Changing providers/tarriffs, over the phone or website clicks?

double_dutchy

quartzz said:

absolutely, it's just the standing charges and the rates which I wouldn't be surprised if "somehow" increased during the fixed rate. 

You'll have a contract that locks in those rates, so they won't go up. It's not like some other bills, e.g. BT when they are allowed to increase mid contract based on CPI, that doesn't happen with energy fixed rates.

quartzz

born_again, we are classed as South Western (nr gloucester) so in fact the standing charge my smart meter is showing right now, is actually 1p cheaper than on that table

but today I've done some spreadsheeting with different energy providers (Eon, EDF, Octopus, British Gas, OVO), and the standing charge for this postcode has come out at about 61p to 63p per day (currently paying 67p), and the unit rate I'm currently paying is about the same as that table, but, the unit rate octopus quoted for this postcode is 1 or 2p cheaper than the 24p the meter is currently showing

dd - ok, thanks. fingers X'd there isn't something buried in the TC's

born_again

quartzz said:

born_again, we are classed as South Western (nr gloucester) so in fact the standing charge my smart meter is showing right now, is actually 1p cheaper than on that table

but today I've done some spreadsheeting with different energy providers (Eon, EDF, Octopus, British Gas, OVO), and the standing charge for this postcode has come out at about 61p to 63p per day (currently paying 67p), and the unit rate I'm currently paying is about the same as that table, but, the unit rate octopus quoted for this postcode is 1 or 2p cheaper than the 24p the meter is currently showing

dd - ok, thanks. fingers X'd there isn't something buried in the TC's

Smart meters do not show charges. Do you mean the In Home Device which may not be correct, unless your supplier has updated it, since 1st Oct.

But from looking at my account with Octopus. S/C is 66.26p compared to the link which for Yorkshire of 67.37. Which is reduced by them.

Gerry1

If you use a comparison site, make sure that you select the whole market, not just the default of the ones that the site can switch you to (and receive a commission).  The option is seldom prominent.

You need to compare the total annual cost of your fuel(s) rather than the standing charge and kWh rates, but at this stage it'll have to be a guess until you have a year's worth of meter readings.

bob2302

I'd suggest installing the Octopus Compare app,  so you can see what it would be like on a time of use tariff. These suit some people well, but it will be hard to work that out once you leave Octopus, 

quartzz

born_again said:

Smart meters do not show charges. Do you mean the In Home Device which may not be correct, unless your supplier has updated it, since 1st Oct.

yes - I mean the plug-in display rather than the actual meter itself.

others;

I did go to uswitch, after I had gone through a few "manually", I found uswitch weren't showing the British Gas tarriff.

In the end I've gone for British Gas fixed rate - their 47p daily standing charge was too good to resist, to use a phrase I don't really want to use. I'm estimating I'll be classed as low(er) usage (my current octopus usage was about £2 typical per day monitored for about 3 days, I've only recently moved in), and that's including the 67p SC). I have the 15 day cooling off period.....but 47p/day SC seems like a decent deal...

E.on were also quite good numbers, but BG seemed slightly better

BG's hourly rate is about the same as the current octopus charge. for what it's worth, I phoned octopus and asked them if they would adjust to any other tarrifs which were cheaper, and the guy said they didn't do price matching and the price was the price, so that answered that question [at least for octopus, and I can't be bothered to phone 6 energy providers for what might be £20 over the course of the year]