How to get new I HD and check cheaper suppliers

crazyshady

I've had a look and the only thing I can find is a Utilita letter from February 2018 saying their prices are increasing. There is no readings or anything but it says 'your estimated annual cost is £853.82. Great news - you are currently on Smart Energy which is our Relevant Cheapest Tariff for you. Your estimated annual cost Electricity - £517.41. Gas £291.81

Your annual consumption. This is our best estimate of the quantity of gas and electricity you would expect to use in the next 12 months. This is based on actual data where available and may include estimated meter readings.

Electricity - 3,100 kwh per year
Gas 5,840 kwh per year

Robin9

crazyshady wrote: »

I've had a look and the only thing I can find is a Utilita letter from February 2018 saying their prices are increasing. There is no readings or anything but it says 'your estimated annual cost is £853.82. Great news - you are currently on Smart Energy which is our Relevant Cheapest Tariff for you. Your estimated annual cost Electricity - £517.41. Gas £291.81

Your annual consumption. This is our best estimate of the quantity of gas and electricity you would expect to use in the next 12 months. This is based on actual data where available and may include estimated meter readings.

Electricity - 3,100 kwh per year
Gas 5,840 kwh per year

That's fair enough - so less than £1000 - so again I ask why are you even considering Spark as a supplier. There are lots of suppliers under a £1000

crazyshady

Robin9 wrote: »

But why do you want to change to Spark when even by their figures say they will cost £200 more than you are paying now (but where on earth did they get that from)

When did the Utilita Smart meters get installed ?


I'm a bit old school - don't use smart phone apps so can't comment on that aspect. I also put the IHD toy in the back of a drawer within a week of getting. I read my meters at least monthly.

New Smart meters will start at 0000.000 ie since then you have used 5542 kwh . I'm not sure what you were paying per unit but at say 15p that's about £850.

The gas detail is confusing as they don't read in kwh but if the volume is 402 m3 thats 4500 kwh and at say 3p thats £135.

The guy that came to the door did the estimates. I spoke to them on the phone and they said my estimates where at £120 per month, £15 per week gas and £15 per week electricity and I said that's not true at all. £10 a week electricity and maybe £10 a week gas in the winter months and they said that they look at an average month. The guy that spoke to me must have said that's what I would be paying outside of the summer months because I told him, I had put £10 in the gas last month, back when the IHD was working and it said 21 days on it. I was getting 3 weeks gas for £10 and I know that wont be the case in November.

They seem to think I'm spending a lot more than I actually am. This letter is dated February 2018 and it was Utilita that installed everything so it's at least 2017. 3 years at the very least since they were installed.


I don't know what I'm doing. To be honest the IHD not working has annoyed me no end just because the app doesn't tell you what credit you have and it's difficult for me to read the gas meter just because of the way it is on the ground, it's not facing up at you. Should I have stuck with Nabuh? Is there any other tariff on here that is better for me?

https://sparkenergy.co.uk/energy-tariffs/four-simple-tariffs

Is there any details I can take from these meters that will help me or give me an idea what I'm actually using that I can then take to get a better deal? I do have a 14 day cooling off period starting from today.

crazyshady

Robin9 wrote: »

That's fair enough - so less than £1000 - so again I ask why are you even considering Spark as a supplier. There are lots of suppliers under a £1000

The email says those prices but those prices were never said to me in person. When I asked about it they said my estimates were £120 per month and I said that isn't true. I'm £10 a week at most in electricity. I got 21 days out of £10 gas last month but I know in a few months time I may end up spending more. They seem to think I'm spending a lot more than I am.


How do I check other suppliers? How do I know which one is good for me? What details can I get from my meters rather than me just saying £10 a week electricity? And how can I use that information to shop around? I am in Scotland so maybe there are Scottish suppliers that are good locally?

Robin9

In my opinion - cancel the switch to Spark and stick with your present supplier. Forget about the IHD and get some decent info from Nabuh.

Forget about the IHD.

Ring Nabuh on Monday and ask them what tariff you are on - their present one is called Jessica - if you are not on it ask them to swop you. In my area with the estimated figures above the annual cost is said to be £874.

Look again at you gas meter please and see if you can find a name and model number. Does the meter have a small key pad on it - if so press button 9 and that gives you the units used in m3.

crazyshady

It's a Liberty EG5v15. It says 842 m3.

How do I cancel the switch to Spark, do I phone Spark or Nabuh?

crazyshady

I contacted Nabuh and they said to ask Spark to cancel but they are closed just now and not open till Monday.

They said I am on the Katy tariff.

I don't see the Jessica tariff on their site.

https://www.nabuhenergy.co.uk/nabuh-tariffs/

Robin9

To Cancel the switch you ring Spark

Robin9

Depending on your post code you can ask Nabuh for a Smart meter (they will rip out the Utilita ones)

Assuming the Utilita meter went in Sept 2017 then in my region (West Midlands) elec of 2750kwh/year and gas 4700kwh/year is £517 a year.

Even within Nabuh there is a cheaper tariff Tina

Now you know how to read you meters read them every month

crazyshady

I think it may have went in around that time. I don't think we had this meter in the early part of 2017 and I remember we waited a few months to get the install date.

How do you know that Tina is cheaper than Katy. I can't see any details on what the differences are.

What would be difference between the smart meters? Don't they all operate the same? Do they have you locked in at certain kwh/ per year? I thought the energy suppliers decided everything and the smart meter was just standard for everyone.

So every month I read the meters and give those readings to Nabuh? What do they do with those readings? For instance will they automatically put me on a different tariff if I am not consuming as much or is that something I need to keep on top of and make sure I ask to be on the right tariff or do the meter readings have a different function?