Age Concern and Powergen

margaretclare

Hi all

We're pensioners (me 69, him 70). We regularly (every few months or so) sit down and take a good hard look at all our outgoings. Have looked at Staywarm and it would NOT be cheaper for us.

We're paying £14 a month to GreenEnergy for electricity and £30 a month to Atlantic Electric & Gas for our gas supply (gas-fired central heating, we cook by electricity).

This is a 2-bedroom bungalow, roof is very well-insulated, windows double-glazed throughout. The heating comes on twice daily - mid-morning we're sitting here in open-neck, short-sleeve polo shirts.

Can't be bad.

Aunty Margaret

Robert5988

margaretclare wrote:

Hi all

We're pensioners (me 69, him 70). We regularly (every few months or so) sit down and take a good hard look at all our outgoings. Have looked at Staywarm and it would NOT be cheaper for us.



Aunty Margaret

Margaret,

I think(as Loon posted some while ago) there is a lot of confusion in this thread, and people have not read the earlier posts.

The Age Concern link up with Powergen is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT to the 'Staywarm' scheme.

With Age Concern you pay a(high) tariff for units of Gas and Electricity consumed - higher than other tariffs that Powergen provide.

With Staywarm(available if someone in the property is aged 60+) you pay a fixed monthly amount regardless of consumption.(well that's the principle anyway) The fixed sum is dependant on the number of bedrooms, occupants and geographical area.

The fact that there is this confusion makes the point in the original post. Powergen(cynically) market the Age Concern scheme to lead people to think it is the same or similar to Staywarm. i.e. A 'special' scheme giving pensioners a financial saving; after all it is endorsed by Age Concern!!

captain_insano

I believe the Age Concern tariff has a standing charge as well, whereas Powergen do not

margaretclare

Robert5988 wrote:

With Staywarm(available if someone in the property is aged 60+) you pay a fixed monthly amount regardless of consumption.(well that's the principle anyway) The fixed sum is dependent on the number of bedrooms, occupants and geographical area.

Yes, I understand that. But I still think we are paying less than we would with Staywarm - I really have looked into it, honest!!

There are various schemes around to 'help older people' and they are all based on an assumption of the way people of our age-group live. We prefer to make our own choices.

Aunty Margaret

Robert5988

margaretclare wrote:

Yes, I understand that. But I still think we are paying less than we would with Staywarm - I really have looked into it, honest!!

There are various schemes around to 'help older people' and they are all based on an assumption of the way people of our age-group live. We prefer to make our own choices.

Aunty Margaret

Margaret,
I am quite certain that you have made the correct choice for yourself and that is not in dispute.

However this thread is about the Age Concern scheme, so I question why you refer to having investigated the Staywarm scheme(there are plenty of threads on Staywarm) - it certainly adds to the confusion.

If you read your original thread, it appears to anyone reading it that you have confused Age Concern with Staywarm.

cpjackso

The tariffs I've been quoted for just gas are:

PowerGen AgeConcern is:

20,000kWh @ 1.7090 pence per kWh
Standing charge £4.75

TOTAL COST PER ANNUM = £360.81

---

PowerGen Standard is:

20,000kWh @ 2.2670 (to 4572), then 1.8030
Standing charge £0

TOTAL COST PER ANNUM = £381.81

---

Atlantic Electric+Gas (Second best price wise):

20,000kWh @ 2.5940 (to 4000), then 1.7330
Standing charge £0

TOTAL COST PER ANNUM = £381.04

---

From my calculations - age concern works out cheapest from these tariffs after anything over around 1000kWh... Presumably this is to do with the part of the country I live in.. (I do agree though that it's terrible if Age Concern/Powergen are selling this tariff in other parts of the country and charging MORE than their standard tariffs - shame on them).

Cardew

cpjackso wrote:

The tariffs I've been quoted for just gas are:

PowerGen AgeConcern is:

20,000kWh @ 1.7090 pence per kWh
Standing charge £4.75

TOTAL COST PER ANNUM = £360.81

---

PowerGen Standard is:

20,000kWh @ 2.2670 (to 4572), then 1.8030
Standing charge £0

TOTAL COST PER ANNUM = £381.81

---

Atlantic Electric+Gas (Second best price wise):

20,000kWh @ 2.5940 (to 4000), then 1.7330
Standing charge £0

TOTAL COST PER ANNUM = £381.04

---

From my calculations - age concern works out cheapest from these tariffs after anything over around 1000kWh... Presumably this is to do with the part of the country I live in.. (I do agree though that it's terrible if Age Concern/Powergen are selling this tariff in other parts of the country and charging MORE than their standard tariffs - shame on them).

Powergen is 1.67 in this neck of the woods. Even BG is 1.714.

Age concern wrote:

"At no time have we claimed that Age Concern Energy Services is the lowest price deal."

But of course they imply it is a special deal for old people in the literature they send out.

derrick

I switched to EquiPower & EquiGas from EBIco Ltd (Southern Electric) a few months ago, depends which area you are in , I am in North West.

Electric 6.85p per KWh inc vat @5%

Gas 1.6p per KWh inc vat @ 5% (flat rate wherever you live)

No standing charge, no minimum usage, if you don`t use anything for 3 months (long holiday:) ) then nothing to pay, and single tarriff

EBICO WEBSITE

jpdh

I've just switched gas & elec from British Gas to Powergen Age Concern. I'm 33! I live alone and am only here half the time, so my usage is pretty low. Both comparison sites I tried told me this was the cheapest for my usage in my area, by quite some distance.

Not got my cashback from simplyswitch yet, and it's long overdue.

And then of course Powergen went and increased their tariffs but so did everyone else. Must check again )

Oh and of course I got some "free" lightbulbs.

Ken68

Powergen were top for me in the comparison tables, until recently , when Ebico, with its simple price structure, became the cheapest.
Can only think the muitiplicity of tariffs is intended to confuse.