Should we fix our home energy prices?
It depends on what one has been offered.
We’ve just fixed ours with Octopus. It’s 5% less than the price cap so we save a few £s now and don’t need to worry for a year. If we end up losing out, so be it, but budgeting is easier.
Good question Jim. We’re nearly at the end of a 2 year fix, which has meant a rather easy ride with the energy bills.
I suspect it’ll be a one year fix this time and see what happens.
Not yet. I’m looking at the predictions (Predictions and Insights into the Default Tariff Cap - Cornwall Insight) and based on my usage it’s slightly cheaper to stay on the capped variable. However EON next have just released a new variable tariff that is up to £50 less than the capped rate over the year, without any exit fees, so a bit of a no-brainer for me - at least for now
Just done it. Monthly installments go from euro 230 to 180. That is with a detached house, 4 children, 1 refugee and a wife who never closes a door.
Good question, I saw a ‘breaking news’ item briefly yesterday suggesting wholesale gas prices were suddenly up >20% due to supply concerns but couldn’t find this later.
It’s striking Aussies sending up the price of LNG. Everyone expects it to be sorted but it’s adding a bit of volatility to the market.
Now they’re out of The World Cup they can all go back to work.
EON are offering me a 1 year fixed but the tariffs are only a tiny bit cheaper and they insist on a smart meter being installed. No ta.
British Gas have annoyed me today.
Just got an email telling me ‘they’re sending the boys around’ to convince me to sign-up to a protection racket!
Maybe someone from TV licensing has infiltrated them.
Why?
Hoping for an end to the war?
Why the antipathy? Maybe you let too many things annoy you. Smart meters are really useful.
I don’t want one currently, simple as that, and have told them many times.
I just find it a bit much that they want to ‘send someone around’ to try to persuade me. I find that a bit sinister quite frankly, it borders on being coercive.
The energy companies have targets to reach, I’m aware of that, but it’s still a personal choice to stick with what you have as far as I’m aware.
out of interest, what have you got against them?
On that, I’d probably agree, but I hate to be told what to do/think by big companies, that’s what probably annoys me most. Yes, it’s easier to ‘go with the flow’ quite often, maybe I’m just a bit contrary?
Difficult to explain but:
a) not currently using gas due to some long-term reconfiguration of things.
b) practical issues of access to the meter because of stuff I currently have in front of the meter cupboard which would require me moving fairly heavy items - I’d rather do this on my terms when I want to not because BG want me to be smart metered.
c) because of a) a Smart Meter won’t actually help me when I’m not using any gas - I still have to pay the standing charge with them, but the actual meter reading hasn’t changed for ages because the gas inlet (the lever or whatever shuts it off) is not open. Other companies might not charge a standing charge with no usage but BG do and tell me if I wanted to temporarily disconnect it would be considerably more costly to reconnect in the future vs paying the standing charge.
d) I nearly rang them up and had a moan, but can’t be arsed quite frankly. Looking forward to telling the panel of experts to extricate themselves from my property.
Just to see how the land lies. It depends though on what offers are around in October.
An end to the war ? Let’s hope so.
What is their use exactly?
Good question…….in asking British gas to give me back over £1k in credit this summer. They asked me for a meter reading, since my smart meter gives them an update pretty much by the minute, i asked why. No explanation….just do it.
Obviously they save having to take readings and feed them into a website. I find that useful anyway. If you are interested you can see how different appliances affect the consumption, and if you are on a tight budget you can monitor power use.