MSE’s new Energy Club – please help us test

Former_MSE_Archna

In the New Year we’re launching the MSE Cheap Energy Club. We’re at the final stages of testing right now and would love you to try it.

We believe the energy Club is very different to anything that's been tried before - but we don't want to explain why - we want to see if you get the difference from the site itself

If you try the energy club please then answer the following questions

Did you understand the concept - why its different?
Did you like it – will you use it?
Do you see how it differs from comparison sites?
Anything you don't understand?
Any glitches when comparing?
Anything that would make it better?

TO ANSWER EITHER CLICK REPLY OR EMAIL [EMAIL="energyclub@moneysavingexpert.com"]energyclub@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL]

Important information before you start

This is a working tool, so if you use it to switch, it's real and should save you money – though as it’s a test we can’t promise no teething issues – that’s why it’s a test! The data is correct (though some of the exit fee and online management info is being finalised so double check that). Plus we're still finessing the text of the tool.

Thanks so much

alanwsg

Well, tried it.
It says I'm pretty much on the cheapest deal going (I knew that).
Will wait and see what happens .....

innovate

huge savings promised through "Spark advanced". Never heard of them. Better do some research because it sounds too good to be true.

EDIT: OK, spent 5 mins browsing for reviews of Spark, and that's enough. Couldn't find one single positive review. So it's the usual - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Going for Sainsbury's now, they still save me money, and I can stage a protest in the local supermarket if they !!!! things up and don't sort them pronto.

innovate

Observation about MSE Energy Club - - - it logged me out because I was busy on some other site for 10 minutes or so.

Please, if you feel you must log us out, let us specify (overwrite your defaults) - e.g. after an hour, a day, never........

Richie-from-the-Boro

innovate wrote: »

huge savings promised through "Spark advanced". Never heard of them. Better do some research because it sounds too good to be true.

EDIT: OK, spent 5 mins browsing for reviews of Spark, and that's enough. Couldn't find one single positive review. So it's the usual - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Going for Sainsbury's now, they still save me money, and I can stage a protest in the local supermarket if they !!!! things up and don't sort them pronto.

Spark Advance :

- dual fuel only, you can't have an electric only supply, both is a mandatory must
- not available to customers whose gas is supplied via IGT network
- DD must be 1 month's peak usage [advance] in credit at all times
- not only no good reviews, but they have 100% the worst record on review sites
- well known for contriving against the rules at blocking transfers to other suppliers
- be careful with Spark, the landlords friend

jd87

Please please please can you make it work for people on RHT/Economy 10/Heatwise etc? At the moment thousands of people are trapped on expensive tariffs with no realistic way to switch. We are the forgotten losers in this supposedly open and competitive energy market. You could help!

GetRealBabe

Hi

Really useful eventhough I save £0.00.

Richie-from-the-Boro

jd87 wrote: »

Please please please can you make it work for people on RHT/Economy 10/Heatwise etc? At the moment thousands of people are trapped on expensive tariffs with no realistic way to switch. We are the forgotten losers in this supposedly open and competitive energy market. You could help!

- you will never win, E10 is the expensive luxury end of of the off peak tariff marketplace
- switching depends on competition, which depends on more than one alternative
- there are very few E10 suppliers in the big six let alone the total electricity competition
- so you will never win because there is no competition and no alternative suppliers

If you have storage, switching to E7 can be a cost effective solution, if you have panel radiators / underfloor heating you will, sadly, be forever be stuck in the same place with a ferociously expensive tariff.

chris1973

Please please please can you make it work for people on RHT/Economy 10/Heatwise etc? At the moment thousands of people are trapped on expensive tariffs with no realistic way to switch. We are the forgotten losers in this supposedly open and competitive energy market. You could help!

E10 isn't much cheaper than a decent standard tariff. The last time I checked, some E10 tariff's were hovering around 8p to 8.5p per kw/h, but when you add on the increased cost of the Electricity sold at 15p+ during the other 14 hours, a single tariff may even out the cost and give you more opportunity to shop around, especially if you have to use the heating at any point in that expensive 14 hours on E10 it will quickly eat in to any saving previously made during the 10 hours.

Unless you are at home 24/7 then some working E10 households would be better to just get on a standard tariff and pay around 10p per kw/h 24/7 and just use portable or personal heating for the hours which you need it.

If your E10 is feeding storage heaters rather than wet central heating or Air Source Heat Pumps and your house is fairly well insulated then you may be better converting to a standard E7 tariff anyway, and once again more suppliers tend to offer it.

Unfortunately a lot of E7 and E10 tariff's are now rapidly catching up on the cost of single tariff (non economy) electricity rates, making them less and less attractive, especially when you factor in the increased cost of daytime rates on these so called Economy tariffs.

I remember when E7 was around 3.5p - 4p off peak, now with Ebico and some of the big 6 suppliers its rapidly approaching (or already over) 7p kw/h, which isn't a lot less than some tier 2 rates of 10p on single rate DD tariffs. Add on the fact that these same E7 tariff's have obscene daytime / peak rates of upto 20p kw/h you really do have to maximise that overnight use, and for many E7 will slowly become a complete waste of time as the void between off peak and peak cost continues to widen.

jd87

E10 tariffs are indeed rising. The reason why? The companies have realised most people on them are trapped on them so they can charge whatever they like. They refuse to let people go onto a standard tariff unless they pay for a meter change, and most people who are still stuck in these tariffs can't have a meter change, either because they are tenants (who don't have the authority to change the meter and might have a disinterested landlord/agent) or they are people who can't afford the one off cost of the meter change.

The MSE energy club could bring this forgotten minority into the market place. Comparison sites don't care about us because there aren't enough of us, but if the MSE energy club can add all RHT/E10/etc tariffs to its database and find out which ones are interchangeable, we too could then switch, bringing the prices back down and bringing more fairness.

Former_MSE_Archna

Thanks for the all feedback folk.

We're aware of the difficulty in comparing economy 10 tariffs but I believe the suppliers don't give out these rate cards. I'll have a look into it again and see if there's anything we can do.

Do let me know of any other thoughts on Energy Club.