Best deal for extremely low electricity usage (empty property)

Frances63

Hi,

I'm presently living away from my maisonette and only visit one day or two days every couple of months (just to check for post really).
I may eventually move back in or rent it out, but not sure yet. 

I have electricity with Eon-next currently, paying by DD, but am looking to change to a new provider with no or low standing charges as that makes up most (if not all) of my bill. 

Any ideas what I should do? 

Someone suggested changing to a pay as you go meter (I have a smart meter), so could prepay and just use credit when I visit. Is there no standing charge in this case? Or included in the unit rate (which would suit me)....would this work?

I can't find any info, so any advice greatly appreciated. 

Mark_d

Sounds like you'd be best going for a pre-pay tariff that has no standing charge.  But the unit rate is likely to be very high!

Gerry1

Beware of your council raising your council tax by 100% or more.

Ildhund

A tariff like Utilita's might suit. There's no standing charge, but you pay through the nose for the first two kWh you use on any day. It works well for largely empty properties, like shooting lodges on the grouse moors. Join us | Join Utilita Energy

Frances63

Mark_d said:

Sounds like you'd be best going for a pre-pay tariff that has no standing charge.  But the unit rate is likely to be very high!

Thanks Mark. Is there such a tariff? Do you know which provider supplies it if so? 

Frances63

Ildhund said:

A tariff like Utilita's might suit. There's no standing charge, but you pay through the nose for the first two kWh you use on any day. It works well for largely empty properties, like shooting lodges on the grouse moors. Join us | Join Utilita Energy

Thanks Idlhund.
I'd never heard of Utilita.
Can anyone recommend them, have experience of them? 
Are they a good company? 

Gerry1

Just work your way through all the Ofgem accredited price comparison websites.  Submit the lowest annual consumption figures they will accept, e.g. 100kWh.

Make sure you see all sites, not just the ones that pay them commission.  It may not be the default, so look out for inconspicuous buttons with wording such Show Me All Suppliers, Show Whole Market.

Ildhund

Frances63 said:
I'd never heard of Utilita.

Can anyone recommend them, have experience of them? 
Are they a good company? 

I've no personal experience of them; I just remembered that they offer tariffs with no standing charge designed for very low users. This plan works best for intermittent consumption like yours, but they must have enough customers paying 50 p/kWh most days for it to be worth their while. There are sites like Trustpilot (Utilita Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of www.utilita.co.uk) which give at least an indication of what they're like to deal with. 

Bigphil1474

We struggled to find a decent price without standing charges when I was sorting my dads house out after he died a couple of years ago. We ended up just staying with his existing provider. On a slightly separate note, it's worth checking your insurance is valid as we had to get a new policy as the house was empty more than 30 days. As above, watch out for council tax premium.

Frances63

Thanks Bigphil, 
The flat is leasehold & insured through the freeholder (a housing association). I own it, but have no choice over the insurance. 
I can't find any clauses about 30 days, (though I did have that on my previous home). Maybe because it's a block and building ins only; no contents.
So far no increase in council tax. I think I have 2 years.