Eon stay warm tariff is it good

wilson1973

I live at home with my mother who is 70 i have tried to reduce her bills and last year joined eon on their dual fuel stay warm tarrif which costs £85 a month for 12 months of the year,its a fixed amount every month so in theory you dont have to worry about huge bills coming in over the winter but im starting to wonder if it really is much cheaper if at all compared to other peoples suppliers and tariffs,as during the summer when we wouldnt be using much gas or electricity we are still paying £85 a month.
Its all a bit confusing really so we are looking at a spend of £1020 over 12 months and not having to worry about how much heating we use in the winter although after the first 12 months they do look at your usage and will judge your next years monthly fee and to see if your a low average or high user to see how much more they would charge you for the following year.
I decided to go for this tariff just before the massive price rises in 2008 so im still hoping its a decent deal but if anyone could give me any tits it would be greatly appreciated

Alan_Vickers

If you want the satisfaction of knowing that (in theory at least) you can use as much gas and electricity as you wish with a fixed monthly payment then StayWarm may be OK for you.

However you need to remember that if StayWarm decide that you are using more than they would expect then your fixed monthly payments are liable to rise quite substantially, this appears to have been the result of a change of policy that was introduced from about 2006 without us being informed about it.

We were with StayWarm from 2001. At this time the scheme was operated by TXU Europe and the charges were based on the number of people in the house and the number of bedrooms. Later Powergen took over the scheme and they became part of EoN. We left StayWarm at the end of 2007 as a result of me having a telephone conversation with them when I was informed that, based on current meter readings, we were going to use more electricity than what they expected and our monthly payments would rise quite a lot. Clearly then you are not able to use as much gas and electricity as you wish for a fixed monthly payment as by this time StayWarm had introduced a further factor into their costs - that of usage and this made their scheme very unattractive for us. You will find that this part of EoN's policy has been explored very well in some of the other threads on this website.

In 2007 we paid StayWarm £1,301, in 2008 - when there were very substantial increases in gas and electricity charges for all of us we paid British Gas £1,254 for a similar pattern of usage and for this year we hope that our payments will be somewhat less than this.

My regret is that we did not leave StayWarm much earlier than we did.

Alan Vickers.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi wilson1973

As I'm sure you know our Staywarm tariff is specifically tailored for customers over 60. It offers a fixed price for 12 months regardless of how much energy is used.

This gives customers peace of mind as there are no unexpected bills.

The product is designed for customers with average energy needs. These averages are based on property sizes, number of occupants and lifestyles.

For instance, customers with high usage with, say, a swimming pool or Jacuzzi or who live in a castle will not be eligible.

Staywarm is aimed at our most vulnerable customers by providing energy at a set rate for basic needs.

Once a price has been agreed it will remain the same for a fixed period of 12 months. As I say, this is regardless of how much energy you use during this period. :j

After this time the account will be reviewed. If usage has exceeded these averages we will work with customers to reduce the amount of energy used. This can include home visits and free energy efficiency measures depending on the circumstances.

Customers will then be offered a second period of 12 months on Staywarm prices. This may or may not include a price increase. Each case is looked at individually.

If usage remains high after this customers can remain on Staywarm but at higher prices. At this stage it would be advisable to look at other products/suppliers as these may now be cheaper.

In fact, it is always advisable to keep a check on other products/suppliers. To see if your current arrangement is value for money pop your usage on to one of the comparison sites.

If you feel you will be better off on another arrangement there are no tie-ins with Staywarm. You can change at any time without penalty.

The product is handled by a specialist team who work out prices based on individual circumstances. I would suggest talking to this team about your particular account and needs.

You can call them on 0845 3033060.

Hope this helps.

Malc