From Coop online to where?

someanonbloke

Hi, last year I changed to Coop online 4 (March 2017) and the tariff will presumably finish at the end of March and the prices will be hiked.

The current rate is:

ELEC
Unit rate: 9.38 p/Kwh
Standing Charge: 17.8 p/day

GAS
Unit rate: 2.73 p/Kwh
SC: 17.8 p/day


I crunched my numbers into an energy comparison site (UK power) and the best offer that came out was Extra Energy Supply Ltd (never heard of them!) with the ff rates:

ELEC
Unit rate: 9.282p/kWh (variable???!!!)
SC: 57.54p / day!!!!!!!:mad:

GAS
Unit rate: 3.098p per kWh
SC: 57.54p / day!!!!!!!:mad:

AND that tariff is variable??? and so it can be changed at any time?

So needless to say there doesn't seem to be many options here?

Is it worth calling Coop to see if they'll make me an offer to retain my custom?

Thanks.

System

Suppliers are not like Sky et al, they are not allowed to make individual offers to retain your custom. Do a full market comparison and look at Supplier feedback.

Remember your supply, tariff and credit balance are now protected by Ofgem.

jamesperrett

It would be worth looking through the forum to see the user feedback on Extra Energy - as an ex-customer I probably wouldn't go with them again (although my experience was nowhere near as bad as some people's).

someanonbloke

My contract is about to end and I'm going to be switched to a new rate, which'll be 30% more than present! Obviously, usage will go down now it's warmer but I'm obviously looking to change soon.

I've done some research and it seems the best value company is http://www.iresa.co.uk/ though I'd never previously heard of them. Their contract is that payment is made in advance for the month's usage (No biggie!). You have to enter in your estimated usage and they'll figure out a DD amount for you to pay each month. It seems this'll be monitored over the year to ensure it reflects the usage so the account doesn't go into debit.

Their rates seem good - only slightly more than what I'm currently paying (Coop March 2017 rates).

Having said all that about Iresa, I just came across this:

http://energy-advise.com/2016/06/16/iresa-energy-reviews/

• I guess it might be better to just wait another month or so...?
  
• Or should I change now to try and lock in the best rates for another year?

System

someanonbloke wrote: »

My contract is about to end and I'm going to be switched to a new rate, which'll be 30% more than present! Obviously, usage will go down now it's warmer but I'm obviously looking to change soon.

I've done some research and it seems the best value company is http://www.iresa.co.uk/ though I'd never previously heard of them. Their contract is that payment is made in advance for the month's usage (No biggie!). You have to enter in your estimated usage and they'll figure out a DD amount for you to pay each month. It seems this'll be monitored over the year to ensure it reflects the usage so the account doesn't go into debit.

Their rates seem good - only slightly more than what I'm currently paying (Coop March 2017 rates).

Having said all that about Iresa, I just came across this:

http://energy-advise.com/2016/06/16/iresa-energy-reviews/

• I guess it might be better to just wait another month or so...?
  
• Or should I change now to try and lock in the best rates for another year?

You are making the mistake of trying to use £s per month as the basis for calculating the cheapest supplier. You should always use projected consumption in kWhs/year based on past bills. If you get it right, then your monthly DD shouldn't vary month to month particularly if you are switching at this time of the year. Your credit balance should see you through the Winter.

FWiW, Iresa is a supplier with issues. Their market leading deals have resulted in customer overload imho. I suggest that you look at Trustpilot, Twitter, Facebook and this forum. This shouldn't put you off. It just means that any issues may take longer to resolve than you might like. I know, I haven't had an accurate gas bill for the past three months.

teddysmum

My provider comes out best for me, if the small companies are discounted, but prices have gone up hugely, thanks to Green taxes and smart meter distribution costs (even if you don't want one).