Here's a random question

Chin

this is something which i have been wondering for ages...

if i was with a gas supplier (say EDF for example purposes) and then switch to another (say British Gas), how does that work in the sense that nobody comes over and installs a new gas pipe, boiler etc..

the same gas is flowing into my house is it not? gas is gas so how do British Gas claim that I'm now using their gas not someone elses?

Bonbon

mmmm, good question ,but sorry I don't know the answer.

Hellblazer

The energy companies don't distribute the energy they just bill you for it. Distribution is a totally seperate company.

A record is held on a nation database for both gas and electric of all the properties in the Uk, which company the property has been with going back many years, all the switches to different suppliers that have been made. This database is called ECOES for eleccy and XOSERVE for gas.

Just remember kids, energy companies just bill you, they don't distribute your energy.

Naf

Although some of the companies do produce their own too. As with electricity, it's all fed into the system and distributed automatically. The national grid effectively buys the energy off the companies, then sells it back when the customers they bill use it.
At least this is how I understand it; I'm sure someone will be around to correct me if not

Cardew

Same gas, same electricity if you change supplier.

If you changed from EDF to British Gas, for whatever gas or electricity BG supply(i.e. you pay them) it is taken from the gas or electricity they have bought from the generator and EDF stop taking it from their supply.

Say both EDF and BG were in the business of selling apples. There is a huge warehouse full of apples and EDF originally owned 1,000 apples which they have been selling to you at a profit. You then decide to buy your apples from BG who own 5,000 apples in the same warehouse. Both EDF and BG use the same delivery firm.

Pincher

It helps to think of two departments.
There is a distribution department, and a billing department.

You only need to deal with the billing department.
Hence you wouldn't expect the call centre staff to know anything about gas or electricity, any more than you do.

And then they outsourced the billing department.
And then the outsource company is run by ex-timeshare salesmen.

grahamc2003

Yeah, the suppliers deal with retail customers - whoever you are with you get the same stuff down your pipes and cables.

So, for example, if you buy your electricity from the Dirty Coal Burning Supply company (so called because their holding company also owns coal fired powerstations), then you get exactly the same electricity when you switch to the 'Greenest of Green Windmill Loving Supply Company' (so called for marketing purposes).

Furthermore, if, within your supplier, you opt for a cheap Dirty Coal tariff, you still gte exactly the same electricity, generated from exactly the same mix of generating technologies, as you do when you sign up to the more expensive Ultra-Green Planet Saving tariff.

macman

Pincher wrote: »

It helps to think of two departments.
There is a distribution department, and a billing department.

You only need to deal with the billing department.
Hence you wouldn't expect the call centre staff to know anything about gas or electricity, any more than you do.

And then they outsourced the billing department.
And then the outsource company is run by ex-timeshare salesmen.

The technical term for this is 'the EDF model'.

bevanuk

It's all the same. The only difference is the person that sends you the bills.

Naf

grahamc2003 wrote: »

Yeah, the suppliers deal with retail customers - whoever you are with you get the same stuff down your pipes and cables.

So, for example, if you buy your electricity from the Dirty Coal Burning Supply company (so called because their holding company also owns coal fired powerstations), then you get exactly the same electricity when you switch to the 'Greenest of Green Windmill Loving Supply Company' (so called for marketing purposes).

Furthermore, if, within your supplier, you opt for a cheap Dirty Coal tariff, you still gte exactly the same electricity, generated from exactly the same mix of generating technologies, as you do when you sign up to the more expensive Ultra-Green Planet Saving tariff.

However, that's not to say you aren't paying towards making things 'greener' by taking a green tariff, or by choosing a greener company; more money in their coffers means they can build more green power sources and research and improve more.
Not that I care; I'll take whatever's cheapest, especially in this climate.

Chin

brill

thanks very much all :j