Moving - Utilities - Confused

peytonx

Hi, I am completing on my house purchase tomorrow and I am not sure what to do with the utilities. I live in a rental at the moment which is inclusive of utilities so I have never arranged my own before.

Now, the property is currently with Scottish Power for both Gas & electricity. I know I have to call them tomorrow and notify them with the meter reading. I believe they will put me on an estimate?

I got an estimate from Scottish Power online and it was £124 pm but I then got a quote from Uswitch based on estimates and cheapest (Npower) was £84 pm. MASSIVE DIFFERENCE!

So, how do I go about setting up with another supplier from tomorrow? What if I get an estimate and pay that price but my usage is much higher or lower?

Really not sure how utilities work....

davidgmmafan

You cannot change supplier from tomorrow as it takes around a month (at best) to change supplier. You have whats called a deemed contract with whoever the current supplier is.

The ONLY way to get an accurate comparison is to base it on a years consumption. Since you don't have that information yet the best you can do is guess.

Was the property occupied previously? Or did you live in a similar property and circumstances before? This might give a better idea than just guessing as even with the same number of people in the same property people can use different amounts.

It is a bit like trying to work out how much you will spend on petrol without knowing how far you will drive. You can maybe work out a ballpark figure but until you have the data you are still guessing.

It isn't ideal that prices are going up, since you don't have the data you need to work out a fixed price deal accurately.

Still if you are looking at a couple of tariffs and one has both a cheaper standing charge and a cheaper unit rate then you can't fail.

Good luck!

victor2

peytonx wrote: »

Now, the property is currently with Scottish Power for both Gas & electricity. I know I have to call them tomorrow and notify them with the meter reading. I believe they will put me on an estimate?

I got an estimate from Scottish Power online and it was £124 pm but I then got a quote from Uswitch based on estimates and cheapest (Npower) was £84 pm. MASSIVE DIFFERENCE!

So, how do I go about setting up with another supplier from tomorrow? What if I get an estimate and pay that price but my usage is much higher or lower?

Don't confuse estimated annual usage for a forecast of your usage, with an estimated reading of what you have actually used. Estimated readings of your actual usage are used by suppliers when they can't get an actual reading because you haven't given one or the meter reader wasn't able to access the meter. You'll find many threads on here from people who have received a large bill after many months of (low) estimated readings followed by an actual reading and the resulting bill, as they haven't been paying enough.

An estimate, or typical average usage for your property, is what you will have to use on comparison sites to look for a new supplier, as you have no historical usage figures to use.
Do not fall into the trap of thinking a particular supplier is better because they have quoted a lower Direct Debit amount. To compare suppliers fairly, you should be using the same predicted annual kWh usage figures, even if there is a lot of guesswork in that. In your case, I'd pick a reasonable looking tariff with no penalty for leaving before it ends (that is important), then see how your bills start looking and consider switching if your usage is not as predicted. It is very difficult to anticipate annual usage without a previous year's history, as energy usage (particularly for heating purposes) is obviously very seasonal.

In your case, you will be on a deemed contract with the current supplier, probably using their standard tariff, which is invariably their most expensive. When you contact them with your starting meter readings, ask them what tariffs are available to you with no exit penalty. Make a note of the readings you supply, it's not a bad idea to photograph the meter(s) as well.

yangptangkipperbang

Stay where you are for a few weeks. Read your meters every day.
Then you can get a rough idea of your consumption, then use a comparison website to see what is the best deal for you.
DO NOT beleive anything a supplier tells you - especially the old "£x a month DD will cover it" gag.

I moved in Feb this year, in April I moved supplier. In Sept the new supplier announced a hefty price rise - I am moving again to a third supplier..
You must look after yourself (the energy companies certainly won't !!) - there was someone in the paper the other day complaining about SSE's latest increase - he had been with them for EIGHT years - more fool him !