What’s the cheapest energy company as regards the standing charge?

TheAlcibiades

Hi there, I’m looking to switch providers because I can’t cope with Utilita’s customer ‘service’ anymore and their hidden charges. Which would you guys recommend? I’m aware that the energy will cost roughly the same with most utility providers because 1kWph is about 15p. It’s not the actual energy that’s the problem as I don’t run enough to really be worried about actual use costs. I’m interested in the overhead charges and any ‘hidden’ charges. Utilita cost heaps to phone and some others have ridiculously expensive standing charges. Thank you.

Raxiel

There are several companies that have zero standing charge tariffs, such as Ebico, those tarrifs are usualy at the high end on the unit price, so are usually only suitable for customers with low usage.

Conversely, a high standing charge with a low unit charge could work out significantly cheaper for a customer with high usage.

There is quite a wide range of prices, the more expensive can easily be half as much again as the cheapest.

If you know how much you are likely to use (or how much you used last year) then multiplying the standing charge by 365 and unit charge by the estimate will give you a rough idea on cost for a given tariff. The cheapest will likely remain the cheapest even if your predicted usage is off by +/- 20%

Price comparison websites can help you find the cheapest tariff for your projected usage, although only the figure you will pay is completely reliable, any 'savings' depend on your current tariff and when it ends, and might not be representative.

With regard other hidden costs, there shouldn't really be any additional charges, although many companies offer additional discounts for paperless bills, direct debits, and dual fuels. They should be automatically applied on most price comparison sites. In terms of the cost of phone calls, most use 0345 numbers, which are the price of a national number and can come out of any 'minutes' package you might have. Any company still using 0845 numbers for existing customers is breaking the law.

footyguy

TheAlcibiades wrote: »

Hi there, I’m looking to switch providers because I can’t cope with Utilita’s customer ‘service’ anymore and their hidden charges. Which would you guys recommend? I’m aware that the energy will cost roughly the same with most utility providers because 1kWph is about 15p. It’s not the actual energy that’s the problem as I don’t run enough to really be worried about actual use costs. I’m interested in the overhead charges and any ‘hidden’ charges. Utilita cost heaps to phone and some others have ridiculously expensive standing charges. Thank you.

I would recommend the cheapest supplier & tariff available to you :money:
Consult a comparison site to find that best deal for you

If you have a PPM, then all suppliers have a standing charge due to the price cap imposed on such meters.

If you have a Utilita PPM, then you may find you will need a new meter to be able to change supplier.

Utilita contact numbers appear to be 03 numbers which are charged the same as 01 or 02 numbers. They even have an app. available to request a call back, so no charge at all as they will call you.

Good luck!

House_Martin

Ebico Zero is a no standing charge tariff which I use for a vacant property I own.
High tariffs but I m not using anything at all so I ve come down from paying BG £15 a month standing charges alone down to virtually nothing.
Ebico are under control now by Robin Hood Energy ( from SSE ) and seem to be operating ok.

EachPenny

House_Martin wrote: »

Ebico are now under ownership of Robin Hood Energy and seem to be operating ok.

Unless I've missed some dramatic news this isn't the case.

Robin Hood Energy are the supply partners of Ebico, but Ebico is a separate company and as far as I can tell that hasn't changed recently.