To Change or Not

RoRo_4

Living in Devon I use SWEB for electric supply, they have just offered a fixed tariff to 2008. I am tempted to use them because living out in the sticks there have been hardly any power failures. They do come round every few years cutting down trees near overhead cables. I am worried that if we change to another supplier this essential mainenance will not be done and more failures will happen.

For example why would British Gas or some other national supplier come down here to keep the supply going.

Agreed this isn't a problem for towns but it is for us rural folks.

Comments appreciated.

djohn2002uk

It doesn't matter who you pay your money to, SWEB will still be responsible for maintaining the lines in your area. Just because you change supplier, e.g. to Scottish Power, they will not travel down from Scotland to cut the trees. Same goes for people in Scotland using SWEB.

caveat_emptor

RoRo wrote:

Living in Devon I use SWEB for electric supply, they have just offered a fixed tariff to 2008. I am tempted to use them because living out in the sticks there have been hardly any power failures. They do come round every few years cutting down trees near overhead cables. I am worried that if we change to another supplier this essential mainenance will not be done and more failures will happen.

For example why would British Gas or some other national supplier come down here to keep the supply going.

Agreed this isn't a problem for towns but it is for us rural folks.

Comments appreciated.

Thing to remember is the suppliers buy gas from the producers and sell it on to us. So I can pay BG for my gas but the bloke next door can pay Npower or Powergen etc. You'll probably find that National Grid are maintaining your cables.

djohn2002uk

caveat_emptor wrote:

Thing to remember is the suppliers buy gas from the producers and sell it on to us. So I can pay BG for my gas but the bloke next door can pay Npower or Powergen etc. You'll probably find that National Grid are maintaining your cables.

c_e, the National Grid you refer to only maintain the pylons, 132kV and above. The area boards that were, still maintain everything below that (wooden poles), sub-stations and underground cables.
But now Transco have been renamed National Grid.