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Kevin wants to know:
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"British Gas supply my gas and npower supply the electricity
- both bills are paid by monthly direct debit and amount to
about £400 each annually. Can I do better than this?
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Ben Wilson said:
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It all depends where you live in the country, the local electricity
companies vary the prices they charge the suppliers. So what
you would better off doing is visiting the energy watch website
www.energywatch.org.uk/. Download a price comparison
sheet for your own region. Those people that have never changed
before could find them selves making a significant saving.
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Simon wants to know:
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"I'd like to know how I can save on money for electricity
and gas, because I think I pay too much for a family of 3
for £ 60 a month electricity
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Ben Wilson said:
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There are three ways that you could save. The first way is
to be more energy efficient. Our partners at the energy saving
trust www.saveenergy.co.uk
have many ways that people can save energy in the home. Just
a few that we could pick out; don't leave your appliances
on standby and close your curtains at dusk. The next one would
be switching supplier. There is most likely to be a cheaper
supplier in the market place for you. You can choose separate
companies to supply your gas and electricity or you can choose
one company to supply both. In order to compare the prices
on offer, you will need to calculate how much you are paying
for your fuel each year. You can work this out by looking
at your last four quarterly bills and your new supplier should
be able to supply you with a yearly cost they can supply you
with. There are many price comparison websites out there and
they will help you find the cheapest deal.
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Richard Eden UKPower wants to know:
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"Question - How can the message be conveyed to more people
about the huge unclaimed savings available in the UK?
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Ben Wilson said:
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The best way that people can make savings is if they know
just how much they are going to save. energywatch does this
through publicity. We actively encourage to transfer their
supplier who is going to be cheaper for you and will also
save energy.
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Tim Wolfenden wants to know:
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"I'd like to know how often I should check the price comparison
sheets to ensure that I'm always with the best deal
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Ben Wilson said:
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Around once every two months because the suppliers do change
their prices every so often.
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Tim Wolfenden also asks:
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"How frequently should I expect my supplier to read my meter?
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Ben Wilson said:
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Most suppliers will endeavour to read metres once every three
months. However, current legislation only requires them to
do this once every two years. Energy watch's better billing
campaign is encouraging suppliers to read metres and get those
out to customers on time, every time.
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Neil wants to know:
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"I have just moved into a property that has storage heaters.
Would it be cheaper if I had central heating?
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Ben Wilson said:
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Definitely! You should contact your supplier to see exactly
how much it would cost to have gas installed to the property
and also take into account the price of the heating system.
The savings may not come immediately but it will be worth
it in the long run.
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Liam wants to know:
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"Do you think that the message of energy efficiency is getting
across? It angers me how much is wasted, Christmas lights
are nice but how many extra fossil fuels had to be used over
the holidays. It won't be a merry Christmas in fifty years
when the planet is a barren lifeless shell!!
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Ben Wilson said:
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energywatch is trying to encourage people to save energy
and think that everything should be in moderation. A lot of
Christmas lights on the market are low powered anyway. However,
it all depends on how many lights people put on their homes.
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Jeff wants to know:
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"How do you know how to save money on your bill. What should
you be looking for?
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Ben Wilson said:
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The things people should look for is whether or not they
get any discount. For example a direct debit will usually
attract around about £20 discount. The same could be said
for online accounts. You may actually benefit from cheaper
unit prices by having an online account. Certain suppliers
offer a prompt payment discount and of course you also should
get discount for being duel fuel. However, if you do choose
duel fuel you should check that this is the cheapest option
for you as some consumers find out they actually pay more
even with the discount.
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Ken wants to know:
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"What works out cheaper in the long run, gas appliances or
electric appliances? Or is there no difference?
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Ben Wilson said:
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I would say gas appliances would be more cost effective in
the long run. There are products on the market at the moment,
which will allow you to generate your own electricity by means
of a small gas turbine. Any excess electricity that you have
on this can be sold back to the electricity supplier. So in
actual fact, you may get money back from your supplier by
selling electricity back to them.
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Hannah wants to know:
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"I am a student and fuel bills are obviously an issue! I
know that companies offer deals to pensioners and those eligible
for benefits but are there any discounts available for students?
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Ben Wilson said:
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There's none that I know personally. Students are actually
charged on the same tariff as everyone else. Unfortunately
the answer is no.
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Jim wants to know:
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"The new flat I've just moved into wasn't registered to an
energy provider. I approached londonenergy and they put in
an MPAN request for me. They are coming round to fit a meter
in next week and now I feel duty bound to stick to them as
a provider. If I feel they aren't giving me the cheapest service,
how long do I have to stick with them before I can change
providers?
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Ben Wilson said:
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As long as you are a domestic consumer and you haven't signed
anything that has tied you in a long contract, you only need
to provide the company with 28 days notice before switching
supplier.
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Bailey wants to know:
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"We only have electric heaters in our house and I am aware
that they are inefficient and expensive but can't afford to
install central heating. Will anyone offer grants for that
sort of thing or is it just a case of getting a loan?
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Ben Wilson said:
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The best way people can find out about grants is to go to
Eaga Partnership and you can contact them on 0800 316 6011
or www.eaga.co.uk
They should be able to advise you best whether you should
be due any grants.
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As moderator, I'm taking
the liberty to ask one of my own as I've just bought a new
double radiator for my daughter’s room - will it make that
much difference as I haven't put it in yet?
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| Ben Wilson said: |
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Double radiators are generally recommended for certain room
sizes. There should be some manufacturing guidelines for you
to read before you make the purchase.
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smitty2702 wants to know:
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"Does extra loft insulation make that much difference and
how often should loft insulation be replaced?
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Ben Wilson said:
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Loft insulation is essential in your energy efficient measures.
The vast majority of energy lost in the home is lost through
your roof. I would recommend that you ask the manufacturers
on how often you should replace it.
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anna6 wants to know:
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"Is it against the law to charge a penalty to a customer
for changing supplier? I would like to switch but am afraid
of the small print?
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| Ben Wilson said: |
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It all depends on whether you are a business or domestic
consumer. Business contracts often have a termination clause
written into them, which means a penalty for breaking the
contract will be imposed if terminated early. For domestic
consumers, there is generally no penalty for switching suppliers.
However, there are some tariffs which may attract a small
penalty. Check with your supplier if you are in any doubt
whatsoever.
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Karen wants to know:
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"I’m a single mum with 2 children. I’ve previously been advised
that the best way for me to pay my bills is by meter but when
I compare some costs with friends I think I’m paying more
– can you please advise if I could be saving money?
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Ben Wilson said:
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I assume when you mention meter you are referring to a pre-payment
meter. Most companies currently charge more for pre-payment
metres, as the administration costs to them are a lot higher
than if you were on a tariff like direct debit. energywatch
is aware of a few suppliers whose tariffs are the same for
pre-payment as they would be for a normal tariff. Contact
energywatch on www.energywatch.org.uk
or 0845 906 0708
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ll88 wants to know:
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"Is there a limit to the number of times you can switch supply
for a better deal each year?
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Ben Wilson said:
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No, all you are really required to do is give the supplier
28 days notice.
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Toni wants to know:
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"I’ve been told that switching supplier can save money but
the procedure seems a bit complicated and when I tried to
do this in the past I was still receiving bills from the supplier
I thought I’d switched from - is there a simple way to do
this?
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Ben Wilson said:
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It sounds like your previous supplier has had an error within
their billing system. These sorts of problems do occur from
time to time. We recommend you contact your previous supplier
but if you continue to have problems get in touch with energywatch
and they will take it from there.
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fgfff wants to know:
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"Who are the most expensive suppliers?
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Ben Wilson said:
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I'm not mentioning any specifics but if you're still with
the original suppliers that you have been with you are most
likely to be paying more than the people who have switched.
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Tilly wants to know:
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"Is it always better to switch supplier or are you sometimes
better off just calling them and seeing if they will match
a competitor’s price?
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Ben Wilson said:
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Why not? Get a quote from your existing supplier and if they
can't better the quotes you have been given, then by all means
switch.
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Tim Wolfenden back with another good question:
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"Do you have any information showing how well suppliers perform
from a service perspective i.e. is the transfer smooth etc?
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Ben Wilson said:
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energywatch publish these details on the website, it will
indicate how many complaints each company gets and in which
category. For example transfers / miss-selling etc. We also
produce price comparison sheets, which indicates a service
rating for each of the suppliers. Contact energywatch if you
want one.
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Ellen wants to know:
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"A power surge has damaged my equipment - can I get compensation?
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Ben Wilson said:
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Power surges occur from time to time. Each distribution company
will review each case as they receive them. Unfortunately
there is no set amount that people can claim from distribution
companies.
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James wants to know:
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"What makes up my electricity bill?
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Ben Wilson said:
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The first thing that should be displayed on any energy bill
will be a supply number. This is the supply number that is
unique to your property. You should also see the date that
the bill is for, the previous and present readings, the cost
of those units should be clearly displayed, it should also
contain details of any discounts and also details of any applicable
standing charges.
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Unfortunately we only have time for one more question, and
Kylie has submitted a good one to finish the webchat off with:
"Is there one supplier you would recommend or is it a case
of shopping around for the best deal? Also I was wondering
what the future holds for prices are they going to keep falling?
Do you recommend switching regularly say every six months?
Should I be following the market to keep an eye out for savings?
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Ben Wilson said:
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energywatch would recommend that
you do follow the market and keep and eye out on those all
important savings. Unfortunately no one can really predict
whether prices are likely to rise or fall and that's why everyone
should ensure that they are paying as little as they need
to for their energy. * The ways that we recommend are to either
switch your supplier. * Change your payment method.
* Be more energy efficient..
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