British Gas: Fix ending

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

Hi, 

I have had notification that our fixed tariff is coming to an end. BG are wanting to move us to their variable tariff which they say is the cheapest for us. 

I appreciate all the bills have gone up etc and there's an energy crisis but is there anything I can do to ensure I am on the best tariff for us? Usually it is done automatically through MSE tool .... 

Thanks

[Deleted User]

All tariffs are now basically the same, unless you are on Economy 7.

SaverRate

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel said:

Hi, 

I have had notification that our fixed tariff is coming to an end. BG are wanting to move us to their variable tariff which they say is the cheapest for us. 

I appreciate all the bills have gone up etc and there's an energy crisis but is there anything I can do to ensure I am on the best tariff for us? Usually it is done automatically through MSE tool .... 

Thanks

Octopus variable is the cheapest variable tariff at the moment I believe. (Assuming your not on E7)

You will need to call them to ask to switch. They then send you a link to switch. 

[Deleted User]

SaverRate said:

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel said:

Hi, 

I have had notification that our fixed tariff is coming to an end. BG are wanting to move us to their variable tariff which they say is the cheapest for us. 

I appreciate all the bills have gone up etc and there's an energy crisis but is there anything I can do to ensure I am on the best tariff for us? Usually it is done automatically through MSE tool .... 

Thanks

Octopus variable is the cheapest variable tariff at the moment I believe. (Assuming your not on E7)

You will need to call them to ask to switch. They then send you a link to switch. 

By about 3p a day on standing charge (dual fuel), and at the same unit prices.

Personally, I don't think that's worth switching for - hence saying all single rate tariffs are basically the same.

SaverRate

Its still a saving though.

Personally I and other family members have had awful service from British Gas in the past and having switched them to Octopus they are finding the customer service much better. This is worth switching for in my opinion 

[Deleted User]

SaverRate said:

Its still a saving though.

Personally I and other family members have had awful service from British Gas in the past and having switched them to Octopus they are finding the customer service much better. This is worth switching for in my opinion 

Switch for customer service reasons?  No problem.  Switch for different billing method?  No problem.  Switch for better website or app?  No problem.

Advise someone who is asking about "best value tariff" to switch, for no other reason that they can save 3p per day?  Extreme.

Phones4Chris

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel you are lucky you got that notification before your fixed tariff ended.
Whilst I knew mine was going to end, BG sent me an email early September saying my fixed tariff (which ran until 31st October - ie beyond the 1st October cap increase) was currently still the best one to be one and they would advise nearer the time what the options would be. Well they didn't!
Not that it really mattered because I already knew and I also knew there weren't any real options, it was standard variable tariff.
But the "joke" is, on the 11th November I received a "letter" (my comms preferences set for email which is how everything else has arrived). The letter was dated 23rd September (!!!) and was telling my fixed tariff HAD finished on the 31st October !! You just can't make this stuff up. A friend in a totally different part of the country had exactly the same arriving on the 11th November.

As has already been said, the single tariff SVRs are pretty much the same whoever the supplier. Even EDF/Octopus E7 rates are almost identical for DD payment! If you are happy with the service from BG, your choice to switch.
I've had abysmal service from BG in the past as have others here, the letter situation just follows the same path, so I'm out of there and my supplier should change in a couple of days time.

freckledmelon

I don't understand why for E7 rates the day usage tariff is higher let alone significantly higher than a std day usage rate. Received a letter this morning from BG "We made a mistake with your energy tariff". So, I checked with BG via chat and was told, as I suspected, if I had been set up on an E7 tariff I would have paid more and will be paying more than I currently am doing if I opted to change.
With media news that trials are running to use energy off peak demand (early evening) and given that I understand E7 night rates are much lower due to lower nighttime usage demand on the grid why on Earth are day rates much higher on an E7 tariff than on a standard tariff? Why, other than the obvious to make as much money as is possible from consumers?

pochase

Who do you believe would be on a single rate tariff if the day rate would be the same and night rates are cheaper?

The way E7 works is that day rates are more expensive, and night rates are cheaper. So E7 can be cheaper or more expensive, depending how much you use at night.

Gerry1

The daytime rates have always been higher on E7, right back to when it was introduced by the nationalised Electricity Boards.  Same applied to the old 8-hours White Meter tariff.  The standing charges were also higher.

It was just a slightly deceitful way to allow them to market so-called 'Half Price Electricity'.

EssexHebridean

freckledmelon said:

I don't understand why for E7 rates the day usage tariff is higher let alone significantly higher than a std day usage rate. Received a letter this morning from BG "We made a mistake with your energy tariff". So, I checked with BG via chat and was told, as I suspected, if I had been set up on an E7 tariff I would have paid more and will be paying more than I currently am doing if I opted to change.
With media news that trials are running to use energy off peak demand (early evening) and given that I understand E7 night rates are much lower due to lower nighttime usage demand on the grid why on Earth are day rates much higher on an E7 tariff than on a standard tariff? Why, other than the obvious to make as much money as is possible from consumers?

Would you be better off if you simply paid the standard current EPG rate for ALL your electricity? If so, then perhaps E7 isn't right for you and a switch to single rate would be in order.  In our case, we currently pay 15p a unit off peak - but 44p at peak rate. As we use on average around 75% of our electricity overnight, this represents a substantial saving for us though! 

Ultimately, expecting (by comparison to the EPG single rates) super-cheap electricity overnight, AND EPG rates during the day doesn't seem entirely reasonable to me...perhaps you can clarify why you think that those on E7 should be paying lower unit rates overall than those not on E7?