BG's New ToU Tariff

Legacy_user

This new tariff is going to over-heat comparison site addicts' brains.

On the face of it, the standing charges are 13p and 11p more per day than I pay now. Gas is 1.5p more per kWh and electricity 2.8 per kWh more. Based on my annual consumption projections, I would pay £325 per year more on this tariff.

Even if I discounted the annual charge by 1/7 (the free day), I would still be paying £190 a year more. The question then is how much washing; ironing, cooking could reasonably be left to the weekend?

It's clever marketing. It will suit couples who work all week and are at home at the weekends but it is unlikely to be the cheapest annual cost for senior citizens or young families at home all day. My worry is that some consumers may be 'seduced' into thinking that it is a good deal by the offer of one free day* a week.

Edit:

My brain is already over-heating as I see that BG is only offering 8 hours of free electricity. In truth then, my 3000kWhs would fall to about 2700. A saving of 300kWhs equates to £36 plus any additional washing etc done in the free day.

NB: A 'free day' is only 8 hours. It will be interesting to see how the ASA views what on the face of it is an untruth.

[Deleted User]

Just looked at all the BG tariffs and CAB comparison site shows every BG dual fuel tariff offered to me has the same annual costs! What?

And as for the 8 hour free electricity during daytime on either a Saturday or Sunday, what a stupid idea.

System

gsmlnx wrote: »

And as for the 8 hour free electricity during daytime on either a Saturday or Sunday, what a stupid idea.

Expect more of this as it is based on demand management. There is little business/industry demand for electricity at weekends so it is cheaper to offer 'free' electricity than pay to shut down wind turbines on a windy day.

HappyMJ

Hengus wrote: »

This new tariff is going to over-heat comparison site addicts' brains.

On the face of it, the standing charges are 13p and 11p more per day than I pay now. Gas is 1.5p more per kWh and electricity 2.8 per kWh more. Based on my annual consumption projections, I would pay £325 per year more on this tariff.

Even if I discounted the annual charge by 1/7 (the free day), I would still be paying £190 a year more. The question then is how much washing; ironing, cooking could reasonably be left to the weekend?

It's clever marketing. It will suit couples who work all week and are at home at the weekends but it is unlikely to be the cheapest annual cost for senior citizens or young families at home all day. My worry is that some consumers may be 'seduced' into thinking that it is a good deal by the offer of one free day* a week.

Edit:

My brain is already over-heating as I see that BG is only offering 8 hours of free electricity. In truth then, my 3000kWhs would fall to about 2700. A saving of 300kWhs equates to £36 plus any additional washing etc done in the free day.

NB: A 'free day' is only 8 hours. It will be interesting to see how the ASA views what on the face of it is an untruth.

You could really take advantage of this tariff by turning off the gas central heating and use electric heaters on the one free day (9am - 5pm) per week.

I don't like the tariff myself. It would shackle you to the house on the free day to take full advantage. If you picked Saturday then you could never plan something for that day as you must do the washing, drying, ironing, batch cooking all on that day.

The site says users saved on average £60 per year...over the standard tariff which when you think about it isn't really that much as you say you would pay £325 more then about £60 less which really means you're paying more overall.

teddysmum

HappyMJ wrote: »

The site says users saved on average £60 per year...over the standard tariff which when you think about it isn't really that much as you say you would pay £325 more then about £60 less which really means you're paying more overall.

As the saving is based on the standard tariff, it can probably be beaten by one of their fixes or even more likely by another provider.

footyguy

Didn't EDF offer something similar at one time?
Wasn't it their 20:20 tariff?

Edit: Sorry, I may have got myself confused. :oops:
Just found this from 2 years ago saying it was BG that were offering "Free Leccy Saturdays"
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2583797/How-free-electricity-Saturdays-turned-Jenny-1950s-housewife.html

Pincher

If only you can "store" the free electricity.

Buy two Teslas?

Drive one, and have the other one charging on cheap/free rate.
Feed the house from battery during peak rate.

victor2

As the technology to store electricity becomes more affordable, will such tariffs evolve to have a kWh limit on them?
I'm not sure I'd even drive one of my two Teslas, given that one has just killed its "user" in the US when its autopilot failed to detect the side of a large truck crossing the highway...