Just moved in! Changing suppliers?

dennishopper

Have just this week moved into a property I’ve purchased. This is the first time I’ve ever been responsible for utilities or had any dealings it, rather sherterdly, and I don’t really have anybody near me to help unfortunately. The gas and electric is currently with a company called Boost! I’ve called to advise I’ve moved in, they have sent out a ‘PAYG’ account for me. I’m guessing straight away they aren’t the cheapest? If so, is it an easy process to switch to a different provider? There is also a smart meter type device in the house that shows the amount used! Not sure how this works! Boost said it is separate, all very confusing to me :-(

matelodave

Ok now you've got an account make sure you you've read the meters and sent that info to your supplier - even though they reckon it will do it automatically. It doesn't always, so you should keep your own records. If there's an on-line account make sure you log into it regularly, at least once a month.

PayGo is not the cheapest so get onto a couple of comparison sites to see what's available - ideally you want to switch to a credit account.

Even though you may not have any consumption data, you can make an educated guess (which is what the energy companies do).

Have you got both gas and electricity, how is your house heated (gas, electricity, storage heaters??) You nee to know this befor you can make an estimate. If only electricity, are you on an economy 7 tariff. Look at what you've signed up for. Tell us and someone will help you do some sums.

If you get it right in the beginning then you should be able to control it without the sort of problems that some people manage to achieve by hoping that it sorts it's self out on it's own.

Gerry1

Make sure you select Show Whole Market or whatever on the comparison websites: most will default to showing only those that pay commission and they're seldom the cheapest. Even with a smart meter, always keep records and think in terms of annual cost based on annual kWh usage from actual readings when making future comparisons.

Never think in terms DD amounts because they may or may not be keeping up with your actual usage. There are numerous wails on this forum from people who think that their company has doubled its prices overnight. They haven't; the user hasn't been paying their way sufficiently, so the DD has been increased twice over, once to cover the higher usage and then again to claw back the arrears.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits/#whatyoupay

Similarly, trust the meter on the wall, not the portable device (In Home Display) because it may not have been programmed properly of have out of date info. If you switch you'll probably have to send the new company manual readings.

jbuchanangb

As said get it right now, and you won’t get in a mess. Find the meters and understand how they work. Some electricity meters have dial to read, most just have digital displays. Some are set up for so-called Economy 7 which means they measure electricity at different times of day on different counters. typically 7am to midnight on one counter and midnight to 7am on another one. On the digital meters you have to press buttons to change the display from one to another. Economy 7 is usually so that storage heaters can heat up at night on cheaper electricity, then give out their heat during the day.

Gas meters are usually digital displays, but there are those which measure in 100s of cubic feet, and those which measure in cubic metres. Make sure you know which sort yours is. Gas is charged by the kilowatt hour, which means complicated calculation to get from the meter reading to the energy consumed, and changes every month depending on the strength of the gas, called the calorific value.

I have spreadsheets with all my data since 1983, and I’ve never got in a mess with my energy bills. start as you mean to go on, and you’ll be fine.

Gerry1

Try comparing separate suppliers as well as dual fuel to see which is cheaper. Avoid any form of electric heating (except perhaps occasionally a fan heater for just a few minutes) because it's so much more expensive than gas, probably around 15p per kWh compared to less than 3p.

Consider a gas tumble dryer if you don't already have one. More expensive to purchase and it has to be connected to a gas supply, but it's A+ efficiency and four or five times cheaper to run so it'll pay for itself in the long run.

Having to keep comparing energy suppliers and switching is a pain, but the savings make it very worthwhile. If you're nervous, consider a variable tariff or a fixed tariff with low or zero exit fees. As the name suggests, a variable tariff can increase, but you can leave at any time with no penalty.

dennishopper

All very helpful! Even logging into my ‘current’ supplier, Boost, is proving difficult. It’s disconnected if I don’t ‘top up’ by Thursday. The meter on the boiler doesn’t show any reading. It’s confusing but I will get there.