New energy customer - which supplier to choose?

PirateSwan

Hi all, I have just bought a house and am not in an existing contract with an energy supplier. I have looked at the Cheap Energy Club, which suggests OVO but they quoted me as being at £150 a month - surely there's someone cheaper - I'm only moving into a two bed terraced. I'm wondering if anyone's had any joy with any other supplier? I've never owned a house before and am terrified at the prices being asked for.

pochase

You are wrong, you are in a contract with an energy supplier. You are automatically on a deemed tariff with whoever currently supplies your new house.

When you move in you need to take meter readings and contact the current supplier to open an account. Don't let them sell you a fixed tariff, you are already a customer and and they need to put you onto the SVT.

After 21 days you can change the supplier, only problem will be that only EDF and Octopus will allow you on their SVT, and only if you phone them. Octopus seems to be now a hit and miss, people report that they need several tries to join Octopus depending on the agent.

I have no idea if the £150 is cheap or not without any information on the unit rates and what you expect to use in energy. Most likely you have been quoted a fixed tariff for a new customer, and that is very likely very expensive.

PirateSwan

Thanks so much, appreciate your input. The whole thing is terrifying me! 

Petriix

If you do manage to switch to Octopus then be sure to use a referral code to get yourself a £50 bonus.

pochase

Just to give you an idea, 6000KWh gas and 1450KWh electricity, which is half the number used by Ofgem for their cap calculations will be currently £92 per month and £132 with the predicted increase in October.

 

PirateSwan

That's worth knowing. I am being quoted £150 a month just for electricity usage by new providers. 

pochase

Is the new house electricity only if they only quote you for electricity?

Are there storage heater or panel heater/radiators? Did they quote you for single tariff or for E7?

If the house does not have a GCH hopefully you have at least storage heater and E7 tariff with a cheaper night rate. Using "normal single rate" electricity for heating with a panel heaters or radiators is the most expensive type for heating.

Gerry1

PirateSwan said:

I am being quoted £150 a month just for electricity usage by new providers. 

That's not a quotation, it's a guesstimate because nobody knows what your actual usage will be.  And in any case, only the kWh and daily charges would be quoted: it's never All You Can Eat, so a Fixed Monthly Direct Debit would only be a contribution to a kitty which may or may not be sufficient to pay the bills.  Your Direct Debit is not your bill.

Don't think in ££, think in annual kWh usage and do the sums.  Don't let anyone read the meters for you, especially the opening readings, always do it yourself.

Find My Gas Supplier

Find My Electricity Supplier (two stage, find your DNO then visit their website to find your supplier)

PirateSwan

@pochase The new house is electricity only but am having GCH put in. Previously -17 years ago - the gas supplier was NPower - so I would have to go to them as a new supplier?

pochase

So the house was empty for the last 17 years?

Try the links @Gerry1 posted and see who is listed as your supplier.

PirateSwan

@pochase House wasn't empty but the vendor refused to have gas, and the supply was capped. Will do as you said. Thank you