standing charge better or worse?

kezlou

Hello all, I was wondering if could for some advice.
I've just moved house and within the next couple of weeks I'll be switching over to m&s energy.

At the moment for gas i'm with british gas and npower for electric. I've been approached by both companies to stay with them. Now i've been looking for another utility supplier and to be honest most of the best deals have standing charges.

The npower sales person asked if we were heavy users and when I said yes. she said I was better off going on a a tariff with a standing charge.
M&s energy don't have a a standing charge but our bills are rising consistently.

We pay £70 gas and £40 electric via dd every month.
So what do you think I shoud do go with a standing charge or stay with m and s energy for the time being?

Thanks

zagfles

Nearly all tariffs with no standing charge use dual rates, they'll have a high rate for a small number of units and a lower rate for the rest. This is exactly the same as having a standing charge unless you're a very low user, ie don't use all the high rate units.

I think there are a few who have a single rate but they're unlikely to be good value for high users.

Do a comparison on energyhelpline or uswitch etc to see who's the cheapest for you. Work out your annual kwh usage beforehand for an accurate result.

Fire_Fox

Use a comparison site submitting your usage in KHW/ units (not £££) based on actual readings, don't listen to sales people on commission.

macman

SC/NSC is a complete red herring unless you are a very low user. Either way, the difference per year is a few pence.
iIf you want to save money, use a comp site and a cashback site, don't give your commission away to a doorknocker!