On 22/03/2017 12:30, Davey wrote:
I have a flat, which is used as occasion arises, ie not regularly, but
when we or friends or family need it. The heating is switched on all
the time, at a sensible maintenance temperature. The gas supplier is
currently British Gas. It is renewal time, and they have offered
a Fixed Tariff, which could save some money if gas prices change.

Looking at options on a comparison website, I can make substantial
savings by switching supplier, to either Bristol Energy, Greenstar
Energy, or PFP Energy. I called British Gas to ask about them matching
these lower prices, and they don't do that, but suggested that I
research the other companies before jumping to one of them.
So does anybody here have any experience, good or bad, of any of these
suppliers? It's a fair question, I don't know how the website Service
Ratings are calculated, but Bristol Energy is pretty low. The only one
I have even heard of is PFP.

Useful comments welcomed.


For electricity only I avoid the small suppliers that I don't know. One
of them went broke recently though I don't think their customers lost
money. The customers were taken over by the Co-op.

Very likely it is important to switch supplier immediately the contract
ends, otherwise you end up with some expensive standard tariff.

It appears that Theresa May wants to change the energy market because
many people don't switch to get the best tariff as often as they could.
I expect that this will make life worse for those who do switch at the
moment, and remember to switch again immediately their contracts end.

The switching process is very tedious and slow. You can't just make a
phone call with a meter reading and say I want to switch.

I can order a year's supply of oil, get it delivered the next day (if
urgent) and then pay for it. Doing the same with utility energy supplies
takes weeks.


--
Michael Chare