UK on here, it can be worked out for you; but without question you will find much cheaper tariffs than UW.

Dai_Archway

Annual Gas 17,727 kWh
Annual Electric 5690 kWh (4840 day 850 night)
I live in Tonbridge Kent and pay monthly dd

energyhlpline says Eon are the best cost savers with a total bill of £1,086 a saving of £204 (16%).Those figures sound about right!

So I need to check Eon's rates and multiply them by my usage to replicate the figure of £1086.
Having done that there is about £5 difference between my bill and Eons projections.If I then take off the discount for paperless billing and duel fuel that is where the savings arise (brings it down to £1017 pa). So to say that 50 or 60 rates beat UW is misleading...its not the rates but the discounts. I shall now consider leaving UW to save myself £200 a year...question is who do I choose?

Some of the reviews are frightening and I do not want to walk into a shitstorm by choosing a company whose processes are screwed. I am aware of the phenomena whereby more disgruntled customers will leave reviews than happy customers but any thoughts as the best way to make a choice?Or shoudl I simply trust the Service Rating tab?

Dai

1carminestocky

I would imagine the Eon tariff is the newly launched Fixed one? Fixed until June 2010. Totally up to you to decide what you think will happen to domestic fuel prices between now and then, but I know what I think. Please also be aware if it IS the Fixed tariff and you wish to leave before June 2010 then E.on will charge you £30 for the privilege. Not a huge exit fee compared to some but IMO these exit fees should be added to the figures shown on switching sites. EDF's online tariff tends to come out near the top of all the switching sites I have tried (certainly in my region, Yorkshire) and that has no exit fees whatsoever (they are majority owned by Mr Sarkozi's lot, though, lol. Heck, who cares, Scottish Power are Spanish-owned. I do wonder if they would be so successful if they called themselves Spanish Power, though. ). Personally I try to avoid getting 'tied into' any company for any of my utlities because IMO you then become a 'disregard' for them until the tie-in period is up. A captive audience under penance of a 'fine' for escaping but maybe that's a view that's unique to me, I don't know.

If money saving is your absolute priority (and I'm not entirely sure it is given your misgivings regarding E.on's net reviews), have you tried getting quotes for gas and electric from different companies? Very often it works out cheaper, even taking into account dual fuel discount. Which sort of makes a mockery of the dual fuel discount, don't you think?

Good luck in your quest.

Southwest_Solutions

Hi there spammers

I would like to make it clear I do not represent N-Power in the domestic market and have no allegiance to them.

This is the price I have just switched to with N-Power in the sweb region area 22
Electricity 8.715p per kWh +£80 peryear standing charge inc vat

UW price 11.409 + £49.20 peryear standing charge + vat

N-Power is cheaper in this instance
*****************************************
Gas 3.161p per kWh + £140 standing charge inc vat

UW price 3.255 + £42 peryear standing charge + vat

UW would be cheaper than N-Power
****************************************
For many years I had used Scottish Power who provided an excellent service and great prices but things change.

As for "say no to 0870" at one time I would have agreed wholeheartedly but as BT now offer free calls to 0870 and 0845 numbers from domestic numbers I feel that it is now a little dated. In fact I will be going back to BT as I use a lot of local and national rate nos in the course of business and will desert the Telecoms company I sell to my business clients.

As people say it depends upon what deal suits them.

Now if any of the UW reps would like top distribute a broad range of Electricity and Gas products to the business market without having to pay a set up fee for literature and materials please feel free to drop me a line at [EMAIL="info@southwestsolutions.co.uk"]info@southwestsolutions.co.uk[/EMAIL]
all applications are treated in strictest confidence.

Quentin

You seem to have had a hidden agenda throughout.

You are as devious as the uw reps when it comes to breaking the site rules on advertising!

1carminestocky

Southwest_Solutions wrote: »

Hi there spammers

Now if any of the UW reps would like top distribute a broad range of Electricity and Gas products to the business market without having to pay a set up fee for literature and materials please feel free to drop me a line at [EMAIL="info@southwestsolutions.co.uk"]info@southwestsolutions.co.uk[/EMAIL]
all applications are treated in strictest confidence.

Are you for real? :rotfl: And do you offer a 'Scalextric sales package', Mr Pitstop?

Southwest_Solutions

Funny you should enquire but no Scalextric packages, if you want to play with some toys you need my ex business partner! I only supply the best business gas and electrcity prices and lots of DOSH (or whatever your colloquialism is for money) in returrn for solid contracts.

Oh by the way rules are made to be broken

NigeWick

Quentin wrote: »

You seem to have had a hidden agenda throughout.

You are as devious as the uw reps when it comes to breaking the site rules on advertising!

I don't think its agenda is hidden and certainly not devious.

1carminestocky

Southwest_Solutions wrote: »

Funny you should enquire but no Scalextric packages, if you want to play with some toys you need my ex business partner! I only supply the best business gas and electrcity prices and lots of DOSH (or whatever your colloquialism is for money) in returrn for solid contracts.

Oh by the way rules are made to be broken

Southwest_Solutions

No, I'm not devious at all I just saw an opportunity and took it, in my world the old adage is "if you do not ask you will not get"