British Gas Essentials Tariff

skintscot

BG sent me a letter saying that as the Winter Rebate scheme was ending I was being transferred to their Essentials tariff. Does anyone know anything about this? I'm hopelessly confused. I called them and the person I spoke to refused to tell me if it was cheaper than Click 2 and insisted I was classed as Eastern region even though I pointed out I live in London.

I have both fuels with British gas and am on credit meters paying quarterly by cheque/cash. I live alone in a one-bedroom flat so my usage isn't huge.

Many thanks,
skintscot.

wills34

find out your rates and post them and i'm sure someone will let you know, according to energywatch the essentials tariff is very good

Ken68

Something here Skint.....http://www.centrica.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1048
..Looks good tho probably no different prices or benefits than other main providers. Probable free gas checks, too.

shammyjack

skintscot wrote: »

BG sent me a letter saying that as the Winter Rebate scheme was ending I was being transferred to their Essentials tariff. Does anyone know anything about this? I'm hopelessly confused. I called them and the person I spoke to refused to tell me if it was cheaper than Click 2 and insisted I was classed as Eastern region even though I pointed out I live in London.

I have both fuels with British gas and am on credit meters paying quarterly by cheque/cash. I live alone in a one-bedroom flat so my usage isn't huge.

Many thanks,
skintscot.

What you need is this

http://www.southernelectric.co.uk/Home/CustomerServices/Careline.aspx


Freephone numbers on the link and I promise you it is cheaper than anything BG offer, Southern informed me that this tarrif will allways be the lowest on offer in the UK for those who qualify. I am on it as is my Mother, rates are not available on line you have use the Freephone number but the Careline staff are the most pleasant and helpfull in the energy industry .

shammy

Cardew

shammyjack wrote: »

What you need is this

http://www.southernelectric.co.uk/Home/CustomerServices/Careline.aspx


Freephone numbers on the link and I promise you it is cheaper than anything BG offer, Southern informed me that this tarrif will allways be the lowest on offer in the UK for those who qualify. I am on it as is my Mother, rates are not available on line you have use the Freephone number but the Careline staff are the most pleasant and helpfull in the energy industry .

shammy

Well I have just done some research and don't believe your 'promises' are correct; I appreciate that's what you were told by Southern but I believe they will always put things in a favourable light - even when the facts don't support their statements.

I have just spoken to Careline.(enquiring for an older friend) They are, as you say very pleasant and tell me that they will advise etc, but their tariffs are the same for older people and those on low incomes as anyone else.

From the information they have given me about their new reduced tariff that comes into effect in April.

BG Click Energy 2 is cheaper for Gas everywhere for the average user .

BG click Energy 2 is certainly cheaper for Electricity in my area, and from what I can see in every area of the country.

Their new gas prices for Direct Debit if you have dual fuel will 3.265p a kWh(incl VAT) for the first 1,143kWh a quarter, then 2.32p/kWh

BG Click Energy 2 gas prices are 4.346p a kWh(incl VAT) for the first 1,143kWh a quarter, then 2.21p. DD customers receive a discount of 10.3% off those prices up to a maximum of £15.08p a quarter

So given the average Gas customer uses 20,500kWh per year.

With Southern they will pay: £518.80 With BG they pay £494

That differential widens in favour of BG if you use more gas and you have to use considerably less than average before Southern is as cheap as BG.

May I suggest that you check your facts & figures and put them on this forum so people can be properly advised. I may have also been given the wrong figures by Southern - but I did double check.

To pre-empt the usual cries from people about not touching BG if they gave away gas/electricity free,(and I accept Southern are a good company) can we stick to figures here please.

shammyjack

Cardew .


Southerns Careline gas tarrif is 1.540p per KWH + 8.34p per day service charge .


20,500 kwh per year x 1.54p = £315.70

365 days x 8.34p per day = £ 30.44


Total £346.14


Rates taken from the last bill in front of me .


shammy

wills34

that's even better than the new scot power volume 3 and atlantic's new gas tariff both of which are also cheaper than click gas, although admitidly click dual overall and click electric are very tempting tariffs

Ken68

Sounds like this is your tariff, Shammy,
http://www.southernelectric.co.uk/Home/CustomerServices/energyPlusCare.aspx

Customers need to be highly eligible and perhaps BG's Essentials is comparable.
The ordinary Careline service, for which I am registered entitles me to large print bills and priority emergency service and other benefits. Perhaps free gas checks.

Cardew

shammyjack wrote: »

Cardew .


Southerns Careline gas tarrif is 1.540p per KWH + 8.34p per day service charge .


20,500 kwh per year x 1.54p = £315.70

365 days x 8.34p per day = £ 30.44


Total £346.14


Rates taken from the last bill in front of me .


shammy

Shammy,
Thanks for this.

I went to the link you gave in post #4 and could find nothing about a cheap tariff.

So I rang the careline you gave and asked for their rates.

When the rates I was given by careline(shown in post#5) were more expensive than Click Energy, I very specifically asked did they have a cheaper rate for my pensioner friend on a low income(again see post#5 about me double checking) as I had heard that they catered for such people. I was told categorically there was no cheaper tariff.

So it seems that raises 3 possibilities:

That the man I spoke to wasn't aware of such a tariff.

That the man I spoke to is under instructions not to give out information about that tariff.

The tariff prices you gave are now no longer available to new customers.(there are a lot of tariffs with cheap prices that existing customers retain - but cannot be obtained by new customers)

Have you got a link showing the prices you quote?

I will ring again on Monday. I will be annoyed if the man I spoke to was deliberately giving me 'duff' information.

shammyjack

Cardew, leave it to me . I have a contact number that is not on the site which is given to existing customers for direct access to accounts . I will ring tomorrow and query any changes to tarriffs and wether they are likely to drop in the near future, as an account holder they will give me the correct rates on the day.

They are a bit cagey about giving out info untill they have established if you eligable or not .

As Ken68 stated in his post before your last it is the Energyplus Care General Domestic Tariff . You cannot find it from the home page of the site unless you go through the site map .

I probably confused the issue by not giving the direct link

http://www.southernelectric.co.uk/Home/CustomerServices/energyPlusCare.aspx

but it is at the bottom of the left hand menu in the link I gave in my original post. I just presumed that people would look at all the content on the page and then be told the rates they could get when their eligability had been established by using the Freephone number . This is the procedure that I had to go through .

shammy

Ken68

Good thread, Skint, in that it highlights the hidden tariffs.
Maybe Age Concern with Powergen also has another price tier.
Looks like the comparison sites need to pay more attention.