Energy: Find the cheapest supplier & earn cashback

Consumerist

Hengus wrote: »

. . . It is worth remembering that provided energy accounts are monitored closely by the consumer, then the consumer holds all the cards . .

If only that were true.

No matter how diligent you may be with meter readings, it is the supplier who hold all the cards if you are on a fixed contract. They have your credit balance to start with. If you want to switch there is often the prospect of early-termination fees to pay. If you are in debit on your account then they have the option to object to a switch, anyway.

You can avoid some of these pitfalls by choosing only tariffs without exit fees but it can be an uphill struggle to settle on a reasonable direct debit payment and, again, to get a refund if you have an excessive credit balance. The big six are better at refunding credit balances but you tend to pay more for the energy from them.

anneliese123

Hi ,

My current Fixed Term Deal is coming to an end June 2018 .

Looked at Cheap Energy Club Comparison , a Company called Solarplicity have a competitive
Fixed deal , does anyone have any feedback on this Company please ?

[Deleted User]

@anneliese123
Solarplicity thread thread is at https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4415855/solarplicity-add-your-feedback

anneliese123

Thank you , not great feedback .
Am struggling to find information ref different Utility Companies , if anyone can help ?
I've called a few Comparison Companies Ie Energyhelpline and Uswitch , also checked Martin
Lewis Energy Club , they all seem to give different Comparisons .
Any recommendations as to which Comparison Sites are reputable please ?

Oakdene

Just moved from EoN to EDF energy for my prepayment Gas & Electricity. Based on current usage (yearly figures) I will save £35 a year & also I have claimed £52.50 cashback via TCB.

System

anneliese123 wrote: »

Thank you , not great feedback .
Am struggling to find information ref different Utility Companies , if anyone can help ?
I've called a few Comparison Companies Ie Energyhelpline and Uswitch , also checked Martin
Lewis Energy Club , they all seem to give different Comparisons .
Any recommendations as to which Comparison Sites are reputable please ?

They are all reputable as before they can trade they have to be signed up to Ofgem!!!8217;s Confidence Code. If you use a given postcode and use kWhs/year for gas and electricity consumption, then you will get the same result from any PCW. The only !!!8216;difference!!!8217; might be that suppliers and some comparison sites show unit prices and standing charges excluding VAT. In all cases, the total cost shown will be the same.

[Deleted User]

anneliese123 wrote: »

Thank you , not great feedback .
Am struggling to find information ref different Utility Companies , if anyone can help ?
I've called a few Comparison Companies Ie Energyhelpline and Uswitch , also checked Martin
Lewis Energy Club , they all seem to give different Comparisons .
Any recommendations as to which Comparison Sites are reputable please ?

All 3 sites mentioned are are reputable.
You could try the Citizens Advice Bureau comparison site https://energycompare.citizensadvice.org.uk/

What do you mean by different comparisons?
You need to enter your annual energy used in kWh and just look at the total annual cost. You can get this figure from your previous bills and annual energy statement.
Ignore any savings the comparison website claims, just concentrate on how much it will cost for the next year.

wavelets

anneliese123 wrote: »

Thank you , not great feedback .
Am struggling to find information ref different Utility Companies , if anyone can help ?
I've called a few Comparison Companies Ie Energyhelpline and Uswitch , also checked Martin
Lewis Energy Club , they all seem to give different Comparisons .
Any recommendations as to which Comparison Sites are reputable please ?

Here's the full list of all ofgem accredited energy comparison sites.

Quotezone
www.quotezone.co.uk

The Energy Shop
www.theenergyshop.com

Runpath
www.runpathdigital.com/gas-electricity/

Simply Switch
www.simplyswitch.com

My Utility Genius
www.myutilitygenius.co.uk

Switch Gas and Electric
www.switchgasandelectric.com

Energylinx
www.energylinx.co.uk

Unravel It
www.unravelit.com

Money Supermarket
www.moneysupermarket.com

Energy Helpline
www.energyhelpline.com

uSwitch
www.uswitch.com


So long as you are inputting the same estimated annual consumption in kWh, they should all give the same results.

If you do unfortunately find an inconsistent result, the 2 or more sites that have common results are probably the correct ones, as it would be most unlikely that 2 or more independent sites would make the same error.

Doc_N

From today's Telegraph:

Half of Britain’s energy suppliers face an existential risk after the “Beast from the East” tore through the balance sheets of the industry’s small players.

Thousands of energy customers could be left in limbo due to a high risk that around 10 of the most fragile suppliers are on the brink of going under.

Many hundreds of thousands more bill payers face the risk of sudden !energy tariff hikes because almost 40 suppliers may be forced to squeeze their customers to survive.

If there's any truth in this story it highlights the desirability of going for a company with a sound balance sheet - you won't lose money if your energy company collapses, but it may be messy and you will lose your cheap deal until you can find a replacement.

Shavuot

Doc_N wrote: »

From today's Telegraph:

Half of Britain’s energy suppliers face an existential risk after the “Beast from the East” tore through the balance sheets of the industry’s small players.

Thousands of energy customers could be left in limbo due to a high risk that around 10 of the most fragile suppliers are on the brink of going under.

Many hundreds of thousands more bill payers face the risk of sudden !energy tariff hikes because almost 40 suppliers may be forced to squeeze their customers to survive.

If there's any truth in this story it highlights the desirability of going for a company with a sound balance sheet - you won't lose money if your energy company collapses, but it may be messy and you will lose your cheap deal until you can find a replacement.

Love a good scaremongerer on this site

As you say, "you won't lose money if your energy company collapses", but based on the recent collapses of energy companies, don't suppliers appointed to take over maintain the existing tariff?
(at least where it is a fixed term ... so best to switch away today from any supplier that has you on a variable, ongoing tariff.
e.g. Bulb Energy