New Customer with no comparison details.

GregDixon

Hello all MSE's, I'm shortly to get my own place and am trying to organise my gas/electric and water but I'm struggling to make sense of the different companies and tariffs on offer as I don't currently pay any bills! The comparison sites all seem to ask for current usage for comparison, but I can't enter info here... any advice on how to find the best deals ?
I would imagine I would be a very low energy user.

dogshome

Sorry - Needs a lot more info on the "Place" to even give a guess
Flat/Age/Terrace House/Semi/Detached/Loft Insulation/Wall Insulation/Age of D/Glazing/Age & No.of occupants

HappyMJ

GregDixon wrote: »

Hello all MSE's, I'm shortly to get my own place and am trying to organise my gas/electric and water but I'm struggling to make sense of the different companies and tariffs on offer as I don't currently pay any bills! The comparison sites all seem to ask for current usage for comparison, but I can't enter info here... any advice on how to find the best deals ?
I would imagine I would be a very low energy user.

Water's an easy one...you have no choice...except a choice of having a meter or not which you can figure out later.

Gas and electricity is a wild guess....but in the meantime just pick any standard rate with any supplier or just stay with the current supplier then monitor your usage for the first few months and switch away. If you were to go for a fixed rate without knowing your usage and you then find a much better rate you may have leaving penalties to pay which may cost much more than just picking a standard rate. The current suppliers should be fine for a few months. The savings won't be much.

GregDixon

Hmm yes I guess that is the obvious answer. I had been searching around to find the best tariff to lock into, but generating a couple of months bills first to gauge my usage before switching makes sense too.
Thanks.

Yorkie1

I seem to recall that at least one of the comparison sites has the option of inputting "don't know" to the annual consumption / cost question, and then letting you put in rough details of the property to provide you with estimated usage.

[Deleted User]

Just pay on the quarterly bill if you dont want suppliers to load an incorrect direct debit on you, you will be losing 6% not having a direct debit set up

lstar337

One of the comparison sites shows you the price per kWh for the standard rate, I cannot remember which right now, but if you find it, just pick the supplier with the cheapest rate for now, then switch when you have a good idea of your usage.

Richie-from-the-Boro

GregDixon wrote: »

Hmm yes I guess that is the obvious answer. I had been searching around to find the best tariff to lock into, but generating a couple of months bills first to gauge my usage before switching makes sense too.
Thanks.

- not necessarily the case Greg
- you start with a 'deemed contract' for power
- put simply you will be on the most expensive standard tariff they can apply
- your starting point is to (1) record yourself and (2) ring-in your starting figures for gas and leccy to your existing supplier
- then (3) at that very earliest moment ask them for their cheapest possible tariff and change to it

Don't be fobbed off, they know the previous average usage for that dwelling and have already pre-calculated the [CAC] average calculated consumption for the next future year. The cheapest tariff is always :

- pay by direct debit each month
- have a 'no paper' e-account
- you supply monthly meter readings every month
- check on early leaver tariff penalty

"I would imagine I would be a very low energy user" - that's a lifestyle issue and possibly the most expensive mistake people make. If you are at work 6 days and an evening only user of energy who never uses a tumble drier and never gets a bath but always showers, you are unlikely to be a "very low energy user".

GregDixon

Thank you for all the replies. I will find the site you've mentioned and take the advice given.

Wywth

GregDixon wrote: »

Hello all MSE's, I'm shortly to get my own place and am trying to organise my gas/electric and water but I'm struggling to make sense of the different companies and tariffs on offer as I don't currently pay any bills! The comparison sites all seem to ask for current usage for comparison, but I can't enter info here... any advice on how to find the best deals ?
I would imagine I would be a very low energy user.

Use a comparison site.

Most offer help if you don't know what your anticipated annual usage is likely to be.