MSE News: Scottish Power to hike energy prices

macman

You don't need exact figs, put in a guesstimate and the comp sites will still show you the comparative prices-that's all you need. 1000kwH difference will not make a tariff move up or down the ratings much.

popshed

I spoke to a very helpful chap at BG and talked for half an hour, discussing unit prices and our heating system and using the figures from our old house have established the following.

In the old house we used ~2200kWH of electricity p.a. I guess that this is going to go up to around 2500-2800kWH.
Gaswise we used ~8500kWH p.a.

Given the nature of our heating system this seems likely to double! But 16000 is apparently the average (wow, you people use a lot of energy ).

Scottish Power are coming up as by far the cheapest (not fixed and presumably based on existing tariff so completely misleading). EDF are coming up as cheapest fixed, but I'm not sure if I want to fix or not.

I've got the unit prices from BG
Gas: 7.341p for first 2600kWH, 3.364p thereafter
Elec: 23.708p for first 720kWH, 10.961p thereafter

That equates to just over £1000 p.a. by my reckoning, yet the cheapest fixed is £1699. Doesn't seem worth fixing to me even if it jumps again next year.

popshed

Correction. We actually used ~1900kWH p.a. in the old house. I'd already lumped a few hundred on top as an estimate before I gave the 2200 figure to the guy at BG.

popshed

What am I missing here. I put in 2500kWH electric and 15,000kWH Gas and SP comes out the cheapest with £1580. BG comes up as £1788! Yet by their own standard unit prices I just worked it out at ~£1000. And that doesn't even include the 6% websaver discount.

If that figure is so far out of kilter how can I rely on any of the others?

macman

The comp sites do not lie. Recheck your calculations-the difference cannot be that great.

popshed

You're welcome to find fault with my workings.

Britsh Gas charges

Gas
First 2600 kWH	7.341p
After		3.364p

Electric
First 720kWH	23.708p
After		10.961p

Estimated Gas use 16000kWH

	2600			13400
      x    7.341	      x     3.364
     -----------	     ------------	    £
       19086.6			45077.6		= 641.64

Estimated Electric use 2500kWH

	 720			 1780
      x   23.708	      x	   10.961
     -----------	     ------------
       17069.76			19510.58	= 365.80

						---------
						 1007.44
 

I suppose I could lump an extra 15% or so on to get an idea of post price-hike prices, but I've still got 6% to take off for web saver.
Unit prices are inc Vat at 5% so taking 5% off, taking 6% off and putting 5% back on the unit prices for web saver come in at:

Gas 6.883/3.154
Elec 22.23/10.278

macman

Which BG tariff is this?

popshed

This is just the standard tariff AFAIK. Seems broadly in line with the bill I've already had which shows gas prices at 6.991/3.204p

macman

Putting your figs into energyhelpline (for London region) for BG Standard dual fuel I get £952 (using monthly DD). Given possible non-DD discount and regional cost variations, that's quite close to your £1,007.
Which site gave you £1788? Even the most expensive are under £1K.
I'm puzzled as to why you are comparing on standard tariff-the most expensive?

popshed

I think it might just be the stupid why energyhelpline display their figures. It says "Yearly spend" at the head of the column and then the cheapest at £1580 and then a massive headline saving of £777 (33%).

Well, that depends on whether your annual spend is £1580. Seems odd to put a headline rate of expenditure in there instead of using errmm, I don't know, the actual figures I put in!