Which energy providers offer variable direct debit?

mjm3346

Whole bill by DD every quarter SSE  - if the bill is an estimate I can read the meter and they will amend it (only once been far enough out to bother changing it)

[Deleted User]

Neil_Jones said:

nottsphil said:

You go on comparison sites, find a half decent deal (which invariably has to be direct debit) but then find you have to pay a set amount every month, which from various threads here gets vastly inflated in order to  provide suppliers with free working capital. This thread  is for those of us capable of doing the simple arithmetic to estimate the bills and fund our current accounts accordingly, so I don't want it to turn into a discussion about the  merits of budgeting. 
Thanks.

I have lived where I do now for over ten years and not once in any of that time has a direct debit from any energy supplier I've been with been "vastly inflated".

British Gas inflated my payments by 33% from £69 to £92 .11, then by the end of the year my usage turned out to be £70.48, within 2% of what I said it would be. They're just a bit paranoid about getting lumbered with a customer who can't budget, and having to dump a large final bill on them that they can't afford to pay off.

sparky0138

One of the things I loved about being with Bulb was that it's very easy to set your own direct debit amount online though your account. I think you have to wait until the first payment comes out though, then you can change it.

chriskross

fira said:

Shell Energy do. I input my readings on their website on the 19th of every month, they generate a downloadable bill and a few weeks later their direct debit is passed against my account for the exact amount due since the 20th of the previous month.

I switched to First Utility several years ago because they offered smart meters. Since then I've had an email each month detailing the exact costs for the month, based on what the meters transmit each day. I've had another email suggesting I would get lower bills on a different tariff, but when I look at the details it seems to depend on fixed DDs each month based on estimates (one thing I changed to SMs to get away from). When I sent a query I got a reply saying I'd need to phone/email/login each month to give readings!! What's the point of smart meters if they can't use the information they're providing?

Another annoyance: on the Web site I can look at my usage over the last 12 months and before, but when I downloaded the app it said I need a smart meter to see that information!

I know mine are not SMETS2, but they've been sending reading without problem for years.