Gas & Electricity - where to start??

fastestcat

Hi everyone

I am moving from a rented house [where bills are included] to buying my own house

Good news - but as I haven't paid an electricity or gas bill since 2004 I have no idea how much to budget for, what the reconnection fees (if any) are likely to be, or even where to start when considering suppliers.

I've had a look online and frankly there are so many different suppliers and tariffs to choose from I am very confused.

Would you stick with the current suppliers, assess your usage and then switch after a while? Or would you just set up new contracts with new suppliers? if so, who would you recommend? I've looked around on a web and I seem to be in an unusual situation and can't find any appropriate advice.

I don't have access to any previous billing information so have no clue about how much energy I'll use.

To give a clue for comparison purposes, it's a 3 bedroom semi, I work most days and it will be only me living there with my fiance there approx. one week out of four. The loft and the boiler need sorting out but I am planning on insulating the loft and replacing the boiler ASAP, so assume they are energy efficient.

Can anyone give me some pointers?
Advice gratefully received,

thanks!
Cat

Ecodave

Whichever company you decide to go with, you will find someone to tell you that they are rubbish. I've been with a fair few over the years and there isn't a lot to choose between them. I would consider first whether you want to arrange a fixed tariff, where your unit rates are guaranteed for a set period, or whether you want to get the cheapest tariff on the market currently.

Personally, I am expecting the cost of gas and electricity to increase over the next few years, so I have chosen to fix mine, and have gone with EDF. They get a real slating on these forums, and in many cases it may be well deserved. I found that for the first few months I could not get logged on to their on-line systems, a little disconcerting for an on-line product. Eventually this has been sorted out, and I can now input my readings in order to keep my account up to date.

Whoever you choose I would advise you to get in the habit of keeping regular logs of your meter readings, and attempt to get a grasp of how the charges are applied to your account. This will avoid any nasty surprises further down the line.

If your 3 bed semi is well insulated with a moder boiler I would anticipate bills in the region of £1000 per annum. The newer the property, the lower the bills should be. Be prepared for the energy company to ask for more than this initially, until your usage amount is established. It is also normal, if slightly annoying, that they expect you to build up a few hundred quid in credit over the summer months, so that you don't owe them too much by the end of winter.