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Pay based on usage

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Do any of the suppliers offer a tarriff where you pay based on your actual consumption during each month or quarter rather than using the smoothing system where you are always in debit/credit over the year?


I am not interested in a prepayment meter or other uncompetitive rates. I'd just rather budget for higher winter costs myself rather than get some useless gas company to screw it up and send me overcomplicated bills.

Thanks

Comments

  • naedanger
    naedanger Posts: 3,105 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Stirrups wrote: »
    Do any of the suppliers offer a tarriff where you pay based on your actual consumption during each month or quarter rather than using the smoothing system where you are always in debit/credit over the year?


    I am not interested in a prepayment meter or other uncompetitive rates. I'd just rather budget for higher winter costs myself rather than get some useless gas company to screw it up and send me overcomplicated bills.

    Thanks

    Yes, I think most do on a quarterly basis. (It used to be quite common for the charges to be a bit higher it you chose this option, but I think that may be less common now.)

    I suggest you ask your current supplier.
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    The problem is that quarterly billing rather than monthly DD screens out many of the most competitive tariffs.
    Submit regular reads and your DD should be set at the right level.. i.e. one twelfth of your annual usage.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • British Gas first started this system years ago calling it "energy smart ".Monthly or quarterly exact direct debit of your usage.It requires the customer to be on the ball every month submitting readings.Meter readers still call every now and then though. Other suppliers copied it. Excellent one year fixes can still be used using Energy smart such as the MSE BG 2016 Collective with some of the cheapest tariffs available
  • Farway
    Farway Posts: 14,651 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Homepage Hero Name Dropper
    Ebico do this, depends on usage, zero standing charge, but unit price may be higher
    Eight out of ten owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred other peoples gardens
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