Couple of pretty basic questions

BinkadyBoo

Hi,

I have recently moved into a new property, which is set up with a smart meter on SSE. Anyway, I have been here for about 4 weeks and I am looking to switch.

I have used the comparison in the Energy Saving Club, and I could save around £685 a year if I switch to Bulb. However, I did this by putting the readings from the last 3 weeks into it. I personally think this is a little bit high for gas because we have had the heating on a lot cause of the winter weather.

Is there any rule of thumb to make my average gas for a week more accurate, when you don't know have any idea of usage for the year? Maybe halfing it with the assumption that for the warmer months I won't need to have the heating on?

Also, does it even matter? As long as the pence per kWh is the lowest around, then although it won't technically be the £685 provided, it will in fact still be the cheapest one and I should still do it? The p per kWh doesn't change based on how much you use does it?

Also, does anyone know how things will work with a new provider, given that it uses a smart meter, and I have a SSE device which monitors usage? Will they need to install a new one or will it just carry with it?

Sorry if these are pretty basic questions. I'm pretty new to supplier switching and I've never done it before or been in a house with a smart meter.

Thanks in advance.

matelodave

All you need to do is have a guess at what you think you might use - that's what the energy companies do, but they call it an estimate.

A good guess is around 3500kwh a year for leccy and about 13500kwh for gas.

It will be near enough and providing you read your meter monthly and send in your meter reading every month and make sure that any statement or bills are corrected and not estimates you should be OK. You can try other guessses if you like.

If you keep a spreadsheet of your monthly meter readings it will help you see how much you are using every month and help to monitor how well your direct debit is tracking your consumption - it also makes it easy to see how well your energy saving measures are working as well.

For most people with gas heating and hot water your electricity consumption will be a bit higher in the winter than the summer, but not appreciably so unless you flog the tumble dryer and use electric heaters a lot. Electric showers have to work harder at this time of year as well.

Your gas will be much higher in the winter than the summer probably 60-70% of your annual consumption will be used between November and March and most of that between December to February.

Your smart meter will not send info back to bulb like it does with SSE so you'll have to read it (or them yourself).

The indoor display might work insofar as it should still display the energy used and enable meter readings (my SSE does) but wont display the cost any more. My SSE display stopped showing the cost on the day the leccy was transferred. We dont have gas so I dont know what happens with that.

Robin9

What figure do you get using 3500/13500 as suggested ?

BinkadyBoo

Thanks for your feedback. It is very useful. I think I will take your advice and put a spreadsheet together and monitor my readings more thoroughly going forward.

I did try it again with the 3500/13500 you suggested, and it has come back with the best deal still being Bulb, although only £292 a year saving this time, which although not as much, seems more reasonable.

So given that I have tried it with the suggested reading, and my own bodged ones from the last 3 weeks and Bulb were on top, I think my next step will be to sign up with them and see how things go. Hopefully the indoor display works, but if not, its not the end of the world. Never even know they existed a month ago after all.

Thanks again for everything.

[Deleted User]

BinkadyBoo wrote: »

Is there any rule of thumb to make my average gas for a week more accurate, when you don't know have any idea of usage for the year?

This is the average monthly distribution:

Jan 13.8%
Feb 13.6%
Mar 12.2%
Apr 9.8%
May 7.1%
Jun 4.2%
Jul 2.4%
Aug 2.4%
Sep 4.2%
Oct 7.3%
Nov 10.3%
Dec 12.7%

(Ref: Ovo Energy)

matelodave

jack_pott wrote: »

This is the average monthly distribution:

Jan 13.8% 17%
Feb 13.6% 14%
Mar 12.2% 12%
Apr 9.8% 7%
May 7.1% 4%
Jun 4.2% 4%
Jul 2.4% 4%
Aug 2.4% 4%
Sep 4.2% 4%
Oct 7.3% 6%
Nov 10.3% 11%
Dec 12.7% 14%

(Ref: Ovo Energy)

My actual averages are shown in red next to OVO's estimate. They are based on nearly eight years worth of monthly readings from our leccy meter. We are all electric, heating and hot water as well because we dont have gas where we live.

They correspond pretty well with OVO's although our winter ones look a bit higher than theirs and our summers are a bit more even. I'm guessing that this December one will be a bit higher as it's been very cold for the last week and a bit.

AndyPK

Martin says the biggest sin is not switching, rather than getting the estimate accurate.

And as we are in the middle of winter. GET ON WITH IT!

macman

Ask SSE for the historical data for the property, you need a full year to work out anything accurately. 3 weeks usage in the coldest weeks of the year will grossly over-estimate your usage if you just pro-rata that up to 52 weeks.

BinkadyBoo

:beer:Thanks for all your replies. It has been very useful.

I've now put my order though with Bulb, so now just waiting for it to switch properly on the 2nd of Jan.

:beer::money: