Bulb Energy Reviews: Give your feedback on the energy supplier

James_Mass

The disparity between the increases 30% for gas vs 7% for electricity was surprising. It probably end up being being cheaper to heat water using immersion heater and electric kettle rather than a gas boiler and ordinary whistling kettle which is what I currently using.

beardiedog

James_Mass wrote: »

The disparity between the increases 30% for gas vs 7% for electricity was surprising. It probably end up being being cheaper to heat water using immersion heater and electric kettle rather than a gas boiler and ordinary whistling kettle which is what I currently using.

There's a thread on this subject https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5896930/boiling-kettle-vs-running-hot-tap&highlight=boiling+kettle

peter_the_piper

jackywacky wrote: »

Virtually the same for me as well.
I'm also leaving as it is for now, my reasoning is that they can muck about with my payments (within reason) so as long as the cost of their energy is still competitive, there's been a number of increases recently yet they are still remain competitive where I live.
If they continue to muck around then I will just leave.
I do not have a smart meter, I give regular online readings

Ditto, they have just upped the payment by 50% so I'll do as above. I suspect they cut repayment to seem attractive and up when hooked.

System

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Ditto, they have just upped the payment by 50% so I'll do as above. I suspect they cut repayment to seem attractive and up when hooked.

You have just accused a supplier of mis-selling! In my experience, provided the consumer gives an accurate assessment of annual usage in kWhs/year, the initial DD will be 1/12 of the annual cost UNLESS the contract terms and conditions state that a higher DD will be charged over the Winter months and/or the account has to hold a certain amount of credit to cover future usage.

All suppliers on a transfer of a supply are given 2 years worth of historical usage data for your property. I know of one supplier that states that it will adjust any payments on the data that it receives from industry: most, in my experience, do not.

akira181

I've been with Bulb for a little over a year now. Main attractions were that according to MSE Energy Club, it was going to save me money and there was no exit charge or minimum contract length. I have a duel fuel tariff with them.

Started off okay, website is good, easy to enter meter readings, of which they remind you, which is nice but I don't think the meter readings are actually used.

What started off at a £60 DD is now £85 and I've just received another email telling me they need to increase my DD to £92 a month even though my account is £131 in credit and has been slowly growing in credit ever since I joined.

I know energy prices have risen across the board, but Bulb have increased overall 20% (at last check) since I started, which I think is a lot steeper than the rest of the market. Last check I made, they were more expensive than some of the Big 6 energy firms.

I think any savings that were made at the start from switching were quickly eaten up and went the other way with what seems to be quarterly increases. I will be definitely leaving Bulb at the end of the month when I move house, the move is the only reason why I haven't switched already.

beardiedog

You can change your DD in your account, you don't have to accept their figure, as long as you keep an eye on it and increase it if needed or top up.

arthur2

:question:
Several months ago somebody on Bulb forum said they could already access SMETS1 meters from several suppliers, and First:Utility was listed as one of those. I have meters from F:U installed in 2016 by Siemens.

Enrolment of SMETS1 meters into the DCC was planned to start by the end of this year, but Bulb have not answered a question as to what is in fact really happening.

I am also unsure whether a SMETS1 which has been enrolled with DCC will be able to send Solar PV readings, or whether I will have to wait for a new SMETS2 from Bulb to have this capability.

My over-riding need is to avoid having to read my meters, as I am disabled and cannot get to them, and my wife is now having some difficulty too.

Once this is clarified I can proceed with a switch!

System

arthur2 wrote: »

:question:
Several months ago somebody on Bulb forum said they could already access SMETS1 meters from several suppliers, and First:Utility was listed as one of those. I have meters from F:U installed in 2016 by Siemens.

Enrolment of SMETS1 meters into the DCC was planned to start by the end of this year, but Bulb have not answered a question as to what is in fact really happening.

I am also unsure whether a SMETS1 which has been enrolled with DCC will be able to send Solar PV readings, or whether I will have to wait for a new SMETS2 from Bulb to have this capability.

My over-riding need is to avoid having to read my meters, as I am disabled and cannot get to them, and my wife is now having some difficulty too.

Once this is clarified I can proceed with a switch!

This is what the NAO published today regarding SMETS1 meter enrolment into the DCC:

12 The Department has not yet attempted to enrol SMETS1 meters within the DCC infrastructure. The target dates for this have been pushed back, and it is not certain that it will work as intended. The Department has always planned on enrolling SMETS1 meters to make them fully interoperable. But this is technically challenging and the solutions are still being tested or in development. The target start date for enrolment has been pushed back from November 2018 to May 2019 and there is a risk of further delay. The Department’s assumption for the purposes of cost–benefit modelling is that 2% of the first two thirds of SMETS1 meters will not be successfully enrolled but some stakeholders told us that significantly more could fail. Furthermore, the Department
has not yet decided if it will attempt to enrol all makes of SMETS1 meter. Therefore, the Department should be cautious about suggesting that the successful enrolment and adoption of all SMETS1 meters is inevitable (paragraphs 1.10, 1.30 and 1.31, and 2.37 to 2.39).

cassie75

Just days after starting the switch to bulb they emailed to say the prices were going up. But when i look through the comments on here, bulb knew before we joined that the prices were going up but didn't tell me.


Then a few weeks after switch get an email to say we are in credit but want to put our dd up by 40%. I emailed them back and said their maths did not work out and I would not be doing that.



they came back very quickly and said they would leave them the same for 3 months.


I then tried to switch my mum to bulb and were told she would have to be on the day and night tariff as she has a E7 meter. But EON charge her the same rate for both as she is at home all day now and elderly so needs the heating on. The meter gives the total used so why can't bulb do the same? What difference does it make to them as WE are giving them the meter reading?


Their answer "well you don't have to stay with us as there is no exit fee".



I will NOT be switching mum to bulb and WILL be taking their suggestion of using their "no exit fee" to get out.

pineapple

margaretx9 wrote: »

I have an economy 7 meter set up so perhaps best avoided then. Has anyone else had a successful/smooth economy 7 switch with bulb?

I am on E7 with what I assume is a standard E7 meter which you scroll through to show E7 and peak readouts and there have been no issues at all.