I checked yesterday if I could get a better deal for gas/electricity
inputting my actual consumption for the previous 12 months as the reference.

Uswitch said a saving of £130 but on checking the tariffs for the
potential new supplier they were comparable with what I'm currently
paying. So how did Uswitch work out the savings?
i) They assumed that my current contract runs for another 9 months and I
wouldn't change for that time (although I can change at any time)
ii) They then assumed that I would go to my current suppliers more
expensive 'standard rate' for another 3 months.
iii) They added the two figures together to get the spend for the next
12 months and then compared it with a 12 month contract starting now
with another supplier.
If I change immediately to the new supplier the saving are minimal,
around a single figure GBP per annum.

Moneysupermarket.com said a saving of £53. The saving seems to be based
on a discount payable if I stay with them for 12 months. The standing
charges and gas and electricity rates without this discount are much
higher than I'm currently paying. If changing before then there is first
a penalty of £60 (dual fuel) and then the probable loss of the £180
discount - a penalty equivalent to £120 per fuel!

--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 31/07/2016 12:07, alan_m wrote:

I checked yesterday if I could get a better deal for gas/electricity
inputting my actual consumption for the previous 12 months as the
reference.

Have a look at Martin Lewis's Cheap Energy Club at
www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub

Once your details are in they keep checking for a better deal and email
you when they find one.

When they've found one I decide to go for I usually go through
TopCashBack (www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/digital referral link) to improve
the deal even further.

--
F

On 31/07/2016 13:16, F wrote:
On 31/07/2016 12:07, alan_m wrote:

I checked yesterday if I could get a better deal for gas/electricity
inputting my actual consumption for the previous 12 months as the
reference.

Have a look at Martin Lewis's Cheap Energy Club at
www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub

Which says I can save a massive total of £8 per annum!




--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

alan_m wrote
F wrote
alan_m wrote

I checked yesterday if I could get a better deal for gas/electricity
inputting my actual consumption for the previous 12 months as the
reference.

Have a look at Martin Lewis's Cheap Energy Club at
www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub

Which says I can save a massive total of £8 per annum!

Unsurprising if you do check for what is cheapest and change yourself.

On 31/07/2016 19:21, Rod Speed wrote:
alan_m wrote
F wrote
alan_m wrote

I checked yesterday if I could get a better deal for gas/electricity
inputting my actual consumption for the previous 12 months as the
reference.

Have a look at Martin Lewis's Cheap Energy Club at
www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub

Which says I can save a massive total of £8 per annum!

Unsurprising if you do check for what is cheapest and change yourself.


I do have my own spreadsheets as in the past I've found that the savings
suggested by some of the comparison sites are not as good as first appears.

I do wonder if many of those who don't bother to double check the small
print are in fact actually saving anything near the headline amount when
they change.

In this case the devious way in which one site calculates the savings
means that the information was completely bogus but they still offer an
immediate change. They defend their methods by saying:




--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

"alan_m" wrote in message
...
On 31/07/2016 19:21, Rod Speed wrote:
alan_m wrote
F wrote
alan_m wrote

I checked yesterday if I could get a better deal for gas/electricity
inputting my actual consumption for the previous 12 months as the
reference.

Have a look at Martin Lewis's Cheap Energy Club at
www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub

Which says I can save a massive total of £8 per annum!

Unsurprising if you do check for what is cheapest and change yourself.


I do have my own spreadsheets as in the past I've found that the savings
suggested by some of the comparison sites are not as good as first
appears.

I do wonder if many of those who don't bother to double check the small
print are in fact actually saving anything near the headline amount when
they change.

In this case the devious way in which one site calculates the savings
means that the information was completely bogus but they still offer an
immediate change. They defend their methods by saying:

Quote:

This is calculated using the Ofgem-supported personal projection method, which assumes you do not switch at the end of your plan and are therefore rolled on to your supplier's variable rate plan for the remainder of the 12 months ahead.

Yeah, that is a stupid assumption with those who
clearly are interested in the cheapest rate on offer.

But then it is much harder to calculate what the
saving would be if you choose the best available
plan available at the time to switch to at the end
of the one being considered. Impossible actually.

The other massive problem with any of these
comparison sites is that they can't allow for
the fact that you can change your usage if the
plan being considered say has a lower price
of electricity if used at certain times of the day.

In article , alan_m
writes

I checked yesterday if I could get a better deal for gas/electricity
inputting my actual consumption for the previous 12 months as the
reference.

Uswitch said a saving of £130 but on checking the tariffs for the
potential new supplier they were comparable with what I'm currently
paying. So how did Uswitch work out the savings?
i) They assumed that my current contract runs for another 9 months and
I wouldn't change for that time (although I can change at any time)
ii) They then assumed that I would go to my current suppliers more
expensive 'standard rate' for another 3 months.
iii) They added the two figures together to get the spend for the next
12 months and then compared it with a 12 month contract starting now
with another supplier.
Yes they compare to the rate you would be on when your current contract
expires and you go on to your suppliers standard rates. It's buried in
the small print somewhere.
If I change immediately to the new supplier the saving are minimal,
around a single figure GBP per annum.

Moneysupermarket.com said a saving of £53. The saving seems to be
based on a discount payable if I stay with them for 12 months. The
standing charges and gas and electricity rates without this discount
are much higher than I'm currently paying. If changing before then
there is first a penalty of £60 (dual fuel) and then the probable loss
of the £180 discount - a penalty equivalent to £120 per fuel!

That's about par for the course.
--
bert

In article , alan_m
writes
On 31/07/2016 13:16, F wrote:
On 31/07/2016 12:07, alan_m wrote:

I checked yesterday if I could get a better deal for gas/electricity
inputting my actual consumption for the previous 12 months as the
reference.

Have a look at Martin Lewis's Cheap Energy Club at
www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub

Which says I can save a massive total of £8 per annum!




So maybe you are currently on a good deal.
--
bert

In article , alan_m
writes
On 31/07/2016 19:21, Rod Speed wrote:
alan_m wrote
F wrote
alan_m wrote

I checked yesterday if I could get a better deal for gas/electricity
inputting my actual consumption for the previous 12 months as the
reference.

Have a look at Martin Lewis's Cheap Energy Club at
www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub

Which says I can save a massive total of £8 per annum!

Unsurprising if you do check for what is cheapest and change yourself.


I do have my own spreadsheets as in the past I've found that the
savings suggested by some of the comparison sites are not as good as
first appears.

I do wonder if many of those who don't bother to double check the small
print are in fact actually saving anything near the headline amount
when they change.

In this case the devious way in which one site calculates the savings
means that the information was completely bogus but they still offer an
immediate change. They defend their methods by saying:

Quote:

This is calculated using the Ofgem-supported personal projection method, which assumes you do not switch at the end of your plan and are therefore rolled on to your supplier's variable rate plan for the remainder of the 12 months ahead.

Which is why you never save the headline figure and Ofgem couldn't care
less. ( I have written to them on behalf of people who do not have
access to the Internet).
--
bert

"Jethro_uk" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 31 Jul 2016 16:27:04 +0100, alan_m wrote:

On 31/07/2016 13:16, F wrote:
On 31/07/2016 12:07, alan_m wrote:

I checked yesterday if I could get a better deal for gas/electricity
inputting my actual consumption for the previous 12 months as the
reference.

Have a look at Martin Lewis's Cheap Energy Club at
www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub

Which says I can save a massive total of £8 per annum!

Given that changing supplier is not a zero-sum game *and* given
the fact that the previous two times I have changed supplier the tariffs
went up shortly after - wiping out any putative saving I was making

One obvious approach with that is to change to
one that fixes the price you pay for 1 or 2 years.

- I am unconvinced by the benefits *to me*
of continually changing supplier.

However, a lively churning market should keep supplier on their toes.

On 01/08/2016 14:58, Jethro_uk wrote:

People who don't have the internet will get the worst of all deals - all
the cheaper tariffs are online only.


My aged mother doesn't havee the Internet at home but she does have one
of the cheaper internet only energy deals.

--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 01/08/2016 11:09, Rod Speed wrote:


One obvious approach with that is to change to
one that fixes the price you pay for 1 or 2 years.

Until about a year ago those fixed price deals were often 5%+ more
expensive than the other deals offered by the suppliers. The offers
depend on the utility companies predicting if the costs are going up or
down over the next few years

However, a lively churning market should keep supplier on their toes.


Unfortunately the companies don't seem to get the message until the
churn rate is at least in double percentage figures.

--
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