First Time Buyers

lammy666

Hi There,

I am a first time buyer and so have got no record of gas/electricity usage at all. What would people recomend for selecting a supplier?

thanks for any help.

Mini_Bear

Hi Lammy

First off if u can i wud look to see who currently supplies the utilities for the house u r buyin. i wud then look at u switch and def look at quidco re cashback and additional offers.
if you kno anyone who has a similar property to what you are buyin ask them what their average usage is (so u can get an idea - particularly goin in2 winter).
if theres only a tiny savin to be made by switchin suppliers i wud stick wiv the one u hav - the hassle of changing utility providers needs to have a decent ££ saving to be worth it IMHO.
Def use quidco if u can and also look at online tariffs as they tend to be cheaper (u just hav to read the meter urself and put in the units used every few months!)
Good luck with ur new house!

dannymccann

It will also depend on the type of house you are buying. If it is a newbuild it is likely it will be significantly cheaper to keep warm than a 1900s house due to the construction techniques and materials used nowadays.

Cost will also depend on how your heating is achieved. If you use electric heating you can expect to get raped by the utility companies unless you plan on using several jumpers / pairs of socks and blankets over the cold spells.

You may also wish to look into having a water meter installed (free) if there isnt already one. This way you only pay for the water you use.

If it helps, me and my partner are in a 3 bed semi, brand new (Jan09) and our bills (on DD + dualfuel) are £30 a month for gas and electricity (£60) and we used £93 of water in 5 months (so about £20 a month). We have gas hob, GCH, an electric and power shower and all the usual electrical gubbins including a dishwasher.

Also, if you are at home when it is windy it is a good time to find draughts. Wind chill from draughts can make you feel a lot cooler than anything else and if its windy you can DIY plug holes in the roof insulation, cracks around windows and fit proper draught proof seals to key holes, letter boxes and around exterior doors

Premier_2

As a fisrt time buyer, I'm sure you'll have 101 other things to worry about rather than changing utility supplier and possibly jumping out of the frying pan.

When you get the keys, you'll need to register with the existing energy suppliers. You'll probably soon get an idea of how much energy you use and then after things have calmed down a bit in a few months time perhaps think of using a comparison site to see if you could be better off with a different supplier or tariff.

lammy666

thanks for the info. think I may leave if for a couple of months before switching. Although i'm thinking that a few months over the winter will give a false reading compared to a whole year. Or do the switching sites take this into account when you put all the details in???