Energy: Find the cheapest supplier & earn cashback

paul2louise

Consumerist wrote: »

For what it's worth, so is mine. There shouldn't be that much difference between them.

My first reaction is that, if the consumption was the same in each case, you should check the tariff details to confirm the unit rates and daily fixed charges to see how they stack up against each other. Make sure such things as payment method and online/paper-billing are the same in each case.

Edit
I notice that Ovo announced new tariffs (price increases ?) on 14 Feb. It's possible that not all comparison sites have caught up yet. You could try UK Power (who have) or leave it a day or two to try again.

Ovo price increases on 14th, that would explain why I got 2 very different results on Thursday night and then Friday morning. It's very confusing. Probably end up on the new Scottish tarif as best price.

jomo1962

My fixed rate online deal with Scottish Power ends 31 March....starting to compare deals...BUT I can no longer log onto my online account with them 'online access unavailable' . Call me cynical, but methinks this is going to make it more awkward for me to compare prices and swap suppliers??!!

Stompa

Consumerist wrote: »

I notice that Ovo announced new tariffs (price increases ?) on 14 Feb.

No, price cuts:

http://www.which.co.uk/news/2014/02/ovo-energy-cuts-electricity-and-gas-prices-355020/

EternallyGrateful

My Scottish Power deal ends on the 28th - just like everybody else!
I've just tried different comparison sites and although I enter my exact KWh get different answers. What's also annoying is that none of them show the cheaper Scottish Power rates in the comparison which means the "savings" made by switching supplier are not necessarily correct. What should be a very simple task (very basic arithmetic ) is purposefully made more difficult, not only by the suppliers, but by the comparison sites too!
Looks like I'll have one last check on the 28th February but probably switch to the Scottish Power fixed price energy February 2015(V3).
All you need to know about energy companies is right there in the name of that tariff!!!!!

glynisrose

I would NEVER go with N-Power even if they were giving energy away!! Many years ago they got me into so much debt because they would never send a correct bill, I phoned them every quarter to be told that they were 'dealing' with it!! Like hell they did, then they sent me a bill for over £500 and expected payment within 7 days!!! Never again!!

Doc_N

glynisrose wrote: »

I would NEVER go with N-Power even if they were giving energy away!! Many years ago they got me into so much debt because they would never send a correct bill, I phoned them every quarter to be told that they were 'dealing' with it!! Like hell they did, then they sent me a bill for over £500 and expected payment within 7 days!!! Never again!!

Npower are still no better. Switched several months ago and the account is still showing no details. Same for a relative I helped switch at the same time. The only positive thingyou can say is that it creates compensation opportunities!

They're also refusing to pass on the green levy reductions handed to them on a plate by this pathetic government we're currently stuck with.

EternallyGrateful

Does anybody have any idea why, with all the comparison sites, we are asked which supplier we currently use? Surely all we should be required to do is enter our annual usage of both gas and electricity and they produce a list of comparative costs - including the current supplier.
Just been on CompareTheMarket and they just ask for the last quarter readings. I entered 25% of my annual total and was presented with crazy numbers! Had I entered the last quarter as requested they would have been even crazier.
What a process to go through just to find the best supplier.

victor2

EternallyGrateful wrote: »

Does anybody have any idea why, with all the comparison sites, we are asked which supplier we currently use? Surely all we should be required to do is enter our annual usage of both gas and electricity and they produce a list of comparative costs - including the current supplier.
Just been on CompareTheMarket and they just ask for the last quarter readings. I entered 25% of my annual total and was presented with crazy numbers! Had I entered the last quarter as requested they would have been even crazier.
What a process to go through just to find the best supplier.

It's so that they can give you something to compare against - which may well be a tariff which is no longer available.
Entering 25% of your annual usage for any quarter is meaningless, as usage is seasonal, particularly when it comes to heating.
Entering your annual kWh usage into a comparison site is a very good way to identify possible suppliers. Armed with that, do your own comparison on a selected few and research the feedback customers have given the suppliers - such as on here.

EternallyGrateful

victor2 wrote: »

It's so that they can give you something to compare against - which may well be a tariff which is no longer available.
Entering 25% of your annual usage for any quarter is meaningless, as usage is seasonal, particularly when it comes to heating.
Entering your annual kWh usage into a comparison site is a very good way to identify possible suppliers. Armed with that, do your own comparison on a selected few and research the feedback customers have given the suppliers - such as on here.

I already have something to compare against because I've had to pay my current supplier for the last 12 months and I know what my consumption has been and how much its cost.
Of course usage is seasonal which is why asking for the last quarter and nothing else is going to lead to an inaccurate result. I entered a figure which gave an average quarter and the result was half as much again as any other comparison I'd looked at. If I'd entered the last quarter (ie Winter) it would have been twice as much!
Of course I will do my own comparison. My whole point was the comparison sites are not sensible and make a complicated task (that really should be an easy task) even more complicated.

victor2

EternallyGrateful wrote: »

I already have something to compare against because I've had to pay my current supplier for the last 12 months and I know what my consumption has been and how much its cost.
Of course usage is seasonal which is why asking for the last quarter and nothing else is going to lead to an inaccurate result. I entered a figure which gave an average quarter and the result was half as much again as any other comparison I'd looked at. If I'd entered the last quarter (ie Winter) it would have been twice as much!
Of course I will do my own comparison. My whole point was the comparison sites are not sensible and make a complicated task (that really should be an easy task) even more complicated.

I've always found the comparison sites to be pretty accurate when I've provided annual usage figures. I track my usage myself, so also know exactly what I've used and at what price. I've never seen one ask for a quarter's usage though, and agree it would give inaccurate figures, even if some sort of seasonal variance was allowed for.
It is a complicated issue, made a little easier as suppliers are now dropping the two tier tariffs, but if a comparison site comes close to my actual costs, I am confident enough to believe the suggested figures. Still double check them though!:)