Moving house. Cheapest gas and Electricity supplier

Robwill87

Hi all, 
In our current house we are on key meter for both gas and electric. We are moving next week to our first owned home. We are looking for the cheapest tariff. I'm not very clued up with all of this so asking for help and advice. As far as what we pay now I would estimate this to be at around 75 a month combined. Our new house is detached and has 4 bedrooms and a large lounge. 2 adults and one child will live there. So many options I'm struggling to pick one. Any advice I would be really greatful. Thanks

Talldave

Read and photograph meters on moving in day. Contact incumbent suppliers and open accounts, don't get talked into agreeing to a tariff with exit fees.

Then it's off to a comparison site, like the Citizens Advice one. You don’t know consumption figures because you're new there (although the incumbent suppliers might have an idea), so you use a rough guess, say 3500kWh electricity and 20,000kWh gas. Gas consumption will vary wildly based on insulation levels and how hot you like it. You will be spending more than £75 a month on a decent sized 4 bed detached. When I was in a 1970s 4 bed detached, gas consumption was 26,000kWh, but partner at the time liked it hot! My 20,000kWh suggestion is deliberately pessimistic.

When the comparison site asks for current supplier, pick a random one and select a standard tariff. This choice is irrelevant to you because it's used to show savings, which are meaningless.  Ignore "savings" and look at annual cost. Do this for dual fuel and separate supplies, the latter is usually cheapest (illogical). 

Once you make choices and switch, read meters weekly or monthly and track your consumption (most gas meters read in m3, multiply by 11.2 to get approximate kWh). Gas consumption will be massive at this time of year compared to summer so don't panic too much. But you may have to adjust estimates of annual consumption and direct debits if your original guesses were way out.

macman

There is no universal 'cheapest: it depends on postcode and kWh usage.
Hopefully your new property will have credit meters, as PPM's are much more expensive.

Hasbeen

As per 2 posts above. On comparison site get rates for dual fuel. Then just Electric separately. Then Gas separately.

Then work out costs / rates to get dual or separate suppliers.

jbuchanangb

Read and photograph meters on moving in day. Contact incumbent suppliers and open accounts, don't get talked into agreeing to a tariff with exit fees.

Can't emphasise enough how important this is. You must sign up straightaway with whichever supplier(s) the previous occupier was using, but on a tariff without exit fees. Then you do your comparisons. When I moved house a couple of years ago I was on Scottish Powers standard variable tariff for the total of 17 days, but it had to be done.