Doing this for the first time - where to start?

The_Laisy_Daisy

Hi,

My partner is moving out and I've to arrange electricity and gas for the property. Lots of comparison sites ask for your current usage info which I don't have.

Where do I start? And how do I go about finding the cheapest deal?

I don't want to just call up a company and tell them the situation as I think they'll be doing this >>:j when they find out I don't know what they're talking about!

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Consumerist

The_Laisy_Daisy wrote: »

. . . Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

It's not clear whose name your energy accounts are in. Do you receive energy bills through the post or are they online? Who is named as the account holder?

If you know who your supplier is then let them know the situation and ask for the account for your address to transferred into your sole name. You need to know what arrangements are are in place for paying the bills at the moment (Direct Debit, etc.) so you can arrange to take over payments. If you are on talking terms with your partner then they could give you the information you need.

Energy bills (if you have access to them) usually include a summary of your consumption (kWh) over the past year so you can use that info in a comparison site to see what the best deals are. Your supplier may also give you this info if you ask them.

JJ_Egan

The_Laisy_Daisy wrote: »

Hi,

My partner is moving out and I've to arrange electricity and gas for the property. Lots of comparison sites ask for your current usage info which I don't have.

You just use the average .

Where do I start? And how do I go about finding the cheapest deal?

MSE or any comparison site .
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/



Basics tariff unit price per kwh and daily standing charge is the key . 1p is cheaper than 2p etc .

Any total yearly charge or direct debit monthly amount is just a guess as to your actual usage .

The_Laisy_Daisy

Sorry I wasn't very clear about that. The contract, bill and payments are in his name. He's called them to say he's moving and moving it all with him. I've always just paid half so haven't had any experience organising/paying utilities.

I'm planning on contacting them as a new customer and asking for it all to start from the day he moved out. And that's where I don't know where to start. Can I even use comparison sites if I've nothing to compare? If not, what's my first move? Who do I contact to make sure I don't get ripped off excessively?!

Hope this makes it clearer and that someone can advise. Thanks!

Consumerist

The_Laisy_Daisy wrote: »

. . .I'm planning on contacting them as a new customer and asking for it all to start from the day he moved out. And that's where I don't know where to start. Can I even use comparison sites if I've nothing to compare? If not, what's my first move? Who do I contact to make sure I don't get ripped off excessively?! . . .

Firstly, don't panic; you are not going to be cut off - it's just a question of making new arrangements.

Read your meters and pass them on to your supplier when you call.

Your supplier should also be able to tell you what your consumption (kWh) for each fuel has been over the past year.

Until you can get on top of the situation, it might be a good idea to go with your current supplier's cheapest one-year fixed tariff. That will give you some breathing space and you'll get help on here to use energy comparison sites ready for next year.

If you want to have some practice with comparison sites, you can use Ofgems consumption figures for a typical medium user (13,500 kWh per year for gas & 3,200 kWh per year for electricity). The comparison site will ask you which tariff you are currently on (to calculate what they call "savings") and would suggest you pick any standard variable tariff as your starting point.

I'm assuming you're on standard credit meters, i.e. you don't use electric heating with day/night rates.

You can have a practice with the <UK Power> comparison site and post again if you need help. More details later if you need them.

Edit
Make sure you select the option to compare "All tariffs on the market" - currently selected by default but just confirm it to make sure

footyguy

The_Laisy_Daisy wrote: »

Hi,

My partner is moving out and I've to arrange electricity and gas for the property. Lots of comparison sites ask for your current usage info which I don't have.

Where do I start? And how do I go about finding the cheapest deal?

I don't want to just call up a company and tell them the situation as I think they'll be doing this >>:j when they find out I don't know what they're talking about!

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

You start by getting your partner to call the existing supplier to finalise the account.

Then you call the supplier to create a new account.

In the circumstances, the supplier may ask for evidence to change of tenancy/occupation of the property e.g. a copy of a new rental agreement.

Once you have a supplier, you can then think about switching supplier. You cannot switch supplier unless you have a supplier.

The_Laisy_Daisy

Consumerist - Thank you. I've seen you post replies to other people lots and really appreciate your time in helping us. I've stopped panicking now! And I'll have a play about with those figures.

footyguy - Yes, that's how simple I needed to hear it to start off with! I took a guess at who the supplier was (it's one of 3) and called them, they're really busy but going to call me back. Thanks for helping me get it moving, I'll go with whatever they offer for now and compare when I've got more details.

JJ Egan - once I've done the above, I'll remember this for understanding my bill and doing comparisons - cheers!

modsandmockers

The_Laisy_Daisy wrote: »

He's called them to say he's moving and moving it all with him. I've always just paid half so haven't had any experience organising/paying utilities

I'm not sure what is meant by 'taking it all with him' - he will have to arrange his new energy arrangements when he gets there. What you need to be sure of is that he is not deeply in debt to your current supplier. I'm pretty sure that any energy supplier who you might choose to contact will be able to tell you who is currently supplying your property, and will advise you how to proceed.

Your 50% payments should be able to give you a very approximate idea of the annual fuel costs, so that's probably a good place to start. But consider very carefully before you sign up to a monthly direct debit plan. They frequently lead to all sorts of incomprehensible changes in your monthly payments, and can leave you either deeply in debt, or owed a lot of money. Imo, it's better to pay your quarterly bill when it arrives, and make sure that you have put enough money aside to cover it. You can still pay by direct debit, just quarterly instead of monthly - in most cases, you will still pay the same discounted prices for paying by direct debit, but you will only ever pay exactly what you owe.

ps - there is no way you will be liable for any money which is still owing on your ex-partner’s account, but you need to take meter readings on the day he moves out, and make sure that you only ever pay for the energy which you consume after that date. If the current energy supplier doesn’t already know your name, then don’t waste time telling them the story - just say that you are the new occupant of the property and give them the meter readings. And, unless you are likely to move out in the near future, make sure that you don’t get put onto a ‘standard’ tariff - you need one of the cheaper ‘fixed’ tariffs - but make sure to find out whether you will have to pay a penalty if you move or change tariff during the period of the fix.

Energy suppliers deliberately keep it this complicated, because they have no other way to try to convince the world that they are operating in a competitive marketplace

The_Laisy_Daisy

Thanks modsandmockers. I always thought monthly direct debit was a good way to balance the estimated annual usage so we didn't get bigger bills in the winter? Something I'll need to research more by the look of it.

modsandmockers

The_Laisy_Daisy wrote: »

Thanks modsandmockers. I always thought monthly direct debit was a good way to balance the estimated annual usage so we didn't get bigger bills in the winter? Something I'll need to research more by the look of it.

In theory, you are correct. and the winter bills are indeed bigger - the monthly payment plan is not a monthly billing plan - it's like a Christmas Club where you put aside a fixed amount every month so that there is a pot of money available for when the actual bills arrive. The energy suppliers really like monthly payment plans, and if the customer doesn't monitor the situation carefully, then it is easy to build up large credits or debits. Once or twice a year, the energy supplier will suddenly do some sums, and hit the customer with an unexpected change in the monthly payment. It's easier to do the sums yourself, and put your monthly payments into an account of your own, with a quarterly, variable, direct debit payment on receipt of the quarterly bill.

macman

Can your ex partner not leave you a copy of the latest billing/and or annual statement? That will give you the annual kWh usage on each supply: add your postcode and any comp site will show you the cheapest tariff in under a minute.
He can't 'take the account with him', it will be closed and he will have to open a new account with the existing supplier at his new address. You, as advised above, need to take readings on his moving out day and register for an account with the existing supplier.
Most of the cheapest tariffs require monthly DD payment, though not all.
PS:don't forget to register for the other utilities: water, phone, broadband etc-and for council tax (single person discount will apply).