Ebico clarification please

Foxy16

Currently I am with British Gas and my average yearly use in my previous home was 8,890kw per year. I now live in an older detached bungalow which is going to take a lot more to heat and am now anticipating my usage to go upto 12,000 -15,000kw per year. Reading the threads on Ebico these seem to be a cheaper option for me, but I have read that this only applies if you are a low user, would I fall into this category? As I haven't been able to find out the kw amounts that would be dearer on Ebico. Any help gratefully appreciated.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

Foxy16 wrote: »

Currently I am with British Gas and my average yearly use in my previous home was 8,890kw per year. I now live in an older detached bungalow which is going to take a lot more to heat and am now anticipating my usage to go upto 12,000 -15,000kw per year. Reading the threads on Ebico these seem to be a cheaper option for me, but I have read that this only applies if you are a low user, would I fall into this category? As I haven't been able to find out the kw amounts that would be dearer on Ebico. Any help gratefully appreciated.

Let the internet do it for you. Put your forecast usage figures into a price comp site, and see what's cheapest, be it BG, Ebico or whomever.

Nada666

You use too much by an order of magnitude. 1,200 or 1,500 kWh per year consider them. Double that still a possibility. But at your usage they are not an option (unless you have other reasons for choosing them.)

But as above, your postcode and annual usage in a comparison site will show you the range of prices.

(At 12,000 kWh you are talking in the region of £180 extra for Ebico without a standing charge (assuming 1.5p difference in price). Cheaper tariffs do not all carry £180 standing charges.)

(Of course you should also compare electricity at the same time - mixes of standing charges between fuels are very variable and all over the place.)

macman

A quick comp site check on my region shows that Ebico are nowhere in sight on 12,000kWh of gas. They're about 17th cheapest. As above, a comp site check with your own postcode will give you the answer in seconds.
Once you get to more average levels of consumption (which you now are at 12-15K), SC or NSC tariff makes no difference at all- just a few pence per year.

Foxy16

Thanks for replying, Ebico does not come up on any comparison sites, npower are the cheapest at the moment, whom I do not wish to use. I think I need to stay with British Gas for now, and see what my new usage will be, before I switch.

macman

Foxy16 wrote: »

Thanks for replying, Ebico does not come up on any comparison sites, npower are the cheapest at the moment, whom I do not wish to use. I think I need to stay with British Gas for now, and see what my new usage will be, before I switch.

Well, it came up on energyhelpline when I did that search! I think that you'll find it's not showing up on the first page, as it's so low in the rankings. Trawl through the full results and you will find it much lower down.

matelodave

If you don't know how much you'll be using then try out the comparison sites with 10,000kw, 15,000kw and 20,000kw to get a feel for how much it's likely to cost. You can also plug the same numbers into the Ebico website and see what they are offering.

Different tariff structures like higher standing charge & lower unit rates compared with lower standing charges with higher unit rates can make a big difference depending on your consumption so it's worth playing around with the figures.

For instance my electricity consumption is quite high because we don't have gas and Ebico works out at £350 a year more expensive than the cheapest fixed deal for me. I'm better off with slightly higher SC and cheaper unit rates whereas a low user might benefit from a low SC and higher unit rates.

DragonQ

Nada666 wrote: »

You use too much by an order of magnitude. 1,200 or 1,500 kWh per year consider them. Double that still a possibility. But at your usage they are not an option (unless you have other reasons for choosing them.)

Not true. I estimated 5000 kWh gas usage and Ebico came out cheapest.

The OP certainly uses too much for Ebico to be the cheapest though. Use comparison sites, it's quite simple.

Mee

Agree with much of the above regarding Ebico being suitable for low users. I've used them since 2010, but I'm a low energy user (G: 1900 KWh/yr; E: 666/yr). I also use them because they're a not-for-profit organisation and they don't penalise you according to how you pay, i.e., non-DD payers - other energy companies offer discounts based on the way you pay. If I was a high energy user I may tempted by those fixes and DD offers!

Good luck in your quest.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

Mee wrote: »

Agree with much of the above regarding Ebico being suitable for low users. I've used them since 2010, but I'm a low energy user (G: 1900 KWh/yr; E: 666/yr). I also use them because they're a not-for-profit organisation and they don't penalise you according to how you pay, i.e., non-DD payers - other energy companies offer discounts based on the way you pay. If I was a high energy user I may tempted by those fixes and DD offers!

Good luck in your quest.

I haven't brushed up on Ebico's relationship with SSE, I really should; until then I'll remain dubious on the not-for-profit claim!

Cardew

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

I haven't brushed up on Ebico's relationship with SSE, I really should; until then I'll remain dubious on the not-for-profit claim!

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