How good are these comparison sites

pothole50

Wanting to switch my BG electric to another company I used Uswitch and it recommended OVO and I would save £1.78 using 4500kw a year.
I did my own calculations based on the tariffs quoted and I made it a saving of £42.90 so how can it be so far out.

For those with a calculator based on 4500kw/year and BG Websaver 11 tariff 720kw@0.24993 then 3780@0.10566 = £580.50.
OVO tariff £84 then 4500@0.10080 = £537.60

I also used Which Switch and they quoted a £1.78 saving below was their results.

Yes No
Tariff rates (inc. VAT) OVO BG
Electricity standing charge 23.014p None
Electricity tier 1 (pence/kWh) 10.08 p/kWh 24.993 p/kWh
Electricity tier 1 ceiling None 720 kWh
Electricity tier 2 (pence/kWh) None 10.566 p/kWh
Electricity tier 2 ceiling Non None
Discounts
Discount on Tier 2 unit rate (inc night rate) £1.87
Comparison vs. current tariff
Saving* £1.75 £0.00
Total £537.60 £539.35

Perhaps there's something hidden that I am not seeing like Direct Debit discount or paperless billing, but there are no mention of these on the comparison sites.

Its a worrying now because I just switched from BG to Ebico for the gas as these sites claimed I would save £93/year, my sums worked out for that calculation, but not with the electric.

Premier_2

pothole50 wrote: »

Wanting to switch my BG electric to another company I used Uswitch and it recommended OVO and I would save £1.78 using 4500kw a year.
I did my own calculations based on the tariffs quoted and I made it a saving of £42.90 so how can it be so far out.

For those with a calculator based on 4500kw/year and BG Websaver 11 tariff 720kw@0.24993 then 3780@0.10566 = £580.50.
OVO tariff £84 then 4500@0.10080 = £537.60

I also used Which Switch and they quoted a £1.78 saving below was their results.

Yes No
Tariff rates (inc. VAT) OVO BG
Electricity standing charge 23.014p None
Electricity tier 1 (pence/kWh) 10.08 p/kWh 24.993 p/kWh
Electricity tier 1 ceiling None 720 kWh
Electricity tier 2 (pence/kWh) None 10.566 p/kWh
Electricity tier 2 ceiling Non None
Discounts
Discount on Tier 2 unit rate (inc night rate) £1.87
Comparison vs. current tariff
Saving* £1.75 £0.00
Total £537.60 £539.35

Perhaps there's something hidden that I am not seeing like Direct Debit discount or paperless billing, but there are no mention of these on the comparison sites.

Its a worrying now because I just switched from BG to Ebico for the gas as these sites claimed I would save £93/year, my sums worked out for that calculation, but not with the electric.

The bit you appear to have missed out regarding the BG Websaver 11 tariff is:

Electricity customers paying by Monthly Direct Debit will receive a discount off their quarterly Tier 2 consumption charges (and night rates where applicable) of 1.873 p/kWh up to a maximum of £10 per quarter.

Hence the £40 reduction in the annual saving you have calculated.

jalexa

pothole50 wrote: »

Perhaps there's something hidden that I am not seeing like Direct Debit discount or paperless billing, but there are no mention of these on the comparison sites.

A good spot by Premier.

When I first looked at uSwitch I agreed with you. The discount is a little "hidden". You need to click on your preferred tariff, then select side by side comparison and you will see mention of the elusive DD discount.

Personally I prefer https://www.theenergyshop.com where the current tariff can be displayed in a pop-up and any discount is stated in the "Discount" section.

On a general point there is little need to worry about individual unit rates or tiers when undertaking comparisons. In my experience the EnergyShop and uSwitch both have a good record for headline cost accuracy.