How often can I switch suppliers?

Northern_Dragon

With all the price rises I'm considering switching to a fixed tariff however I only switched to my current supplier and tariff about six months ago so am I even allowed to move?

I'm with Scottish Power for Electricity (Online Energy Saver 11) and NPower (Sign On-Lline 19). I'm not aware of any T&Cs which tie me in with either.

(Sorry if this sort of question has already been asked, which I suspect it has but I couldn't find the answer.)

Thanks.

Dave_save

For SP Online Energy Saver 11

''We may apply cancellation charges inclusive of VAT of £30 for electricity and £20 for gas if you switch to Online Energy Saver 11 Offer but then cancel your supply contract or switch to another tariff before the 31st October 2011''

For NPower SOL 19

''A termination fee of £20 for each fuel applies if customers switch gas and electricity supplier before the 30th September 2011''

In addition to the above you will also lose discounts if you switch before the end date - I know this applies to Npower SOL 19 but it may also apply to SP OES too.

Northern_Dragon

Dave_save wrote: »

For SP Online Energy Saver 11

''We may apply cancellation charges inclusive of VAT of £30 for electricity and £20 for gas if you switch to Online Energy Saver 11 Offer but then cancel your supply contract or switch to another tariff before the 31st October 2011''

For NPower SOL 19

''A termination fee of £20 for each fuel applies if customers switch gas and electricity supplier before the 30th September 2011''

In addition to the above you will also lose discounts if you switch before the end date - I know this applies to Npower SOL 19 but it may also apply to SP OES too.

Wow. Thanks Dave I quite literally had no idea that those clauses were in there. Well I knew about losing the discount but not the termination fees. I really appreciate you find that for me - though I'll try hard to find it myself next time!!

I guess the more general answer therefore is that barring termination fees there's nothing to stop you moving though, and cashback might offset the termination fees too...

Thanks again.

bengasman

The basic right of every UK domestic energy user from the grid, is a "rolling 30 day" contract.

Providing you didn't fall for the con of signing a contract voluntarily waiving your rights, you can change therefore any time you want and as often as you want by giving 30 days notice in writing.

bengasman

Northern_Dragon wrote: »

cashback might offset the termination fees too...

Don't fall for the old cashback trick; there is no free lunch in energy-land. Any "cashback" you get will be come back out of your pocket tenfold.
For the average energy user, there really is only one factor that counts: the price per kWh. If it is high, no matter what "wonderful offers" are presented, you will end up paying more than you should.

cing0

It takes 38 - 44 calendar days to switch suppliers so on average, you can switch every 41 days.

Premier_2

bengasman wrote: »

Don't fall for the old cashback trick; there is no free lunch in energy-land. Any "cashback" you get will be come back out of your pocket tenfold.
For the average energy user, there really is only one factor that counts: the price per kWh. If it is high, no matter what "wonderful offers" are presented, you will end up paying more than you should.

Whilst cashback should not be an important factor, don't fall into the trap of taking the lowest unit price either. With all the confusion marketing relating to tariffs, just use a comparison site to cut through that and get the lowest annual cost.

It's the annual cost, not the way the cost is arrived at, that is important.

bengasman

Premier wrote: »

Whilst cashback should not be an important factor, don't fall into the trap of taking the lowest unit price either.

Unit price is the only thing they can not manipulate. At the end of the day, if you pay less per unit, you can calculate and compare all you want, but x units at 3p will cost you less than x units at 3.5p.

Leaving out people that use extremely low amounts of energy e.g. £1 per week average, the unit price will be 90% of the bill.
"No standing charges" tariffs are a con; the standing charges are simply hidden in the in first couple of thousand units that are 3 times more expensive than on a tariff with standing charges. But you can use that con if you only use a couple of quid per month.

Joyful

I agree with Premier. A prime example is when suppliers have a higher unit price but then give £100 back after 12 months. This is why a comparison site takes all factors into account.

I would also say always check out the cashback sites to see if you can get an extra bonus although do not rely on it. If you do this after checking the suppliers prices remember to clear your cookies from the computer before going through the cashback site.

bengasman

Joyful wrote: »

I agree with Premier. A prime example is when suppliers have a higher unit price but then give £100 back after 12 months.

You wouldn't be able to come up with a real life example of when this was the cheapest way of getting your energy after a year, would you?

Bad news for you chum, there is no free lunch. Cashback is, and always has been, an intricate way of making you pay more than you need whilst seemingly being advantageous.

fonejacker77

switch now to a fixed plan with a company that has not yet announced raises (ie eon, edf, npower). I work with one of those and know that the currently available fixed plans are much cheaper than the new online prices with the ones who have announced rises (british gas, scottish power, and SSE(includes southern electric, scottish hydro electric, atlantic, swalec etc.)).
also dont fall for any so called "protection from price rise" letters once your company has announced a rise. tell them to get stuffed and get to edf or eon (npowers customer service doesnt seem popular!)