More consumers are ditching big six energy firms for smaller providers - MSE News 11 October 2018 at 1:50PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Energy 3 replies 842 views

MSE_Naomi

More customers than ever are switching energy suppliers, with increasing numbers deserting the traditional big six firms in favour of smaller providers, a new report has revealed...

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'More consumers are ditching big six energy firms for smaller providers'

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One-Eye

Average household consumption fell by 5.5% for gas and 3.3% for electricity. This could be due to households using less gas and electricity.

... the University of the Obvious strikes again.

I would be interested in a comparison of households with Smart Meters and those without. I am expecting shortly there will be a biased headline "Households with Smart Meters save 5.5% gas and 3.3% electricity" which ignores the fact that households without Smart Meters are also reducing consumption.

tk47

Households are using less energy.
Average household consumption fell by 5.5% for gas and 3.3% for electricity. This could be due to a combination of better insulation, milder winters and people turning off the heating or using less electricity to save money.

Sounds like a load of speculation there by the MSE author.

Have they already forgotten the Beast from the East we experienced last winter?

I know my energy provider hasn't. In an email from the MD & founder, he said

We realise that this year has seen some extreme weather with some areas experiencing cold and wet weather (sometimes snow) when we would usually be expecting to see leaves on the trees and the sounds of spring. Transversely we have seen the hottest summer since 1976 which for some has meant that planning our weekends has been less of a fingers crossed situation in the hope it doesn’t rain. For many of us, including myself, this has also meant having the heating on for longer than usual during spring and having a fan on most of the day during the summer months! This unusual weather has meant that some of us have used more energy than we usually would have in a typical year at this moment in time, and as we head towards the winter months, consumption starts to increase even further.

A couple of days later, I get notice of an increased monthly payment (which they have now agreed was totally unjustified)

So whilst speculating, perhaps it is the case the above poster has hit the nail on the head? Is this reduction simply due to the roll out of smart metering, and the savings promised (averaged out) made by those who have such smart meters installed?

:rotfl:

Consumerist

tk47 wrote: »

. . . Is this reduction simply due to the roll out of smart metering, and the savings promised (averaged out) made by those who have such smart meters installed?

This report seems strangely silent on the contribution to energy saving made by smart meters.

Since Ofgem has been championing the hasty installation of smart meters, to me the suggestion is that they are not making a significant saving for customers - or Ofgem would be shouting it from the rooftops, methinks.