Gas De-Energisation / Energisation Costs / Low User / Just Switched - Help!

staffsuk

Hi all

So I switched today from Eon (recently reverted to their standard variable rate) to Scottish Power (Fixed Price August 2024 YM1 Online - no early exit fees) via Quidco, which gives £140 cashback for a dual-fuel switch. It was £160 cashback yesterday

Anyway, I am a VERY low gas user, as I only use gas for my hob. I have used one unit (circa 13kWh) in 7 years. I am now wondering if I might be better to have my gas de-energised instead? I was previously on a tariff with Eon that was £30 / year standing charge for gas. Yet all of the fixed tariffs available now with decent cashback, like the one I just switched to, are around £94 / year.

I contacted Eon and they replied to state their gas de-energisation / energisation costs are £91.60. I don't know what the costs are from Scottish Power, I have emailed them to enquire.

So I'm trying to work out what would be best for me? Retain the gas, and pay the high standing charge for practically no usage, or pay to have the gas de-energised until I might possibly need it again at some point in the future. I can use a standalone induction hob in place of the gas hob in the meantime. I am aware that single fuel switches offer less cashback, and possibly higher electricity rates. Also I'm not sure how de-energising my gas would affect my contract with Scottish Power if I stay with them and have them do it, if the charge is acceptable. I think it takes anything up to 8 months for the cashback to be paid from reading their T&Cs, not sure how long it takes in reality.

Oh my - what to do?!

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks!

staffsuk

OK - so I just received my cashback from Quidco for my switch to Scottish Power. I wonder if anyone could advise re: disconnecting / de-energising my gas meter, and what the likely costs would be to re-connect it in the future? Would it depend on the supplier, or is it down to the National Grid?

Thanks

QrizB

It will be done by tyour supplier.

Costs of between £100 and £200 are often quoted, although Octopus are rumoured to do it for free.

MWT

To avoid the standing charge you will need to get the meter removed, that is your suppliers responsibility so Scottish Power should be able to give you a quote for that.

Ideally you will want to stop at that point and just have the supply capped where the meter was located, as that leaves you with the cheapest route back to having a supply if you or a subsequent occupier wants to use the gas again.

The gas distribution network is operated by different entities depending upon where you are located...

If your supply remains without a meter then at some point the distributor may decide to cap your supply further back on the system effectively requiring you to pay a much larger sum to reinstall the pipes between the house and the main supply if you ever wanted to get the gas meter reinstalled.

So you need to be sure this is a path that makes financial sense in the medium term.

markin

So how are you heating, or do you not?

EssexHebridean

markin said:

So how are you heating, or do you not?

Plenty of people (us included!) use electricity for heating even when they do in fact have gas to the property. In our case it is because the property has always been heated electrically, and the level of upheaval to have GSH installed would be horrific - think either huge amounts of concrete dust from channelling out or surface run pipes everywhere! 

staffsuk

Just on to Scottish Power & Cadent now to get a cost for de-energising the gas meter, and enquiring about the cost / tariff implications. I'm currently on their Dual Fuel Fixed Price August 2024 Ym1 Online with no exit fees.

I have no central heating, or rather I don't use it. I do have an oil radiator I've switched on when it's been ball-freezingly cold. We're tough up North!

staffsuk

OK - so I have more information now. Scottish Power would charge £124.63 to de-energise / remove the gas meter. If there was no gas usage after 6 months, then between 6 months and a year Cadent would remove the gas pipe from the gas main to the property, at no cost. They said there is no way this can be stopped, unless I were to start using gas again before they removed the pipe. If I then wanted to use gas again in the future, Cadent would charge £513 to install a new pipe from the gas main to the property, and Scottish Power (if I were still with them) would charge £124.63 to install / energise a meter. Both these costs will increase at a future date. Currently I'm paying £97 / year just for the gas standing charge, and I don't use any gas. Seems like I'm trapped / stuck with paying the £97 standing charge if I want to possibly use gas again in the future, or pay more than £762 to have it disconnected / reconnected... 

MWT

staffsuk said:

Seems like I'm trapped / stuck with paying the £97 standing charge if I want to possibly use gas again in the future, or pay more than £762 to have it disconnected / reconnected... 

Pretty much exactly what I posted earlier...

Glad you've got the numbers, the decision really hangs on just how likely it is that you would want the gas reconnected any time soon...

I assume you own the property or you wouldn't be able to do this anyway, but as long as you are sure you don't want gas it just means there is an impact on the resale value if you want to sell, or a cost to reconnect at that time if you feel it is impacting saleability.

staffsuk

@MWT, yes, kinda stuck either way. I own the property, and will likely be here for the foreseeable. I used to be with Ebico when they had no standing charges, which was great for me. I'm not aware of any suppliers now with zero standing charges for gas, but I will check again.

QrizB

staffsuk said:

@MWT, yes, kinda stuck either way. I own the property, and will likely be here for the foreseeable. I used to be with Ebico when they had no standing charges, which was great for me. I'm not aware of any suppliers now with zero standing charges for gas, but I will check again.

Just because there aren't any today (and there aren't, because if there were someone would have started a thread about it) it doesn't mean there won't be any in a couple of years' time.

I have no central heating, or rather I don't use it. I do have an oil radiator I've switched on when it's been ball-freezingly cold. We're tough up North!

While you've got gas, it will probably be cheaper to run the GCH when it's ball-freezingly cold rather than the oil-filled radiator.
Similarly gas-heated water is normally cheaper than electrically-heated water.