Switching Virgin

plumb1_2

Hi all.

I have never switched flue companies , and i am going to give it a go, as i need to save some dosh, and no longer want to be a Virgin.

I am on British Gas and E.on standard tariff's, quartly bills. I have had a look at the comparison sites and they all seem to give different suppliers as the best. On-line savers with monthly DD.

I dont mind having online billing, but i have heard that prices are going up, so which is going to be the best to choose?

Also what are the pitfalls to watchout for when swopping.

Any help will be much welcomed.

Premier_2

plumb1 wrote: »

... I have had a look at the comparison sites and they all seem to give different suppliers as the best. ....

Use your annual consumption in kWh. (you can get this data from your current supplier if you don't have it already) All comparison sites should then give you the same results.

If not, tell us the data you input and which comparison sites you used and someone will take a look.

4$£&*(£$&*(!

I wondered this same question about increases to other providers. I am with npower at the moment and the special rate I am on ends next month. Hearing British Gas putting their prices up I thought on Friday I should start shopping around now (you are a switching virgin, I am the proverbial switching tart!).

Unless you switch to a fixed rate, any provider can change their charging at any point. On the cheaper (usually online) tariffs you will be fixed to that tariff for an initial time otherwise you will get charged a get-out penalty, typically £30 to £80, if you leave before the time you initially signed up for. So what you don't want to be doing is switching to someone who has not increased their prices, you join them at a super low rate, they lock you in and say it's £80 if you leave before, say, the end of next year - then they hike their prices and you're stuck.

If you go for a fixed rate, you know what you are getting and you will be paying a little bit more than the cheapest rates but you are safe in the knowledge your price isn't going anywhere (you must remember to switch as soon as the rate ends otherwise you normally get put on the provider's standard tariff which is often the most expensive).

Martin said (I think two years ago now) that as companies hike their prices, you must fix. I was one of those who fixed and got a better deal than those who fixed after the hikes had finished. The only problem for me is I paid more overall than if I had just switched on the cheapest online tariffs. Some people do not benefit from fixing, and I was one of them even though I got an early fix on a good rate. Everyone's use is different, based on how much energy you use and where in the country you are. I am a low user so tend to look out for no standing charge rates for example.

You could take a gamble on one of the companies which has announced a hike in the hope they won't increase their prices again in a while. There is only one provider who has pledged not to increase their prices before the end of March next year at the earliest, EDF. These are the guys I plumped for on Friday for a couple of reasons. They are £60 more expensive than my current tariff I fixed last year for me, but when that ends they are only £40 more expensive than the next cheapest tariff I would have gone on. If you sign up before the end of this month they give you £100 credit on your bill so that works out at £40 cheaper than my current tariff, and I used topcashback.co.uk to switch to them who are giving me £80 cashback which makes me £120 up even though the rates are technically higher.

Get your comparisons from the comparison websites, then clear your 'cookies' and sign up for topcashback.co.uk - never do it via the comparison websites as they pocket loads of commission. Topcashback gives you the commission instead, I'd sooner have £80 in my pocket than the paltry £20 some are offering.

plumb1_2

Hi, sorry for the delay in replying, first i must say thanks for the advice given so far.

Been trying to find some recent bills, plenty from 07 and 08:( Most of the bills are always estimated.

I have managed to find 2 recent bill from BG, hope you can understand them?

24 May 2010-£100.89, meter reading 6th May 13.64, reading on 5 aug 2010 13120=56 metric units over 92 days=623.11 kwh x 6.621p=£41.26 +5% vat= £43.32
There is alo a gas usage comparison chart stating i have used 10643.55 kwh of gas from 06/05/09 to 06/05/10

second bill from BG
06/08/10 to 05/11/10 94 metric units, 1040.80 kwh over 92 days.
first 676.0 kwh x 6.621p, next 364.80 x 3.050p = £55.89+ 5% vat£57.45
The gas usage comparison chart says my usage 07/11/09 to 06/11/10 is 10269.97

As for the electric bills from e-on
4th August £228.17
4th November £176.78