Moving from elec only flat to elec and gas house - how to pick a provider

nkkingston

I've spent the last six years living in flat with electricity only, but OH and myself have taken the plunge and bought a house, which like many houses has actual gas. I've trying to figure out what the best deal will be, but I just have no points for comparison. I have no recollection of what a reasonable price for gas is, or how much I would expect to use. I can't use price comparison sites because they all want to compare to my current suppliers, and I don't have a gas supplier yet. I know when we move we'll find out who the current owners using, but they have a different family set up to us and what's best for them may not be best for us (and god knows I've spent enough time with elec only suppliers having to persuade them that we are usage really is as low as it looks)

In a relatively modern first floor two bed flat, we've been paying £45 a month for electricity, including cooking daily, heating very occasionally, and the rest, on an economy 7 tariff. We're moving to a Victorian three bed terraced house with gas and electricity. We're two adults, no kids, energy conscious, OH works from home most days. New house appears to have minimal insulation but very good double glazing.

What does expensive look like for gas and electricity? Should I be looking for something that works out similarly to what we currently pay for just electricity? Higher because it's a house? Lower because gas is cheaper?

I know it's a bit of a how long is a piece of string argument, and maybe I'd be better using last week's lottery numbers as a starting point, but if anyone can tell me what they're paying in similar circumstances, it'd be really helpful!

JJ_Egan

Last years combined gas and elec with Ovo worked out at about £70 per month .

This year gas only with Zog Energy and elec with GB Energy should work out cheaper due to lower daily standing charge .

On any comparison its the actual price including standing charge that counts not some estimated direct debit .

[Deleted User]

1. When you go to a comparison website, just pick British Gas Standard tariffs as your supplier and tariffs. You are just looking for a future cost, not what savings you are going to make. So it makes no difference what you put in for the current supplier.

2. How much electricity in kWh did you use last year? Never compare by price but by actual usage. You can get this from your current supplier and would be a good guide to start from. You could reduce that figure a bit as you will no longer need to heat via electricity.

3. For gas, try 12,500kWh per year. This is from the OFGEM as a medium use, your property might be more. See here for more values https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/gas/retail-market/monitoring-data-and-statistics/typical-domestic-consumption-values

4. Don't forget that when you move in, you will be in a deemed contract with the company that supplied the house before you moved in. So sort out opening readings (taking photographs as evidence) , contact the house's suppliers and open an account on their cheapest tariff with no exit fees. Then swap away once that has been done

victor2

You have presumably gone onto a deemed contract with the previous supplier - and will be on their standard (ie. expensive) tariff. Contact them and see if they will tell you the historical annual usage for the property. Of course, there's absolutely no guarantee that it will even vaguely reflect your forthcoming usage, but it might be a starting point. Also look at switching sites like uSwitch, who give you the opportunity to input your house style and size and use typical average figures. See what the tariff current supplier can put you onto with immediate effect and preferably no exit penalty, so that you can then switch away at your leisure, but will reduce cost in the meantime.
Always use annual usage in kWh for comparing, never current cost.

[Deleted User]

No contest, just get on Sainsburys Energy June 2017 fix, cheapest dual fuel in the UK at the moment. In S.Yorks its electric at 7.87/kwh and gas at 2.39/kwh with a SC of 26p a day.Sainsburys Energy are part of British Gas and so its well run with no nasty surprises and messed up billing

nkkingston

Thanks for all the tips! We used roughly 4800kWh last year, according to adding up the meter readings I've entered into Ovo. Heating and cooking will be going gas, which I guess would have taken up a large chunk of our usage? But we've been heating the whole flat from a single storage heater (well, 'heating' may be a bit of an exaggeration!), so that's probably a lot lower than the new place will be.

I'm assuming it takes more kWh of gas to produce the same effect as electricity, if the average gas usage is so much higher. That is, it takes more KwH of gas to cook a roast, for example, than of electricity?

JJ_Egan

sacsquacco wrote: »

No contest, just get on Sainsburys Energy June 2017 fix, cheapest dual fuel in the UK at the moment. In S.Yorks its electric at 7.87/kwh and gas at 2.39/kwh with a SC of 26p a day.Sainsburys Energy are part of British Gas and so its well run with no nasty surprises and messed up billing

A canny user may decide not to go down the dual route .
26p per day is a lot more than i pay as a standing charge .
But lower S/C can be cancelled out by higher unit costs .

HappyMJ

nkkingston wrote: »

Thanks for all the tips! We used roughly 4800kWh last year, according to adding up the meter readings I've entered into Ovo. Heating and cooking will be going gas, which I guess would have taken up a large chunk of our usage? But we've been heating the whole flat from a single storage heater (well, 'heating' may be a bit of an exaggeration!), so that's probably a lot lower than the new place will be.

I'm assuming it takes more kWh of gas to produce the same effect as electricity, if the average gas usage is so much higher. That is, it takes more KwH of gas to cook a roast, for example, than of electricity?

There is very little waste heat in an oven. There is no outside vent all the heat goes into the oven. An oven doesn't use very much and the fumes go into the room to eventually be released through vents. The low level of gases aren't that dangerous. You might only use about £1 of gas per month in the oven. It's hardly anything and not worth worrying about.

The majority of waste heat comes from boilers and decorative fires which must release large amounts of gases outside, those gases are still warm therefore wasting energy. That's when you need to multiply electricity kWh figures by 1.25 for an 80% efficient boiler.

Norman_Castle

sacsquacco wrote: »

No contest, just get on Sainsburys Energy June 2017 fix, cheapest dual fuel in the UK at the moment. In S.Yorks its electric at 7.87/kwh and gas at 2.39/kwh with a SC of 26p a day.Sainsburys Energy are part of British Gas and so its well run with no nasty surprises and messed up billing

Very poor advice. There is no universal cheapest deal. The above deal is £71 or 20% more expensive for me.