Energy switch

hynish

My smart meter. I have a meter installed by British Gas which apparently uses SMETS2 technology. Does anyone know which suppliers I can switch to who will enable me to continue using my smart meter as is without it being changed back to a standard meter? Many thanks.

EachPenny

hynish wrote: »

My smart meter. I have a meter installed by British Gas which apparently uses SMETS2 technology. Does anyone know which suppliers I can switch to who will enable me to continue using my smart meter as is without it being changed back to a standard meter? Many thanks.

There are reports that BG are installing SMETS2 meters, but I'm not sure anyone has confirmed they are fully working SMETS2, or that any other suppliers have the infrastructure in place to make use of the information from an ex-BG SMETS2 meter.

There are other suppliers who apparently can make use of the 'smart' functionality of a BG meter, but you will be severely limiting your options and probably unlikely to get the best deal for you.

You won't get your meter changed back to a 'standard' one. What will happen is you keep the current meter and it reverts to being used in 'dumb' mode - i.e. you (or a meter reader) will take manual readings from the 'smart' meter display as if it were a normal standard meter.

If you want to save money, then don't limit yourself to concerns about the smart meter functionality - find the company which offers you the best deal for your energy consumption. If they can make use of your smart meter technology then count that as a bonus... but try and avoid making the smart meter your determining factor.

If you believe the hype they are meant to save you money.... picking a more expensive supplier to be able to continue using the meter obviously defeats the main objective of having one in the first place!

hynish

Good advice! Thank you very much.

System

adindas wrote: »

My gas and electricity supplier is currently w/ BG.
Where could I switch to get a Cheaper price ?
Is it easy to change supplier, what process is involved ?

Thank u for your time

Join the MoneysavingsExpert Cheap Energy Club. Enter in details about your present BG tariffs and annual usage in kWhs/year (not £s) and the site will show you the cheapest deals available for your postcode and usage. You MAY be able to switch via the MSE CEC website but some suppliers require you to apply via their website. It is useful to have your Bank details and an old statement to hand.

The gaining supplier is responsible for managing the actual transfer of supply. You have a 14 day cooling off period and then the supplier has up to 21 days (35 days in total) to takeover your supply. Many now do the transfer in 17 days total. At the appropriate time, the gaining supplier will ask you for meter readings. These go to an independent industry partner for verification. They are then passed back to your losing and gaining suppliers to close and open your accounts. The losing supplier has 6 weeks from the actual date of transfer to raise your Final Bill.

There is no need to contact BG to tell them that you are switching - nor do you need to give them any meter readings. They may contact you with 'you are making a big mistake' message. Just ignore them.

footyguy

adindas wrote: »

My gas and electricity supplier is currently w/ BG.
Where could I switch to get a Cheaper price ?
Is it easy to change supplier, what process is involved ?

Thank u for your time

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/606930

adindas

Thank you to Hengus and footyguy. It seems much simple than switvhing a broadband.

Is there any significant disadvantage of having a smaller supplier in comparison to BG. Thanks again

molerat

There is no real difference between large and small but do read the reviews.

footyguy

adindas wrote: »

Thank you to Hengus and footyguy. It seems much simple than switvhing a broadband.

Is there any significant disadvantage of having a smaller supplier in comparison to BG. Thanks again

I've never heard of this supplier - is it safe to switch to?

Some of the cheapest tariffs on the market are now with smaller suppliers. Rules from regulator Ofgem mean there’s little risk in switching to a smaller supplier. If it goes bust, your credit is protected and your energy stays on - you’ll simply be transferred to another supplier, though you may need to find a new cheap tariff.


If a supplier is new, we may not have much feedback on it. However, we do have feedback links to our forum for every provider listed, so you can hear other users’ experiences.

https://clubs.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub/faq

Good luck!

EachPenny

molerat wrote: »

There is no real difference between large and small but do read the reviews.

footyguy wrote: »

Good luck!

Great advice, but like anything you buy, treat the reviews/feedback with a little bit of scepticism too. Be especially wary of people who have set up an account on the forum to comment on an energy company and that has been their first (and perhaps only) post.

They might be genuine, but might also have axes to grind (and/or sell).

So use the post count and thanks to review the reviewers. You soon get to work out who knows what they are talking about - Hengus, molerat, footyguy and matelodave being pre-eminent on this board

JJ_Egan

<<:) You soon get to work out who knows what they are talking about - Hengus, molerat, footyguy and matelodave being pre-eminent on this board >>

100% AGREE These guys have been there done that and have no axe to grind .

adindas

Thank you to all who has answered my question probably. Now I am seriously considering switching my Energy supply. Based on rough calculation I could save about £200+

Currently with British Gas:
Tariff type Standard
Electricity
Electricity standing Charge: 26.01p No change
Electricity unit rate: From September 15 will increase from 12.56p per kWh to 14.44p per kWh (e.g. up 1.88p per kWh)

Gas:
Gas standing charge: + 26.01p per (No change)
Gas unit rate: 3.86p per kWh (No change)

With Eon (Data from Uswitch)
Tariff type Fixed price for 12 month
Electricity:
Standing charge 16.42p per day
Unit rate 12.054p per kWh

Gas:
Standing charge 21.90p per day
Unit rate 3.054p per kWh

I would want to switch before the price increase from BG kick on.
Is there any problem If I switch it to Eon early next week (say) ??
This is the first time I am switching energy supplier. What is the potential pitfall I might not be aware of ??

Thank you for your time.