Energy Price compare sites PAIN

martyn.pope13

Does anyone out there know of another way to compare Energy prices based on their current tariff prices and not based on a estimate or yearly Kwh figures or monthly DD payments.

surely a simpler scenario would be based on Tariff charges.

E.g i know i pay 15.22p per kwh for electricity so if i found a scheme for say 15.02 kwh this would be a better tariff for me? there is the added calculation of the standing charge if applicable but a simple equation will be able to confirm if a saving can be made.

All the usual comparison sites still only provide the tariff costs once you have put in all your details of current supplier, yearly use, monthly payments etc.

There must be an easier way or is it just me missing the point?

Thanks

Martyn

DragonQ

How can you possibly know which provider is the cheapest unless you know either how much you pay (or how much energy you use) per year? There's no such thing as a simple comparison between one provider at 15p/kWh and another at 15.1p/kWh - the energy companies would never make it that easy to find the cheapest provider.

There's almost always two unit rates, or one unit rate plus a standing charge. So if one provider has a 15p/day standing charge plus 12p/kWh, and another has no standing charge but 15p/kWh, how would you know which is cheaper for you if you don't know how many kWh you use per day?

dogshome

I'm afraid that the price per Kwh isn't the whole story.
Total cost calculations also have to include Service Charges/Discounts for Direct Debit payment/Dual Fuel/Online billing and even price variations dependant on the area in which you live.

There are a lot of Switch sites and I suppose most people use the one's they are familiar with because they are easier to navigate
Generally they do a good job but can go off track if there sudden price chages

To get the best results always enter what you know are reliable Annual Kwh consumption figures for Elec/Gas
I always use two and always include 'switchwithwhich'- When you get to the prices page, each entry has an icon for 'Compare Tariffs' , when this is pressed it brings up that suppliers tariff in fine detail, directly alongside the tariff details of your present supplier

martyn.pope13

@DragonQ it squite simple really, I can use my previous months KWh usage, I have created a spreadsheet that allows me to plug in tarrif details, including standards charges if applicable and then it will work out what i would have paid on the other suppliers tariff for the same kwh used as with my existing tariff, i dont see it being any more complicated than that except for the discounts that may be on offer as mentioned by dogshome.

As for having annual KWh detials, how can this be of any value. 2011 was colder than 2012, I was away from home on business for 3 months in 2012, etc etc.

Martyn

DragonQ

martyn.pope13 wrote: »

@DragonQ it squite simple really, I can use my previous months KWh usage, I have created a spreadsheet that allows me to plug in tarrif details, including standards charges if applicable and then it will work out what i would have paid on the other suppliers tariff for the same kwh used as with my existing tariff, i dont see it being any more complicated than that except for the discounts that may be on offer as mentioned by dogshome.

Literally laughing at this. On what planet is doing all of that easier than simply knowing your annual expenditure or energy usage?

Not including discounts is yet another reason why your method doesn't make any sense.

martyn.pope13 wrote: »

As for having annual KWh detials, how can this be of any value. 2011 was colder than 2012, I was away from home on business for 3 months in 2012, etc etc.

Martyn

So wait, you think that annual energy usage is of no value, yet you think monthly energy usage is? If you were away for 3 months in 2012 then obviously you need to adjust for this, or just take your previous month's usage and multiply by 12 (although this doesn't help with winter/summer differences). Energy usage is always an estimate, it's never going to be exactly the same every year.

You're making this so much more complicated than it needs to be.

martyn.pope13

@DragonQ, I feel my points are valid, if you have finished laughing may be you might want to stop the wise !!!! comments.

Nada666

Well, I hope your attention to detail with numbers is better than with letters (considering the typos in your posts.) You do have a partly valid complaint - the naked prices should be immediately available on the results pages without having to faff about opening them in new windows or disclosing them or hovering. But other than that you are just being silly - of course an estimated typical usage in kWhs is a sensible (and necessary) input and is a far more sensible base from which to compare tariffs than staring at a naked list of unit prices.

Also it is far easier to read the results page of the comparison site than to one-by-one type a couple dozen or more groups of at least six numbers (some with three decimal places) in your spreadsheet. (Does your spreadsheet allow you to compare dozens of tariffs simultaneously?)

macman

What could possibly be simpler than putting your postcode and annual usage into any comp site? 1 minutes work, compared to hours slaving over a hot spreadsheet.
It's already been explained that unit cost are meaningless because of all the other variables that make up your bill.

StuC75

Yes you are missing the point - consumption in Kwh is my far the best way of gauging your usage - as it cuts through all the confusion of Tier Pricing vs standing charges, and possible discounts received for method of payment etc.. most companies now make the annual consumption figures easier to get to - e.g. BG show on the statements that in the last 12 months used XXX kwh which equates to £yyy per year - which I then use the XXX part alone to find the best deal..

Plushchris

Is your spreadsheet accredited by consumer focus to be accurate regarding tariff pricing?

If so can you make it available to all of us that have to go to all that bother of popping our annual kwh usage and postcode into a comparison site?

Dont forget to include all tariffs from all suppliers (both standing charge and no standing charge versions if a choice is available) and update the whole spreadsheet whenever new tariffs are introduced/removed

alinwales

i used to have a fancy spreadsheet that compared SC and NSC tariffs... but it was based on usage per quarter, as in teh summer our gas use was virtually zero. Up to a couple of years ago, NSC tariffs were great as the gas bill would be £5 a month in the summer, and no more expensive than the SC version of teh tariff in the winter. Alas now, the number of NSC tariffs have dwindled and are separate deals (no NSC version of an SC tarfiff), so are only any good to very low users.
So now my spreadsheet is simplified because of not needing t1/t2 prices... but is does calculate the prices based on my estimates and +10/20% usage.
Oh, and some discounts are not mentioned on comparison sites, which is a pain.
So, these sites are useful as a guide only. Pick a couple of tariffs from the list and look in more detail through the suppliers website and check for other details, contractual stuff, discounts etc, and then make a choice.
I mean, who actually puts their details in, and just picks the top one because it says it's the cheapest?? You can't ignore the laws of physics.. the more energy you put in to get a good price, the cheaper the energy you get out (for your circumstances).

Analogy of Mortgages: 4% fee free, or 2.5% with a £2000 fee - you only know which is better if you know how much money you need.