MSE News: Is British Gas about to raise energy prices?

Wywth

Sofie wrote: »

Has anyone got any advice who to move to? I'm with British Gas at the moment but don't fancy a 9% increase. ...

Good news!

The BBC is now reporting they expect BG prices to only rise by 6-7%, so that'll give you an extra £30 or so in your pocket :j

:beer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19921042

macman

Sofie wrote: »

Has anyone got any advice who to move to? I'm with British Gas at the moment but don't fancy a 9% increase. I got a leaflet from Sainsburys, any good?

Use a comp site with your annual kWh figures...
Don't base your choice on a flyer handed out by a supermarket tout.

ollski

Again, sorry to repeat myself, but Bg said prices would be rising this autumn back in the spring giving everyone ample opportunity to choose other suppliers or fix tarriffs. A company is not parasitic because people are too stupid / lazy to act.

ollski

Inspectorman wrote: »

Four of the "Big Six" are under foreign ownership - Centrica isn't one of them, although I'm sure there was rumours of a Russian outfit buying them a few years ago.

That rumour is still there strong as ever.
Lots of people fell for the French ownership line that competitors used in the days of dodgy doorstep selling / lying.

macman

Why is it invariably BG that get it in the neck (from a media point of view) when all the Big 6 announce their winter increases?
Obscene profits? Well, BG made £345m on a customer base of 12m. That's £28.75 per household, or around 2.3% on a typical dual fuel tariff.
Compare that to Sky, with a similar customer base of 10.6m. They made £1.19bn, or £112 per household. And don't even get me started on Tesco...

jobdone1

british gas has just said 6 % five mins later an advert from bg about free home insulation untill 30 nov talk about two faced cheek.

When is it going to be time to stop the private companies having inflation busting risess on the essential bills and while we are at non essential as well.

In comparison a 1.8% min wage rise last week BELOW INFLATION, And the many above the min have been having pay freeze for some time now.

Continue this trend and something is bound to give.

Wywth

Now confirmed as a 6% rise effective 16th November 2012

http://www.centrica.com/index.asp?pageid=29&newsid=2588

sillygoose

GooliesOfFire wrote: »

I'm not surprised. A bit annoyed yes. The worst thing is that moving somewhere else is completely pointless as all of the energy suppliers are just as bad as BG.

Yes and no, I have a switch from British Gas to a Scottish Power fixed tariff currently going through that was £230 a year cheaper, this increase will make the difference even bigger.

Although I agree, half a dozen supposedly independent companies buying energy in a vast global market dynamically - you would expect the price differential one end to the other to be more than 10%.. why, its almost like a cartel, but thats impossible of course as its a free market

bob_bank_spanker

sillygoose wrote: »

Yes and no, I have a switch from British Gas to a Scottish Power fixed tariff currently going through that was £230 a year cheaper, this increase will make the difference even bigger.

Although I agree, half a dozen supposedly independent companies buying energy in a vast global market dynamically - you would expect the price differential one end to the other to be more than 10%.. why, its almost like a cartel, but thats impossible of course as its a free market

You switched, saving yourself £230 a year. The average dual fuel bill, if you changed recently, was £1200. You may have saved yourself 19%, and you probably weren't going the top market extreme to the bottom. This all of course depends on your spend, but you would have to be spending over £2300 a year not to achieve a 10% price differential.

Have you not just inadvertently proved competition exists and benefits the consumer?

sillygoose

bob_bank_spanker wrote: »

You switched, saving yourself £230 a year. The average dual fuel bill, if you changed recently, was £1200. You may have saved yourself 19%, and you probably weren't going the top market extreme to the bottom. This all of course depends on your spend, but you would have to be spending over £2300 a year not to achieve a 10% price differential.

Have you not just inadvertently proved competition exists and benefits the consumer?

My current cost BG (standard rate) about £2100, Scottish Power will be about £1870 (89% of BG) so OK 11% whoopee!, and yes there were other rates cheaper but with 'hidden' costs of exit fees and they will raise shortly in line anyway eliminating the difference.

My point being is I can't think of many other things in a free market with only an 11% range of prices.