3 days to end of So Energy contract; only So Flex variable offered/no details

meadowgrass

Hello, I don't want to be with So Energy, but, after a lot of research, and for various reasons, they unfortunately are the least worst, despite e.g. 6 months lack of response when emailing about disability/cold/having to use an oil fire a lot and asking about 24-hour tariffs ... even when they did reply, there was no reference about tariff only overwhelming information about what is involved in raising the meter, which I'd also broached and have now cancelled via email.

When I go to my account page and click through renewal, only So Flex variable option is shown, but no details. It's an out-of-contract tariff, yet I'm not out of contract. I have an Economy 10 mechanical meter I'm happy to continue with, but don't know if So Flex is a 24-hour tariff or 10 hours; can't find information anywhere. I'd prefer 24 hours/more warmth, but, like most likely everyone, would prefer some kind of fixed tariff. I don't know if everyone is being forced into variable tariffs, but don't want to call up and be railroaded into anything, so would be grateful for any advice.

pochase

Do you mean single rate electricity when you are saying 24-hour tariff?

SO Flex will be the SVT, it can be found as out-of-contract on their web site.

https://www.so.energy/so-out-of-contract-tariff/

SO Energy is still supporting E10, you can get single rate and E10 as SVT.

Not sure why you would want a single rate for more warmth. It will be more expensive for the cheap hours, and the day rate is only 2p cheaper than the day rate of the economy tariff.

meadowgrass

Thanks @pochase for response. Sorry, I should have said that am only electric, no gas. Heating for 10 hours in the day with economy 10, but was told by housing association staff that could switch to 24-hour heating via this meter, if ask supplier, which seems preferable, with finding this last 6 months to be colder.

With not mentioning other tariffs, are you saying that So Flex is the only one So Energy are offering everyone? I'm not out-of-contract either, so it seems 'off' that this So Flex is all that comes up as an option on the site.  

pochase

I hope you mean with "10 hours in the day" a 24hour period, not that you used heating during the day.

E10 as I know it often has a time period at night and a short period (3 hours most of the time) with cheaper rates.

I assume that out of contract for SO means that you are not on a fixed tariff, but on their SVT (Flex). It is not unlikely that might not have a fixed tariff but I am unable to check, they will not offer me SVT or any fixed tariff. Did they send you an email that your fix is ending? Did they offer you a fixed tariff or only Flex? If the later they don't have any fixed tariffs at the moment.

What type of electric heating do you have? Storage heaters or panel heaters? I am surprised that your housing association would tell you to go onto single rate, even with panel heating I am not sure that would benefit you.

Do you know how many KWh you used the last 12 months at day and at night rate? What were your unit rates?

I am afraid you are looking at a very big increase in your energy cost.

meadowgrass

Thanks again @pochase Yes, 10 hours across 24 hours. I am on So Cherry, which is fixed, ending on 25 July ... oops, not June, so it's not 3 days but 33 days ie definitely not out-of-contract. No emails from them about renewal due soon, so no offers to date.

It was storage heaters, but Eco Dan system with radiators was put in a few years ago, and house colder since, but particularly this year. I had wondered about the advice I was given, but was willing if it would provide heat at any time in the day and avoid use of oil-filled radiator.

Not great at working out the KWh etc, but have just downloaded a statement from last april/may and then this april/may, so will compare ...

april/may 2021 ... daily 120.7, nightly 175.7

april/may 2022 ... daily 323.7, nightly 167.9

... activities/energy use haven't changed, except having had to use an oil-filled radiator a lot over the last 6 colder months

april/may 2021 readings ... 14708 day, 16138 night

april/may 2022 readings ... 17739 day, 18202 night

And they won't offer you fixed or variable?

All these energy companies are absolute cowboys, and it's a disgrace how high the costs are going for everyone. Just trying not to get railroaded into a variable where they can raise charges any time ... if everyone is being offered variable, that's not good at all.

pochase

Except for EDF no supplier will offer you a SVT, and almost nobody will offer you fixed rate. They are not cowboys, they are losing money on the customers, so they don't want new customers.

The out of contract is what they are offering you, the SVT for everybody who is not on a fixed tariff, and once you are on it you you have finished with your fix that is what you will be.

You need to learn to use their terminology, when you asked for a 24 hour tariff nobody would have known what you want, it is called a single rate tariff. That is most likely why they did not answer.

I have dropped you figures into my spreadsheet. The SVT you will be paying from next month is based on Eastern region, so it might be a few £ off, but it will be not by much.

For October SVT I have added just the 50% to the unit rate. For E7 and E10 the suppliers can decide themselves how to split, so we have no idea what will happen. Best educated guess is the 50% increase and it will give you at least an idea.


Here is what you would pay at single rate for the same usage at current SVT.



 You would pay £100 more on a single rate for a year.

QrizB

meadowgrass said:

It was storage heaters, but Eco Dan system with radiators was put in a few years ago, and house colder since, but particularly this year. I had wondered about the advice I was given, but was willing if it would provide heat at any time in the day and avoid use of oil-filled radiator.

Ecodan is a brand used by Mitsubishi for their heat pumps. If you have a heat pump it's likely that a single-rate tariff would work out cheaper and you might end up with a warmer house too.

If you need advice on setting up a heat pump for maximum efficiency there are many experienced owners on the "other fuels" and "green & ethical" sub-forums.

meadowgrass

@pochase If an energy company doesn't know what I mean when I say '24-hour heating tariff' that's really not impressive, and it's ignorant to not respond for 6 months, particularly when referencing disability and being too cold; to this day they haven't addressed this. The PSR is supposed to stand for something.

Thanks for looking at the numbers. Unsure why the Eastern region was chosen, but So Energy quotes £138 for So Flex, based on estimated energy usage between 2021-07-26 and 2022-07-26 of 5693.40 kWh electricity, so you're not far off. I imagine everyone's crossing their fingers regarding October and ongoing beyond that.

meadowgrass

QrizB said:

meadowgrass said:

It was storage heaters, but Eco Dan system with radiators was put in a few years ago, and house colder since, but particularly this year. I had wondered about the advice I was given, but was willing if it would provide heat at any time in the day and avoid use of oil-filled radiator.

Ecodan is a brand used by Mitsubishi for their heat pumps. If you have a heat pump it's likely that a single-rate tariff would work out cheaper and you might end up with a warmer house too.

If you need advice on setting up a heat pump for maximum efficiency there are many experienced owners on the "other fuels" and "green & ethical" sub-forums.

Thanks @QrizB Will take a look. A relief to hear that single rate may work better with the Ecodan. So Energy are only showing the So Flex tariff when I click through, and "There was an error: Request failed with status code 400" when try to search for tariffs via postcode. All I know is that So Flex is variable, and has day and night unit rates showing, so I think it's Economy 10/10 hours heat, not single rate/24-hour heat. I'll need to call up So Energy, if I can get through, to ask where information about single rate tariffs is ... this is what I'd emailed them about last December, and since, but unfortunately without response.

pochase

Why don't you just click the link I have posted already yesterday?

https://www.so.energy/so-out-of-contract-tariff/

meadowgrass

Yes, thanks @pochase I appreciate that, but I'm not being offered any single rate, so would need to call So Energy, which I'm hoping works (concerned as emails have been taking 6 months to get a reply, and even then not helpful). Confused at it called out-of-contract, as I'm not out of contract ... are they misusing terminology to say it's the contract most will get put on regardless, once any current contract ends?