Please help with energy

dacdesigns

Hi,

I'm currently with British Gas for both, with there prepay smart meters. I keep getting told to switch, that I will save hundreds but whenever I look I'm getting results around the £40 for the year total saving. Can this be true or am I missing something?

Standard tariff gas
4.270p per kWh
26.000p per day
Oct 2013-2014 = 15890.36 kWh
Oct 2014-2015 = 21425.93 kWh

Standard tariff electric
13.910p per kWh
26.000p per day
Oct 2013-2014 = 2442.37 kWh
Oct 2014-2015 = 2780.49 kWh

I'm not sure what's gone wrong this year because, we have tried a lot harder to save fuel but yet we have used a lot more! Seems about 25% increase in gas but it should be the other way round lol.

Many thanks in advance.

Neil_Jones

depends on the region but 4.270 is very expensive for Gas, and 13.91 for electricity is on the high side as well.

So assuming prices include VAT @ 5%:

4.270 x 5535 = £236.45. 26p x 365 days = £94.90. £94.90 + £236.45 = £331.35.

For electricity, 13.910 x 338 = £47.01. 26p x 365 days = £94.90. £94.90 + £47.01 = £141.91.

£331.35 + £141.91 = £473.28 yearly spend.

You must be doing something wrong on the comparision sites because you're using 5,535kWh of Gas and 338kWh of electricity. I've just typed them into a comparison site with my postcode (yours may vary) and using the standard BG Prepayment Tarriff and I found a saving of £111.

Are you sure those figures are right as 338 units a year of electric is fairly low?

Wolf3

when putting your annual consumption figures in my region, the savings work out about £40 a year as well.

dacdesigns

I'm in Manchester, my Gas for 2014-15 was just over £1,000 and electric was just under £500.

dacdesigns

Wolf3 where are you seeing 338 units?

Nada666

dacdesigns wrote: »

Wolf3 where are you seeing 338 units?

It is Neil Jones, not Wolf3, who has made that mistake - they have taken your annual consumptions as meter readings.

To save hundreds of pounds you need to come off prepayment meters - if you want to keep them savings will be far lower. What cost is First Utility's prepayment tariff in your region? - it should carry a saving a bit higher than £40.

Nada666

(If you (and Wolf3) are only seeing savings of £40 make sure you have not checked the 'only show me tariffs we can switch you to' box.)

dacdesigns

Sorry it was Neil, must stop posting so late lol.

I'll do some more check, thanks

Should I be putting 2014-15 kWh used or 2013-14? or maybe in the middle?

dacdesigns

Well it looks like I need to get rid of these prepayment meters! I'm paying the same per unit as the british gas standard monthly tariff but the savings between that and first utility i-save tariff is over £400!

I've been advised I can change to First Utility prepayment meters which will take 3 weeks then will need to stay on these for 28 days then change to there per month tariffs. Is this the best way?

Wolf3

Credit meter tariffs tend to be the cheapest as energy suppliers add the additional charges of the 3rd party paypoint scheme for topping up the meter onto the tariff or only offer their standard rates.

any energy supplier can exchange your meters, most require an external credit check to change them or charge you for the exchange, so if you can switch to one that doesn't charge will be for the best, especially if you can pass a credit check. The 28 days is standard service level agreement for any switch allowing all details of the switch to go through