Energy switch, going around in circles

creativesam

I am on the British Gas Collective Feb 2017 deal, so really need to get moving on switching.

Everywhere I search all I see are companies I have never heard of before, with poor reviews.

I am starting to lean towards Bristol Energy, as the seem to have sorted many of the initial issues.

I was really hoping for another collective, but as the industry is not playing ball, it appears I may as well put a pin in the list. Anyone else feeling confused and lost.

Also any further insight into Bristol Energy would be appreciated.

Redan

I know exactly what you mean Creativesam! So many small companies coming out cheapest with mixed reviews that I change my mind every day. I've also looked at Bristol Energy and am currently drawn towards Octopus and maybe Energie. I don't mind paying a few pounds more if it avoids a time-consuming nightmare switch.

brewerdave

I've taken a bit of a risk switching to fixes with Better Energy for gas and Iresa for leccy. My reasoning is that the savings ( vs staying with my existing supplier) are great enuf to live with some switching issues.

System

Redan wrote: »

I know exactly what you mean Creativesam! So many small companies coming out cheapest with mixed reviews that I change my mind every day. I've also looked at Bristol Energy and am currently drawn towards Octopus and maybe Energie. I don't mind paying a few pounds more if it avoids a time-consuming nightmare switch.

There are no guarantees when it comes to switching. Things can go wrong with all suppliers - big and small but, in the main, the majority of switches go through without any issues. FWiW, I have had issues in the past with Ovo (top of Which's best supplier list); conversely, I have had no issues with GBEnergy or Zog. It is very easy to monitor how a switch is progressing. For example, most suppliers will lock your old online account once they have been told that the supply is transferring, and all new suppliers should inform you of the transfer dates. Moreover, if you haven't been asked to provide meter readings within 35 days of a switching request, then something is amiss.

Paying more does not guarantee good CS, I have had poor CS from E.oN and Ovo and exceptional CS from Zog.

Going for a small supplier may mean more work. For example, if you want a bill based on actual meter readings then you have to remember to provide them on a certain date.

footyguy

creativesam wrote: »

I am on the British Gas Collective Feb 2017 deal, so really need to get moving on switching.

Everywhere I search all I see are companies I have never heard of before, with poor reviews.

I am starting to lean towards Bristol Energy, as the seem to have sorted many of the initial issues.

I was really hoping for another collective, but as the industry is not playing ball, it appears I may as well put a pin in the list. Anyone else feeling confused and lost.

Also any further insight into Bristol Energy would be appreciated.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/70181610#Comment_70181610

creativesam

I had a look on the forum, which seems to point to improvements in Bristol Energy, I really think it is pot luck, so far I have never had a problem switching, but have always used one of the big 6, going with smaller company is a trip into the unknown, all i do know is which ever i choose the price is going to rise compared to the existing deal.

Thanks for opinions x x

System

creativesam wrote: »

I had a look on the forum, which seems to point to improvements in Bristol Energy, I really think it is pot luck, so far I have never had a problem switching, but have always used one of the big 6, going with smaller company is a trip into the unknown, all i do know is which ever i choose the price is going to rise compared to the existing deal.

Thanks for opinions x x

Have a look at the Feb 17 Which list of suppliers which Ovo tops followed by a number of the smaller suppliers. It is worth remembering that suppliers have something similar to this adage posted on their walls:

Apathy is one of the characteristic responses of any living organism when it is subjected to stimuli too intense or too complicated to cope with.

JOHN DOS PASSOS, The Prospect Before Us

The quote goes on to say that 'The cure for Apathy is comprehension'.

AndyPK

I think i'm going to try IRESA for elec.

then move gas over later (when fix ends) if they have been ok.

What happens after the 12 months ?
Have you seen a standard rate?

justwannabeloved

I'm in same position as you AndyPK. I'm currently on E.on's v19 (86.50 per month for gas/ elec ) I've been looking for past 3 weeks hoping E.on pull out a good offer to keep me.

Iresa shows as cheapest at £94 and has done for weeks. Just put off with reviews and paying in advance.

Though yesterday I came across OVO energy, looking at my yearly usage figures given to my from E.ON, on a two year fixed it shows as saving my £71 from current supplier. Going to call them tomorrow and check this out. Reviews seems good from what I've been reading.

System

justwannabeloved wrote: »

I'm in same position as you AndyPK. I'm currently on E.on's v19 (86.50 per month for gas/ elec ) I've been looking for past 3 weeks hoping E.on pull out a good offer to keep me.

Iresa shows as cheapest at £94 and has done for weeks. Just put off with reviews and paying in advance.

Though yesterday I came across OVO energy, looking at my yearly usage figures given to my from E.ON, on a two year fixed it shows as saving my £71 from current supplier. Going to call them tomorrow and check this out. Reviews seems good from what I've been reading.

Caveat Emptor. For people on fixed deals, savings are meaningless. Ofgem requires suppliers and PCWs to base their savings on a 12 month projection. If your contract has a month to run, then your annual cost going forward is one month on your present tariff and eleven months on the SVR. This leads to an inflated cost which when you take away your selected fixed deal suggests that you will make a saving. Do your own sums based on the cost now compared to the cost going forward on a new tariff.

Two year fixes also need to be looked at carefully. Again, the savings/increased costs are based on ONE year not two.

It follows that if a deal costs you £150 more for the coming year, it will cost you £300 more over 2 years. If you can get a deal for one year which, say, is only £100 more expensive then you are on now then you have to judge whether the increase in the following year will be £200. If not, then a 2 year fix will not be value for money. You might also miss out on cashback.

To put this into context, wholesale electricity only accounts for 32p in every £ that you pay. If the wholesale cost doubled this year, then your bill would only increase by a third.

creativesam

Hengus, I agree about projections, they do mess with the figures, I looked at the unit cost and monthly outgoings from actual usage. Think i will have a look at OVO as well.