Energy usage for comparison sites advice

ascot4

Hi all,

I’m looking for advice on what energy usage I should use while looking at comparison websites.

I try and keep a running 12 month usage average on my gas and electricity for comparison site such as the Cheap Energy Club.

Like if lot of people I’ve been working from home since March 2020 and so my energy usage has gone up significantly in the last 12 months.

Should I use these current figures when making comparisons or use my old pre WFH data on the assumption at some time I will be back in the office in the near future or does it not really matter?

Thanks

Verdigris

That's something I've been pondering since retiring. I put in my "usual" numbers at my last change of suppliers but I am, unusually, running a modest deficit on both accounts at the moment. However, my gas consumption plummets in the non-heating season so I'm going to style it out and see where I end up. Both my suppliers have the facility for top-up payments but I think I'll leave it for a while.

Reed_Richards

The only way it can make a difference is in the trade-off between Standing Charge and Tariff(s).  If your usage is low then the standing charge is a much greater proportion of your the total bill.  With all comparison sites I strongly advise that you hunt down what the standing charge and tariff is, rather than being blinded by whatever monthly payment figures they care to quote.     

Neil_Jones

Always better to overestimate than under.

Remember on comparison sites you're only telling then what you *think* you will use.  What you think you use and what you actually use are two entirely different things.  It only needs a "beast from the east" to stick its backside over us for a while, capping temperatures to -5 and you'll get through more gas and/or electricity than you thought when you took the deal out back in the previous autumn.

niktheguru

Personally I would suggest using an average between last years use and the previous years use. This way you are being cautious. If you just use the post lockdown figures then you may be over estimating.....you don’t want to be paying high direct debits if you can avoid it. (Some people may not be able to afford giving higher amounts of money in direct debits up front)

what I would advise is to keep an eye on usage on a monthly basis, keep an eye on the state of your account to make sure you aren’t in too much credit or debit and be proactive in changing your direct debit.....don’t wait for the companies to “review it” as by then you may have a huge deficit or credit.