Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route?

AdrianC wrote: »

When we returned to Calor the other month, they were absolutely insistent that they'd install telemetry... Until they tried it. No mobile signal. Just like I'd told 'em repeatedly.

You'd think that far from unusual for properties off the mains gas grid, wouldn't you?

Mine connected via the landline (in some way that didn't involve me paying for the calls)

OMG! Has it REALLY been that long?!

SO sorry, everyone, life has just kind of got in the way. Anyway, a coouple of conversations this week reminded me that it was well past time that I posted som enew figures, so here goes.








Click Graph for larger version

As always, Hope these are of use.

Enjoy

:beer:

Thanks Hate for another release of the technicolor LPG extravaganza!

This show has been running for several years now - and older forum users will remember it was set up because we were fed up (eulogism alert) by being ripped off by suppliers despite the Competition Commission domestic bulk LPG market investigation and ruling (it's all archived - but suppliers' names are redacted) so the charts show transparent prices - i.e. those available on the web - plus, originally, Platts (the index used by the suppliers ...and available on subscription ....but just somehow published on-line [at one time by the Chinese - many thanks!]) and when Platt's disappeared totally behind a high paywall then ANSI was available by digging. For a time both were available and their correspondance in prices for the North Sea area was clear. So ANSI is a good indicator of what the suppliers pay (but the cost to them of LPG in any given month is complicated by forward buying, storage capacity, etc). And, of course, they pay in US dollars.

SO only publicly accessible retail prices are shown (see links below). LOTS of good deals for customers which are not publicised (except on the forum by helpful people e.g. Mister G (#2999) paying HBS, a small supplier in Hants area, 30ppl for the last 2 1/2 years! Yes, we assume they are making money!) Northern Energy (and affiliates) get good mentions for prices and service.

Malvern Hills District Council did a deal with Lister - and let us have the prices (yes, this forum helped them set it up!) and then the prices were sometimes available on line. Lister set up its excellent ANSI Tracker for people outside the MHDC but within their distribution area. But Lister has been gobbled up by Avantigas (use the Search box, above, to find comments on them).

Then there's Flogas. You can approach Flogas direct. Or you can approach Woldlink, a big farmers' co-op in Lincs., which [it seems clear!] only sends its business to Flogas (e.g. you cannot switch from Flogas to Woldlink). It has really good monthly prices (currently unavailable for new customers) and not-quite-so-good 6 monthly fixes. Forum users kindly post these prices. Or you can get a price - using Flogas - from LPG Save (Robert Flaxman's company: he was a senior Flogas employee according to his LinkedIn profile, until he deleted it!).

So who's left to mention? Extrafuel was the first to go transparent - publishing monthly prices on-line, with everyone paying the same (respect to them!). But then people asked for fixed price deals for 6 months or a year...and it all got a bit messy. And at renewal time the majors would always undercut any quote you had from Extrafuel...then make up the 'loss' in year 2. You can see from forum posts that their customers can be paying rather less (!) than the transparent price visible on-line. Extrafuel subcontracts to Flogas in SW England (I don't know about other areas). Carver's - UPDATE 20.01.18 - Carvers no longer post a price, and for the last 2 years have been charging 'normal' rental (i.e £60 surface, £75 underground).

Cardiff Gas - seems totally transparent! Good prices. Deliver both sides of the Bristol Channel, etc. Good reports (use Search).

Birmingham Autogas - (relatively) new kid on the block. Good prices. No-one has posted about them, so far as I know.

Mushrooms? These charts - and everyone's posts on this forum - are a little attempt to let a chink of light into the dark mushroom shed where the big suppliers would like us to be. With the consolidation of the market - independents only ever had around 10% of the domestic market - it's getting darker again. And - so far as I know - there is NO other forum dealing with domestic bulk LPG in the UK.

Finally, the links: Extrafuel, Carvers Gas, Cardiff Gas, and Birmingham Autogas.

Please post prices - increases with original and/or present price plus rental. And any inducements. Turkeys at Christmas, etc.

If you get any info from your supplier (office/tanker-driver/engineer) please post .. or if that might cause problems send a private message to someone on the forum...and we'll post (but maybe after a while!). The indies are just as fed up as most of the forum users about the rip-offs (e.g. retired folk being loyal to major suppliers ...and paying eg. 65ppl at the present time. People unable to switch because of tanks which do not meet present regs...but the suppliers are happy to refill, the tanker-driver having ticked the safety check box before each delivery (as they must). There are NO grandfather rights - again, use the Search box).

End of lecture. Back to hibernation.

Happy 2018!
.

Please could someone help me to get the non converted ANSI price for February 2017, or point me as to where I can find out the prices myself. From viewing HateLPG's latest graph it would appear the surcharge currently imposed on my purchases due to a rise in the ANSI rate compared to the start of my contract is wrong.

https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/post-title9


My concern now Hornet is that Countrywide will deliver to me on Monday at 42ppl and you're on 33ppl.


I'm feeling browned off !