Energy supplier type for student accomodation

atenolol

Hello forum experts.

My son lives in a accommodation on his own. I am looking for cheaper energy supplier for my son in Uni. Since he is not in flat for most of the day arriving to flat only late evenings, essentially using it like B&B ....will it be cheaper to use pre-paid meter where there is no standing charge for Gas and Electricity ?

la531983

What makes you think a pre paid meter has no standing charge?

Unless things have changed the last few weeks there is ONE firm that offer a "no standing charge" electric option but they simply load the standing charge across the first two units of electricity used every day, so if he using at least 2 units a day its pointless.

lincroft1710

A lot of people who are working do the same, out for most of the day. Unless your son is absent from the flat at weekends and for long periods between terms, then the "no standing charge" option doesn't appear to be viable

atenolol

He is absent most of day and evenings and all weekends. Utilita has no standing charge, their rates are as follows :

Electricity

First Rate55.89p per kWh

Saver Rate23.79p per kWh

Gas

First Rate21.693p per kWh

Saver Rate6.112p per kWh

Standing ChargeNone

la531983

But you can see the whopping charge for the first two (?) units each day. You need to see whats actually being used. Things in a home have background usage (unless hes not running a fridge, boiler etc etc)

Gerry1

It's smoke and mirrors stuff, unless the building is a lock-up garage or similar where there's virtually no usage, the surcharge on the initial units will be a de facto standing charge.

Scot_39

As above even on utilita likely to be using some of the first kWh per day.

Just a fridge freezer, internet wifi router etc can push over 1 kWh daily.

My home was empty recently  daily use 1.1-1.2kWh  - fridge freezer (smallest in shop), nominally 0.7kWh,  1 led light on (160-200Wh), 1 on timer switch 7 hrs 50-60Wh) and alarms (smoke and burglar) etc etc.

Utilita might be marginally cheaper on SC front - but despite recent price revisions - maybe something like tracker or Agile might win on unit rates vs svt type rates.  

Add in even minimal frost protection level heating - depending on flat - and utilita no sc model at this time of year again unlikely a winner.

Robin9

He needs to his sums -   reads the meters over a week so he knows what he is actually using