Moving home soon, how do I search for a good tariff?

bigpat

I've been a lodger for a couple of years and have not paid separate energy bills, but now I'm buying a house. Every link on here seems to lead to the "Cheap Energy Club" which asks for details of my current tariffs and usage. Of course I have no such details.

Is there a link where I can simply search tariffs and deals without this information?

Talldave

If you post the house details (style, number of bedrooms) and heating/hot water arrangements, other posters can advise some figures to use. Then you're up & running on comparison sites.

bigpat

Good plan!

• 4 bedrooms (though one is tiny). Main bathroom, ensuite shower room, living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway.
• Victorian era semi, over 3 floors.
• High ceilings, no cavity insulation but good roof insulation.
• 10 radiators I think, mix of double and single
• Combi boiler, approx 10 years old.
• Two adults will live there, and possibly a lodger once we get settled.

Talldave

A bit of a guess from me but I'd go for electricity in the 3000-4000kWhr range and gas in the 23,000-28,000 range. Obviously the gas can vary a lot based on how warm you like to be, but hopefully being terraced helps reduce losses and I assume there's double glazing.

My previous gas references are:
4 bed detached house well insulated but kept warm: 22-26,000kWhr
3 bed detached cottage single glazed struggle to keep vaguely warm: 56-58,000kWhr.

Biscuit_Tin

bigpat wrote: »

I've been a lodger for a couple of years and have not paid separate energy bills, but now I'm buying a house. Every link on here seems to lead to the "Cheap Energy Club" which asks for details of my current tariffs and usage. Of course I have no such details.

Is there a link where I can simply search tariffs and deals without this information?

You cannot switch supplier until you have a supplier. So you need to register with the existing supplier(s) to the address first

The MSE Cheap Energy Club has 3 options when it comes to your annual consumption

• Yes, I know how much I use in kWh
• Yes, I know how much I spend
• Don't know (we'll estimate it for you)

Alternative comparison sites usually have similar options

bigpat

Talldave wrote: »

... I assume there's double glazing.

My previous gas references are:
4 bed detached house well insulated but kept warm: 22-26,000kWhr
3 bed detached cottage single glazed struggle to keep vaguely warm: 56-58,000kWhr.

Very useful, thank you. Yes there's double glazing and it seems be in good condition. The house is semi-detached rather than terraced and I'm not one for keeping it too hot.

Those are useful ballpark figures, thanks a lot.

bigpat

Biscuit_Tin wrote: »

You cannot switch supplier until you have a supplier. So you need to register with the existing supplier(s) to the address first ...

OK I'd forgotten it worked like that (if I ever knew) as it's been almost 20 years since I last bought a place. I was hoping there would be a comparison option that didn't rely on switching, but perhaps not.

[Deleted User]

bigpat wrote: »

I've been a lodger for a couple of years and have not paid separate energy bills, but now I'm buying a house. Every link on here seems to lead to the "Cheap Energy Club" which asks for details of my current tariffs and usage. Of course I have no such details.

Is there a link where I can simply search tariffs and deals without this information?

Use Ukpower.co.uk/Uswitch.. Its easier to use than CEC.
.You can make your own usage figures up, compare Eco 7 ratios or use average uk 13000 gas/3500 electric kwhs to get an idea of monthly direct debits. All the kwhs prices are shown but make sure to tick the box "show all suppliers " or they will just show suppliers who are paying them.
Suppliers should adjust the d/d up or down after a few months but bear in mind most of your gas usage will be from Oct to April.
Cashbacks from suppliers have to be taken into consideration, especially Bulbs customer referrals of £50 to the new customer and £50 to the referrer.

Talldave

Comparison sites will ask you to select your current tariff- just pick a random one or "standard" tariff from one of the big names. Then ignore all the "you could save" figures and look at the total cost. Sometimes having separate suppliers is cheaper than a dual fuel deal.

It might be worth avoiding tariffs with exit fees in case you want to switch come winter when you start to find out just how much gas you'll be using. For me, at 58,000kWhr gas the unit price is critical and standing charge is irrelevant. If you're at half that amount or lower that won't be an issue.

As to your original question - availability of rates in simple tabular format - it probably doesn't exist because only newbies like you and geeks like me would be interested. Comparison sites meet the "save £xx" market demand.

Talldave

bigpat wrote: »

OK I'd forgotten it worked like that (if I ever knew) as it's been almost 20 years since I last bought a place. I was hoping there would be a comparison option that didn't rely on switching, but perhaps not.

Signing up with the incumbent supplier is an important step. They will probably try to immediately get you to commit to their "super cheap 2020" or similar tariff. Beware if that arrangement comes with exit fees, if you're wanting the freedom to shop around.

What they could be useful for is giving you an idea of predicted consumption as they have the data from the previous owner's usage.

When I moved to my current place almost a year ago, the electricity supplier "suggested" I would be using 8,000-9,000 kWhr per year and proposed a ludicrous direct debit figure. I said I thought I would be using 3,600kWhr and set the direct debit at that level. I'm currently on target to hit 3,500kWhr, so I've no idea what the previous tenants were burning their electricity on!