Cheap Energy Tariffs

Alfie2020

My current gas tariff ends at the end of June.  Am a very low user as only have a gas cooker.  We are on a good tariff with Scottish Power at the moment.  Looking at the market generally whilst the unit price is low the standing charges are being hiked up.  At present am paying 4.494p/kwh and 10.96p standing charge.  All the tariffs I can find have a standing charge of at least double this.  There is no way on our usage that we can get anything similar let alone cheaper.  We current pay £79 a year and the cheapest I have found so far is £122 a year which is quite a hike.  Electricity tariff doesn't end until September and again have been unable to find anything remotely similar at present (though there is still time on that one).  Have looked at dual fuel and still no go.  It doesn't seem fair that standing charges are so high, especially for low users.  Can anyone help with something I haven't thought of.  I've gone through all the comparison websites.

Alfie2020

Seeing and hearing all about the low gas prices at the moment and knowing my current tariff runs out at the end of June, I decided to take a serious look at what was around.  I am a low usage householde as only have a gas cooker.  Currently on the lowest tariff I could find which amounts to around £80 a year.  Looking at the new tariffs a lot have a lower unit price but the standing charge is double.  It looks to me that the companies are hiking the daily standing charge to offset the low energy price.  Can anyone suggest anything that might help.  I've gone through all the comparison sites.

Neil_Jones

What do you have for heating?  Do you not have central heating?

MWT

Unfortunately you are not the type of customer that most energy suppliers are trying to attract.

It doesn't cost them any less to manage your supply, account, billing etc and they don't get to make much of a margin on the gas you consume, so yes, it does seem that most suppliers are opting to raise standing charges and reduce consumption costs so they can see a basic profit on the account regardless of how little gas you use.

Not what you want to hear I'm sure, but if you've looked around and calculated the total cost for what you know you use each year then there isn't much more you can do...

Glad

Alfie2020 said:

Seeing and hearing all about the low gas prices at the moment and knowing my current tariff runs out at the end of June, I decided to take a serious look at what was around.  I am a low usage householde as only have a gas cooker.  Currently on the lowest tariff I could find which amounts to around £80 a year.  Looking at the new tariffs a lot have a lower unit price but the standing charge is double.  It looks to me that the companies are hiking the daily standing charge to offset the low energy price.  Can anyone suggest anything that might help.  I've gone through all the comparison sites.

Have you tried the MSE Cheap Energy Club

brewerdave

Looking back over the last 10 years or so on my spreadsheets ,at standing charges from multiple suppliers,  I've never paid less than 14.7p per day inc VAT which equates to £53.65 pa for gas. 
If the only thing you need gas for ,is a cooker ,you possibly might be better off installing a cheap electric cooker and have the gas supply capped off?

MWT

brewerdave said:

If the only thing you need gas for ,is a cooker ,you possibly might be better off installing a cheap electric cooker and have the gas supply capped off?

The cost of doing that and the subsequent increased cost of electricity used vs gas for the cooker make that a bad choice.

Especially given the fact that having gas available is rapidly becoming a positive feature of a property.

I'd be looking at ways to make more use of the fact that gas is available, for heating for example as it is much easier to see a pay-back for removing electricity as your heating source than it is for replacing gas as a cooking method.

burntwood

MWT said:

brewerdave said:

If the only thing you need gas for ,is a cooker ,you possibly might be better off installing a cheap electric cooker and have the gas supply capped off?

The cost of doing that and the subsequent increased cost of electricity used vs gas for the cooker make that a bad choice.

...

You can by an awful lot of leccy for a cooker for £80 a year.

Gas is actually going out of favour. Suggestion is that gas boilers will be banned from new homes from this year
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1183777/Gas-boiler-ban-boris-Johnson-green

with plans to ban from all homes by 2050
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/02/08/homeowners-could-forced-replace-gas-boilers-ensure-uk-meets/

MWT

burntwood said:

You can by an awful lot of leccy for a cooker for £80 a year.

£80 + cost of the cooker + cost of capping off the gas ... and with gas typically at a quarter or less of the cost of electricity per kWh it isn't going to be a fast pay-back, if it is actually cheaper to run at all..

The drive to stop installing new homes with gas and the possibility of banning gas in another 30 years or so has nothing to do with cost savings, just attempts to hit various green commitments so while they may be considered laudable objectives they do not necessarily align with individual choices and budgets...

burntwood

Alfie2020 said:

Seeing and hearing all about the low gas prices at the moment and knowing my current tariff runs out at the end of June, I decided to take a serious look at what was around.  I am a low usage householde as only have a gas cooker.  Currently on the lowest tariff I could find which amounts to around £80 a year.  Looking at the new tariffs a lot have a lower unit price but the standing charge is double.  It looks to me that the companies are hiking the daily standing charge to offset the low energy price.  Can anyone suggest anything that might help.  I've gone through all the comparison sites.

If, as you say, you've used a few comparison sites, and are sure you have found the best deal for you on offer, then that will be the best deal on offer for you.

MWT

Thought it looked familiar...

Sorry OP, I've not seen anything better for you since the last time you asked.