Moving into new house away from parents, where do I start?

TRBob

My girlfriend and I will be moving into a house together soon and both of us have been living with our parents so we haven't had energy suppliers before, so can't provide the details that they require for quotes. In the cheap gas and electricity section of the site it mentions that EDF and Npower offer the best long cheap fixes, should we just go with these? The house is a small (~65 sq m) 3 bed detached, about 26 years old with double glazing and good insulation. We will be paying by monthly direct debit.

oldskoo1

It might be worth going with someone like the co-op temporarily.

The co-op operate on a monthly min term contract and have 1 flat rate. They aren't the absolute cheapest but they are not far off usually.

You could run with them to get an idea of usage and costs and then you could have a better estimate of your average consumption to find out exactly what deal is best.

You really do need real numbers to find the best deal.

Congratulations and good luck with your new home.

macman

TRBob wrote: »

My girlfriend and I will be moving into a house together soon and both of us have been living with our parents so we haven't had energy suppliers before, so can't provide the details that they require for quotes. In the cheap gas and electricity section of the site it mentions that EDF and Npower offer the best long cheap fixes, should we just go with these? The house is a small (~65 sq m) 3 bed detached, about 26 years old with double glazing and good insulation. We will be paying by monthly direct debit.

You have, you just haven't had to pay for them...
Use the UK average of 13,500kWh gas and 3,400kWh electricity on any comp site, assuming that the property has gas CH and DHW. Enter any tariff you like as current-the point is to get the comparative data.
From the day you move in you are however in a deemed contract with the existing suppliers, so you need to call them straight away with your opening readings to open an account. Only then can you commence a switch, which will take 4 to 5 weeks.
There is no universal 'best' tariff, it depends on your usage and region.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

macman wrote: »

You have, you just haven't had to pay for them...
Use the UK average of 13,500kWh gas and 3,400kWh electricity on any comp site, assuming that the property has gas CH and DHW. Enter any tariff you like as current-the point is to get the comparative data.
From the day you move in you are however in a deemed contract with the existing suppliers, so you need to call them straight away with your opening readings to open an account. Only then can you commence a switch, which will take 4 to 5 weeks.
There is no universal 'best' tariff, it depends on your usage and region.

Out of interest (not doubting you), has this been confirmed?

macman

Oops, I meant to type 16,500kWh of gas.
But (quite coincidentally) according to my letter just received from EDF, the Ofgem 'typical use' definition is changing to 3,200kWh of electricity and 13,500kWh of gas from 1/1/14.
Which will have the magic result of putting the 'official' average dual fuel bill down by about £120pa. That's what I call smoke and mirrors...

AndyPK

when you move in you will already have the same provides as the previous owners. (ask them who they are).

Step 1 is to make sure your on that suppliers cheapest tarrif (but not locked in unless good). And set up Direct debit as this is cheaper.

Step 2 You can compare rates and look to move suppliers (takes at least a month!)