Question about gas / electricity in new home

Bmth100

Howdy,

I've just moved into my first proper rental home with my fianc! since university. I moved in on the 1st February 2014, but due to work, I'm just getting around to setting up the bills. I've set up water, as they wrote to me, but I'm yet to sort out gas and electricity.

Now, nobody has written to me about these two energy supplies, and I'm not really sure who supplies the property - my estate agent is pretty useless. This is where my (potentially very silly) question comes in. Whose energy have I been using? Does it belong to a company, so there's one set company I need to call, or does it come from the UK supply in general and I can choose who bills me for it? If the latter, who is the cheapest for gas and electricity?

Thanks

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

It may be nobody has written to you because energy companies can't intuit when people move homes. It is more than likely that the previous occupant just cancelled their DD and moved on without informing the energy co.

Anyway. The supplier is the same one as whomever was there previously. When you move into a property you are in a deemed contract with the existing supplier, this is always at their standard (most expensive) tariff.

http://www.ukpower.co.uk/who-supplies-my-gas-and-electricity

You need to register with the current supplier before you move away. They will ask for a meter reading when you moved in. Without this they will estimate, this may or not go in your favour.

You can then start to look at the cheapest supplier - you need 2 things, your postcode and your consumption. The second one will be tricky as you are new to this, however the national average is 13,500 KWh for Gas and 3,200 KWh for Electricity annually, use this as a guide.

You can immediately change to a cheaper tariff with the current suppiler, although be warned most of these come with exit fees. If you choose to change suppliers, this takes about 6 weeks and you either
1) Stay on standard tariff for this period
2) Go to a cheaper tariff and potentially pay an exit fee.

Paying by DD is always cheapest, and to ensure you don't get "bill shock" you should submit meter readings monthly.

Good luck for the wedding!

Bmth100

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

It may be nobody has written to you because energy companies can't intuit when people move homes. It is more than likely that the previous occupant just cancelled their DD and moved on without informing the energy co.

Anyway. The supplier is the same one as whomever was there previously. When you move into a property you are in a deemed contract with the existing supplier, this is always at their standard (most expensive) tariff.

http://www.ukpower.co.uk/who-supplies-my-gas-and-electricity

You need to register with the current supplier before you move away. They will ask for a meter reading when you moved in. Without this they will estimate, this may or not go in your favour.

You can then start to look at the cheapest supplier - you need 2 things, your postcode and your consumption. The second one will be tricky as you are new to this, however the national average is 13,500 KWh for Gas and 3,200 KWh for Electricity annually, use this as a guide.

You can immediately change to a cheaper tariff with the current suppiler, although be warned most of these come with exit fees. If you choose to change suppliers, this takes about 6 weeks and you either
1) Stay on standard tariff for this period
2) Go to a cheaper tariff and potentially pay an exit fee.

Paying by DD is always cheapest, and to ensure you don't get "bill shock" you should submit meter readings monthly.

Good luck for the wedding!

Thanks for your help - I've found out that we're on E.on for both gas and electricity and got signed up with them today on a fixed tariff with no exit fees. Saving £70 a year by paying Direct Debit too, apparently.

The last reading they were given for gas was apparently incorrect (too high), and he told me it is cheaper for them to give us free gas until this reading is reached rather than re-read the meter. Just checked our meter and it's now around that figure, meaning our gas for the past month has been free - result!

Thanks

macman

Not really 'free'-paid for by the previous occupant who misread.
It's your job to register with them when you move in-not for them to contact you.
There is no universal cheapest supplier-it depends on region and usage.