Energy Switch

pressk

Hi,  I've used the Cheap Energy Club to identify best providers for me.  Some are variable and others are fixed rates.  Am I best to switch to one with a fixed rate if the energy prices are rising? Thanks Karen

Robin9

Lots of discussion on these forums lately. I think the consensus is fixed - but for how long is another discussion. I've just taken fixed  3 year Electric; 2 year gas

JJ_Egan

Dont see a drop over the next two years as the world unwinds from the pandemic .

[Deleted User]

To all intents and purposes, a standard variable tariff taken out now is fixed until the 31st March (assuming all suppliers have taken up their right to charge up to maximum rates permitted under the Ofgem Cap). An option worth considering is a variable tariff with no exit fee. 

willowbrook2

The advice was not to move if energy supplier went bust.  I wanted to try and get in before the hike in Oct so went against advice and got a 2 yr fixed deal with E-on instead of the standard variable tariff which  EDF would have put me on.  Was only £20 in credit so if it takes ages to get back wasn't to bothered.

VT41

willowbrook2 said:

The advice was not to move if energy supplier went bust.  I wanted to try and get in before the hike in Oct so went against advice and got a 2 yr fixed deal with E-on instead of the standard variable tariff which  EDF would have put me on.  Was only £20 in credit so if it takes ages to get back wasn't to bothered.

The hike is for the variable tariffs which are based in a medium usage. (£1270 cap)

For those like me who is 1person flat, let’s assume the cap is increased to £1500 for the variable tariffs which is a medium 3 person house ) . Given I’m one person I’m 60% . 60% of 1500 = 900

It doesn’t add up to get a 2 year fix at approximately £90 per month. £1080 year

BJBurton

I have a specific query and I am new to the MSE forum.  Please direct me to another thread if you believe I may get better advice elsewhere.

I sort out the energy bills and contracts for my Dad.  He is just coming to the end of a British Gas Energy Plus Protection Jan 2022 V4 contract.

I concur with advice to let his contract lapse and for him to go onto the standard variable tariff which will be capped until March 2022 BUT

1. Even though he has been a BG customer for nearly a year and recently recieved a repayment from his BG account, as his direct debit of £95 was way in excess of his consumption, they are still over estimating his consumption.  How do I get BG to use his actual annual consumption in Kwh instead of their own guesstimates? 
2. If he goes onto the standard variable tariff by default how do I make sure he still gets the homecare element of his current deal?

I cannot find any email contact for British Gas and the online chat option seems absent today.  I cant pretend this is an emergency and don't want to clog the phone lines.

I dont really want to move Dad's energy contract away from British Gas because of the volatility in the market and the loss of lots of smaller companies makes me nervous.

Any suggestions?

molerat

1) Give regular meter reads - does he do that ?

2) He will have to sign up and pay for it separately - you need to do the sums to see which is the best option price wise.