ebico prices

oldwiring

ic wrote:

Well I've been with Ebico for the last 18 months, and in that time they've been consistently cheapest for me. I've just checked and I could save a whopping £18 by moving - so I won't bother as that's just too close to be worthwhile. Reality is as I live on my own and work full time, and I'm fairly energy concious I don't have high bills. This means most companys' stepped rates (a higher charge for the first x units per quater) doesn't work for me, Ebico's flat rate is great.

My actual supplier is Southern Electric which means I'm officially their customer too so I was able to take up their grants on insulation. It cost me £325 to have both cavity wall insulation and loft insulation. In comparison EDF would have charged £550 for the same!

i too would not be tempted to move for such a marginal saving. BTW I think a 10%+- what if is never a bad idea in such situations.

oldwiring

Xbigman wrote:

Ebico are not moving to a situation where high users are penalised. The position is that they have always benefited those who are low users and those who are paying using an expensive payment method IE prepayment. Their not raising prices for a year might have skewed it so higher users could benefit but it was always going to correct itself (as I pointed out numerous times in this forum).
Ebico is still cheapest for gas for me but not for electricity. At least in theory. I've had loads of grief in the past by not being on the right tarif and I have more confidence it Ebico's single tarif system than in anything else that is so say cheaper. I'll be staying with them.
I also love quarterly bills. Now I don't pay by DD because I have had nothing but trouble with it. Instead I pay online on the day I recieve the bill, a method no dearer for Ebico to collect than DD but which won't get you a discount.
This company cannot be beaten on service, clear bills or ethics. It is close to unbeatable on price. Why would I go anywhere else.
Regards


X

I would not use the word penalised or we might have a campaign for return of charges ( see elsewhere);) To what do you ascribe the lowering of the breakeven point, where the advantage of EBICO is extinguished?

As to service quality, I think from my exoereince as a customer of Souther, a lot of EBICO quality could be from its realtionship with and use of Southern's systems. I say this without any cynicism but I wonder if any powers within SSE are helping EBICO as far as they can within the confines of their duty to the owners of SSE. I'm not naive but also not beliving that all cos are rip off merchants.

Wig

oldwiring wrote:

To what do you ascribe the lowering of the breakeven point, where the advantage of EBICO is extinguished?

It's just a price rise, it had to happen the wholesale prices have risen, it's not been done as a measure against high users, the price rise also afffects low users. It's like asking "why did the Sun come up today...is it because the Earth wanted to disadvantage the bats, slugs, owls, badgers & foxes?"

You also mentioned in one of your posts above, that you think SSE won't supply them too cheap energy or something like that.

I don't know but my impression was that the market is open the whole idea is that any company can be an energy supplier, I could do it if I wanted to. There must be rules set down by energywatch as to force the producers to sell their power & gas at specific margins above cost to companies who want to sell power & gas. I haven't looked into it but this must be the case.

oldwiring

Any co csn be an energy supplier; I do not disagree with that statement, if it means that any co can sell energy. I am not versed enough to go in to the market structure, but to me there seems to be a great diffrerence between a selller, as is EBICO, that does not produce energy and the likes of SSE, that both produces energy for its own use and sells it on the market. IMO ( and it is only MO) the likes of EBICO will always be beholden to the true supplier like SSE.

Yes, a price rise, but you cannot deny, that on the basis of the figures I worked the attractiveness for higher users has been lessened.The next pricerise may show if the now situation is a blip. How long we'll wait is assumed to be short, but SSE from my experience as a customer seems to be less frequent than some others.

Cardew

oldwiring wrote:

the price they will get their supplies at, will be dependent on what the wholesaler (e.g. Southern) wishes to give Ebico. Plain common sense will see that the supplier will not permit it to damage itself by selling too much energy at too large a discount. If it perceives that is likely, it will harden its terms as far as possible.

Ebico for its part could seek an alternative supplier, or Reduce its own margins or costs, in theory.

From your post I have visions of Southern Electricity with it's own Gas Storage facilities and own Grid allowing Ebico to have some of their precious gas and electricity -"but don't take too much".

The Gas and Electricity is provided by the suppliers and not the distribution companies like Southern.

When Gas and Electricity was privatised any company could supply either as long as they met the conditions of the regulator. Lots of companies were set up and many of them have fallen by the wayside.

If you want to know how the market works read this from Ebico's website:

http://www.ebico.co.uk/en/open/pages/electricitymarketen.php


As far as I am aware Ebico have a contract with Southern for them to provide a payment and accounting service.

Your last posts have all been based on the assumption that if Ebico sell too much Gas & Electricity to the "Greedy Rich" that Southern will 'turn off the tap'.

So your arguments are based on a false premise. Or perhaps you might like to inform us where you get the information to support your argument.

Wig

oldwiring wrote:

Yes, a price rise, but you cannot deny, that on the basis of the figures I worked the attractiveness for higher users has been lessened..

That is the nature of a single tier tariff it has to "breakeven" somewhere. Ebic want high users as customers, they want them to disregard the fact that they may be able to get energy cheaper elsewhere, and instead consider themselves good samaritans for those less fortunate. I suspect they don't get many takers. But I am atleast a small example. I could switch and save about 50 pounds (12%) overall, but I won't because I like the Ebico model.

They also incidently want customers who are not bothered to use direct debit, because it is cheaper for them. I've seen a few people here saying just because paying manually is the same price as DD (with Ebico), that they will pay manually. I think that unless you have some serious problems with cash flow/ bank balances you should pay by DD. to help Ebico.

Xbigman

Ditto Wig's post.

It is in the nature of Ebico's model to benefit low users. The only difference is in the relative company prices. Ebico looked better and better as others raised prices. Now they are back in (price) step the position is just as it was 12 months ago.

On the subject of payment methods. I agree that paying quarterly by cheque just because you can is naff. But I don't like DD's. I'm told that paying in full using online banking costs no more than DD for the supplier as long as you pay promptly. Thats my prefered method these days.
Regards



X

melbury

Sat down last night and worked out what my gas bill will be now that Ebico have increased their price. Even with the increase I will be better off by £248 over a year, so still well worth switching to them from BG.

oldwiring

Xbigman wrote:

Ditto Wig's post.

It is in the nature of Ebico's model to benefit low users. The only difference is in the relative company prices. Ebico looked better and better as others raised prices. Now they are back in (price) step the position is just as it was 12 months ago.

On the subject of payment methods. I agree that paying quarterly by cheque just because you can is naff. But I don't like DD's. I'm told that paying in full using online banking costs no more than DD for the supplier as long as you pay promptly. Thats my prefered method these days.
Regards



X

Well as I took the Southern prices theat pertained 12 months ago and those now current in my comparisons of the relative advantahes of RBICO
I think there is room for argument. However it takes a very small difference in a price rise to change things. In fact in the Southern Region only 1p of the rise accounts for the reduction of discount on electricity.

I'll concde that if Southern raise their tarrifs soon, I will effectivley be proven wrong, but their ises as I habe said ealrier do not seem to be as frequent as those of the chimps that fill tea bags, who have diversified in to the energy market. Can you guess which co I mean?:rolleyes:

oldwiring

Cardew. We probably will never agree but ::beer:

I was amused by the picture you painted and I will read your link. Just one thing though. Whatever the legal position ,do you believe that the fact of Southern’s being part of Scottish and Southern, who do generate energy, will have no effect on the matter?