Electricity Suppliers - advice?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Indeed. If what you say is true, then 'dual fuel' must make a big difference....

... for me (electricity only), the currently cheapest E.ON tariff is "Fix Online v13" which, as I said yesterday, is about (varies from day to day!) 211th out of 250 in the list (of decreasing cost for me). All of the other Big-6 companies are offering me cheaper deals than that, the cheapest being Scottish Power (£162 per year less than E.ON) and virtually all of the small suppliers are also offering cheaper deals than E.ON, the cheapest being Symbio (£368 per year less than E.ON).

Kind Regards, John

How does it compare with the E part of my new tarif ?


About your electricity tariff


Supplier

E.ON (E.ON Energy Solutions Ltd)
Tariff name
Fix Online v13
Tariff type
Fixed price
Payment method
Fixed monthly Direct Debit
Unit rate
14.396p per kWh
Standing charge
17.325p per day
Tariff starts on
22 March 2019
Tariff ends on
21 March 2020
Price guaranteed until
21 March 2020
Exit fees
(only apply if you leave more than 49 days before your tariff ends)
£30
Discounts and additional charges
Not applicable
Additional products or services included
Not applicable

The e.on site has just done a recalculation, I was around £100 in credit and has recommended since the change - I drop the DD by around £1/3 of what I was paying.

 

[JohnW2]

How does it compare with the E part of my new tarif ?
Fix Online v13 ... 14.396p per kWh ... 17.325p per day ...

Significantly more expensive for the usage charge with the same tariff (Fix Online v13) (the cheapest on offer to me from E.ON for 'electricity only' - 21.284p per kWh day & 11.004p per kWh night (equivalent to 18.29p per kWh single tariff with 50% night usage), and slightly lower Standing charge (15.383p per day), 12 months fixed and £30 exit fee.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Significantly more expensive for the usage charge with the same tariff (Fix Online v13) (the cheapest on offer to me from E.ON for 'electricity only' - 21.284p per kWh day & 11.004p per kWh night (equivalent to 18.29p per kWh single tariff with 50% night usage), and slightly lower Standing charge (15.383p per day), 12 months fixed and £30 exit fee.

Kind Regards, John

That is a large difference, I wonder how they can justify that?

 

[JohnW2]

That is a large difference, I wonder how they can justify that?

Maybe the profit margin is greater for gas, such that they can afford to give cheaper electricity prices to 'dual fuel' customers?

Roughly what proportions of your total bill are attributable to gas and electricity?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Maybe the profit margin is greater for gas, such that they can afford to give cheaper electricity prices to 'dual fuel' customers?

Roughly what proportions of your total bill are attributable to gas and electricity?

Kind Regards, John

Last year's cost - G =2/3, E = 1/3 roughly. Gas heating, HW and cooking, electric shower lighting and etc..

G = 11996 Kw, E= 3162 Kw

 

[JohnW2]

Last year's cost - G =2/3, E = 1/3 roughly. Gas heating, HW and cooking, electric shower lighting and etc.. G = 11996 Kw, E= 3162 Kw

I suppose if that's fairly typical, reductions in what they charge for electricity will not have a large impact on the total bill - so maybe that's why they feel able to offer a lower price per kWh for electricity (lower than for electricity-only customers)?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I suppose if that's fairly typical, reductions in what they charge for electricity will not have a large impact on the total bill - so maybe that's why they feel able to offer a lower price per kWh for electricity (lower than for electricity-only customers)?

Kind Regards, John

I would argue that it ought to be the opposite - a bigger discount for a heavier consumption/ bigger customer.

 

[JohnW2]

I would argue that it ought to be the opposite - a bigger discount for a heavier consumption/ bigger customer.

Overall, if you have a 'dual fuel' deal, you are a 'bigger customer' than one who is 'electricity only' (or 'gas-only'). It's quite possible that they also give lower gas prices for dual-fuel tariffs than they do for gas-only ones.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Overall, if you have a 'dual fuel' deal, you are a 'bigger customer' than one who is 'electricity only' (or 'gas-only'). It's quite possible that they also give lower gas prices for dual-fuel tariffs than they do for gas-only ones.

Kind Regards, John

Well, my consumption and bills are less than yours John.

It would pay to be a dual customer, even if you used no gas..

 

[JohnW2]

How does it compare with the E part of my new tarif ?
About your electricity tariff
Supplier E.ON (E.ON Energy Solutions Ltd)
Tariff name Fix Online v13
Tariff type Fixed price
Payment method Fixed monthly Direct Debit
Unit rate 14.396p per kWh
Standing charge 17.325p per day

This is getting confusing since there are some very significant inconsistencies ... From the E.ON website (for dual-fuel "Fix Online v13) ...

That appears to be much more expensive (and similar to their electricity-only price) than you are reporting. Is there perhaps "Fix Online v13" and "Fix Online v13"?!!

Edit: One thought - that was 'in my area' [I had to give a postcode to get the list of (165) tariffs 'in my area']. Maybe 'my area' is much more expensive than yours?!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

It does obviously vary from postcode to postcode, but I am shocked at that variation. Could you try a different postcode?

Here are my gas rates.

Supplier E.ON (E.ON Energy Solutions Ltd)

Tariff name Fix Online v13

Tariff type Fixed price

Payment method Fixed monthly Direct Debit

Unit rate 3.069p per kWh

Standing charge 17.850p per day

Tariff starts on 22 March 2019

Tariff ends on 21 March 2020

Price guaranteed until 21 March 2020

Exit fees (only apply if you leave more than 49 days before your tariff ends) £30

 

[JohnD]

Maybe 'my area' is much more expensive than yours?!

The tariffs are usually higher for companies in areas where they are the "incumbent supplier"

You usually see this if you are in the geographic territory of one of the companies that used to be Eastern, or LEB, or SSE or SWALEC or whatever, but they have mostly changed hands by now, some of them several times, so they may be trading under a name that gives no clue who they used to be.

Remote areas may be more expensive if they have a bigger permissible cost of assets, for example if their infrastructure has a higher nominal value

Look at different companies.

I usually use Martins Moneysaving associated website. You may get cashback for changing. https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/

 

[JohnW2]

It does obviously vary from postcode to postcode, but I am shocked at that variation. Could you try a different postcode?

Yep, that's the problem - and, like you, I am amazed at the magnitude of the difference. I put in the postcode of a colleague in Sheffield, and I got what I think is identical to what you reported. What part of the country are you in? ...

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

LS25 Garforth, W / N Yorks border..

 

[JohnW2]

The tariffs are usually higher for companies in areas where they are the "incumbent supplier" ... You usually see this if you are in the geographic territory of one of the companies that used to be Eastern, or LEB, or SSE or SWALEC or whatever, but they have mostly changed hands by now, some of them several times, so they may be trading under a name that gives no clue who they used to be.

Yes, I guess that fits for me. I've never previously switched, having started with East Midlands Electricity Board that progressively evolved into E.ON. The difference between 'here' (rural NW Bucks) and Harry's (or Sheffield - see my previous post) is amazingly large!

Kind Regards, John