British Gas price cap confusion!

cluelessnurse

Hello,

I am SO confused about this new price cap - can anyone with the know-how help me!?

I have the electricity on direct debit with a standard variable on a smart meter with British Gas.  I finally got rid of a pre-payment meter last week for the gas (electrical problems, had to get a new ryland board fitted) and now have a standard meter, they could not fit a smart meter as the property is old full of 'quirks'.  The tariff they are asking for is

Gas:

Standard unit rate 7.912 p per kWh

Standing charge 34.340p per day

Electricity: 

Standard unit rate 31.192 p per kWh

Standing charge 38.183p per day

However, on this website, it says that the new energy price cap is lower than this:

Gas

Unit rate: 7.51p per kilowatt hour (kWh)

Standing charge: 29.11p per day

Electricity

Unit rate: 30.11p per kWh

Standing charge: 52.97p per day

This means my bill is predicted to be about £450 more than the average bill, as stated on this website as £2,074.

Can anyone tell me if this is right?  The lady on the phone said they would check my account regularly and adjust the payments according.  I've just set up a joint DD for both fuels - have I done the wrong thing?  I still have 14 days to cancel - so just wanted to check.  Thank you in advance!!!

CSI_Yorkshire

cluelessnurse said:

This means my bill is predicted to be about £450 more than the average bill, as stated on this website as £2,074.

Firstly, this £2074 is entirely irrelevant to you.  If your actual usage is more than the 'typical' used for the cap, your bill will be more.  If your actual usage is less, your bill will be less.

cluelessnurse said:

Gas:

Standard unit rate 7.912 p per kWh

Standing charge 34.340p per day

Electricity: 

Standard unit rate 31.192 p per kWh

Standing charge 38.183p per day

They do look higher than the price cap though.

Are you sure they're not offering you a fixed tariff?  14 days to cancel would seem very strange for standard variable - that's what they put you on if you do cancel.

Gerry1

Which region are you in?

molerat

34.34p is pay on receipt of bill gas SC

7.912p is London pay on receipt of bill gas unit charge

The electricity prices are London DD rates.

You need to speak to them to get the gas put on the DD.

The prices you are comparing to are national average so irrelevant in the real world.

Scot_39

It seems BG are mixing up your rates.  Maybe not surprising given a very recent change.

You don't mention your region - but luckily gas sc isn't regional.

So those gas rates appear to be standard credit - pay on receipt of bill if you like - Ofgem cap - not direct debit for the standing charge.

The gas unit rate suggests for London region.

Your 29.11p 7.51 search luckily should be near correct for DD payment - edf say s Lond DD 7.511p

.

Not sure where you got the 52.97p electric figure - for electric though.  Oops just seen it in the MSE table - they really should know better than to publish such figures. Its as meaningless to an individuals actual bill as the headline also just an average £2074 cap.
But to be fair if you read the footnotes - they do make it clear just the average price across all supply regions.
And for electric that really matters. 
According to edf tables - no one region, no payment method pays that figure for sr electric - there's c£85 regional variation in Ofgem DD SR SC - edf gives Lon DD = c38p NW Mersey nearer 62p

The electric rates quoted by BG do appear to be Ofgem cap for direct debit in London region.  (Which has the lowest regional SC  by DD the only one below 40p).


So it's still a bit of a confusing mess if your paying for both now under DD - your gas rates should have been lower than that quoted figure.
By luck as gas SC isn't regional - also the MSE table - well within 0.001p / kWh.

Be careful not to confuse standard meter (not smart) or standard variable tariff with standard credit payment terms and rates - which might just have added to rates confusion in conversations.

But nor does it appear to have been based on your old prepay meter rate (a higher still 37.8p sc for gas with edf)

Thev14 day noitce - might be normal for transition from prepay - as even DD is a credit agreement of sorts - but just worried they quoted you non DD rates.  But you might just want to check not a fix unless you asked for a fix.


So can you confirm supply region.

I think its London from some of the rates quoted by you and BG 

And new tariff name.  Is it a 12m fix - the only recent one I am aware of from posts here isn't that far from svt anyway ?


The Ofgem Standard Variable cap for DD payment in London should be - using edf pricing table as a guide rather than doing maths 

38.18 sc, 31.19 kWh electric, 29.11 sc, 7.511 kWh gas.

I would be tempted to ring them and check those gas rates again.

Before the 14 day period expires in case it is a fix.  BG only allow out of current fix to other fix without fee iirc other posts.