With rising energy prices, don’t be afraid to change supplier.
I want to bring this blog alive again by posting just things that I'm thinking about or tips that I have for life, the universe and everything. I might touch on the obvious like this post, and I might touch on technical things, or just rant about something. Either way, enjoy.
For the first article on this website I'm going to tackle the easiest thing you can do to save money; change your energy supplier.
All the big energy companies have increased their prices recently, my own supplier nPower has increased my prices by 15% for electricity and British Gas have also increased prices recently, there is nothing you can do to escape rising prices, prices will continue to rise as fossil fuels become more scarce. But, you can take steps to avoid the biggest increases and minimise the impact it has on your pocket.
The first thing you need to do is get yourself onto a price comparison website and see if you can change your supplier to a cheaper tariff. A lot of people don't bother with this because they think it's a hassle, but in most cases changing energy supplier is quick and simple and you can make some substantial savings compared to the standard tariffs. And as we approach winter with prices rising all over now is the perfect time.
I've got a few tips for you so keep reading for a few things to think about when it comes to selecting your tariff.
- Do you really need a paper bill? If you're prepared to have an online only tariff you can make some good savings. Do you really need the paper bill, surely all you are going to do is throw it out anyway so why have it sent in the first place? With a lot of suppliers the online only options tend to represent a good saving compared to standard tariffs.
- Do you really need an energy monitor? A lot of the energy companies have special tariffs which are advertised as environmentally friendly tariffs and you can save up to £100 or something a year on your bill. Often though the amount you're paying for units of electricity or gas is more than a tariff that doesn't have a fancy smart meter. That saving per year is based on you using that smart meter display to then be more conscientious about how you use energy and turn some things off. But let's face it, you probably aren't going to look at the mater after the first day so you are probably better getting a lower price tariff and get your own smart meter for £30 (www.electricity-monitor.com) if you really want one.
- How do you feel about fixing your prices? You often have a slightly higher price for units of electricity when you elect to fix your prices for a given time period, but you can sleep easy knowing that you aren't going to be hit with any 15% price hikes like I was with nPower. We all know that energy prices are going to continue to increase as fossil fuels become more scarce so fixing now does make sense, especially before winter. The downside of course is that at the end of the fixed period you're going to likely have a price increase as your tariff assumes the current market rate at the end of the fixed period. Personally I don't like the idea of being tied in for an amount of time, but for some it's worth considering, particularly if you're a heavy user of energy where a 15% increase is more noticeable.
- What do you want to save, money or the planet? You're going to be paying a lot more if you elect to be a carbon neutral or renewable tariff, but you can sleep better knowing your being good to the planet and saving the environment. But, if you're out to save money then this is not the way to go, these eco-tariffs are a lot more expensive and probably not making much difference to the take up of renewable energy anyway.
So, there we have it, some good questions to think about. The key thing to do though is to go onto a comparison website, type in your energy usage data (can be found on your latest bill) and see whether someone else can do it cheaper. Generally you're only going to be interested in the smallest number so at the very least go check out what there is available to you.
Personally I compared my current supplier nPower with others following the latest price increase and surprisingly nPower are still the cheapest option for me. This is probably because I'm a particularly low energy user, I pay only £6 per month for gas and £19 per month for electricity. But if you're in an older, or bigger house then it will be different for you so get on the comparison websites and see what you can save.