Meter Vs DD

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

Hi,

I'm moving soon into a property and I've been given the choice of a gas & elec Meter - and whether I want a card meter or a Direct debit one.

Currently I have a card meter - Never had any debts on it. Sometimes I top it up for the month, sometimes I do it weekly.

I know DD meters get the better deal (Althouh my friend is convinced the energy firms "fiddle" with it!!)

SO - What do you have, and which do you prefer?

Thank you!

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

PPM's charge the same as people who pay quarterly when they get the bill.

DD tariffs attract a 6% discount, it gives an energy company surety of income so they give preferential treatment (just as elsewhere in the business world).

The only possible reason people can struggle with a credit meter is a lack of self discipline imho.

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

Ah no i dont struggle, sorry i guess i wasnt clear in my OP - have no debts etc - PPM was in the house before i moved in.

Re payments: Theres no reason i cannot top up on a monthly basis (Depends what mood im in if im honest - if ive paid a lot out then id rather top it up weekly so it doesnt seem so bad lol) equally, theres no reason i wouldnt be able to afford a monthly DD

I like that i can "monitor" my useage with PPM and that there are no "nasty" bills but im also guessing you can do this with a DD online account.

Just curious as to what others prefer

StuC75

with the PPM you are likely to pay for what you are to use in the month - meaning its cheaper in summer, but will have to keep topping up over winter as you are using so spending more..

With a DD the usage can be split over the year, so that you average out for the year (ie Paying the equivalent of more in Summer, but less in Winter)..

So it also depends how long you are likely to be in the property.. a short term rental - then pay for what you use.. Buying a house then a steady budgeted spend can be better.

So really depends how well you want finances to be planned..

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

StuC75 wrote: »

with the PPM you are likely to pay for what you are to use in the month - meaning its cheaper in summer, but will have to keep topping up over winter as you are using so spending more..

With a DD the usage can be split over the year, so that you average out for the year (ie Paying the equivalent of more in Summer, but less in Winter)..

So it also depends how long you are likely to be in the property.. a short term rental - then pay for what you use.. Buying a house then a steady budgeted spend can be better.

So really depends how well you want finances to be planned..

I would think on a money saving forum we would all want our expenditure to be as low as possible. If the OP can get credit meters, it's a no brainer.

lstar337

To the end user, there is no advantage to a PPM.

Landlords tend to like them, as do suppliers for people who fail to pay. Meter by-passers also like them I believe.

matelodave

It's not hard to read the meter yourself and work out how much you are using.


If you make sure you get the DD about right, always check your bills and correct them if there are any estimated ones you should be OK. A decent tariff on DD could save you a couple of hundred pounds a year over a pre-payment meter. In my case the difference between the tariff I'm on and the worst one is about £450 a year which is a hell of lot of money to waste.

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

i didnt realise it was such a difference! Will look into it - Thanks!

Currently, we're quite "tight" with gas and elec - both are around £40 per month (in winter) and in summer this almost halves.

Nada666

With that low a consumption make sure you check for separate gas-only and electricity-only deals on the comparison sites - do not just look at the default dual-fuel results. (You only need one iteration - the single fuel results will be under a different tab or pull-down option.)

macman

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel wrote: »

i didnt realise it was such a difference! Will look into it - Thanks!

Currently, we're quite "tight" with gas and elec - both are around £40 per month (in winter) and in summer this almost halves.

Assuming gas CH and DHW, that's a very odd pattern of expenditure. Normally you would expect to pay twice as much for gas usage over the year when averaged out.

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

Sorry - being dumb - Could you explain macman? Thanks