Moving House - Ideal time to switch?

Forever_Skint_3

I am in the early stages of the moving process, having accepted an offer on my house and made an offer on another (accepted). Once the contracts are drawn up and I have a timescale, I assume this would be an ideal time to check the market for a new deal. I'm currently with Scottish Power.

Anyone had experience of this, I guess there are no real pitfalls.

t0rt0ise

You will have to open an account with whoever supplies the new property before you can change suppliers. When you've got an account set up with opening meter reads then use a comparison site to find the cheapest. I use uSwitch but there are others.

Don't forget to give closing meter readings to Scottish Power when you move out of your current address and close the account. And keep a note of the readings as things can go wrong and the suppliers lose them.

macman

As above. You can't move an account from one property to another anyway.
If you only consider switching when moving house, then you've probably wasted an awful lot of money over the years (unless you move house every year)!

Forever_Skint_3

Ah, I didn't realise I'd have to take on the existing accounts. I have switched before, Scottish Power were the cheapest when I did. I'll wait until I'm in and then get looking.

dude89

The Key points to remember are:

1. Take a closing meter reading at your old address when you have left the property. Supply this to your current supplier at the old property.
- Also remember to keep a note of this safe and ensure that the final bill you receive uses this meter reading
2. Remember to turn off the electrics at the main fuse board to ensure that no additional electric is being used - and can be contested of who is responsibile for paying this by the new owner - unless agreed with the new owner.
3. Turn the gas supply off at the meter using the emergency shut off handle. This is as much a safety issue as much a safeguard against any more gas being used.
4. Take opening meter readings at your new property, again making sure to keep a note of these. You then supply these to the current supplier at your new property.
5. You are then free to switch supplier as you wish. Use a comparison website and a cashback website to ensure you have the best deal.
6. Ensure that the bill from the supplier at the new address uses your opening meter reading when they bill you from the date you move in to the date the transfer to your chosen supplier takes place.