British Gas and Switching

missymouse

Hi

we are on price cap 2012 with BG. at the moment we spend £72 on gas and £63 per month on electricity. our deal expires end of sept and as i understand it, if we fix the prices go up 9%.

i have had a look on money supermarket but no great savings, but the energy helpline had good savings with Scottish power but TBH it would be roughly the same price we pay now with BG. EDF didn't seem up to much when we went on their website

i seem to remember Scottish power had a standing charge which BG did not.

not very good at this. we live in SE.

Cardew

All companies, except Ebico, have a form of Standing Charge.

Some have a standing charge of xxpence per day and all gas electricity at the same flat rate per unit(kWh)

Most tariffs have the tier system where the first units used(termed Tier 1 or Primary) are charged at a higher rate and the rest(Tier 2 or secondary units) at a lower rate.

For most people with normal consumption there is little to choose between the two methods in terms of cost. The tier system is advantageous for those who have very low consumption for certain periods - e.g. holiday homes or those who use very little gas in Summer.

Scottish Power have both these types of tariff.

The big decision we all face is should we gamble on a long term fixed tariff at a higher cost - and usually penalties for leaving early, or go for a cheaper tariff now and hope the inevitable price rises will not exceed costs over the lifetime of the fixed tariff.