I think it is common knowledge by now that you can save money simply by switching your utility supplier. We regularly check out various websites to make sure that we are not paying over the odds for our electricity. We live in the middle of the countryside so we do not have gas. As a result, we use a little more electricity than gas households and a small difference in supplier price rates can make a big difference to our bill.
The Government energy supplier watchdog Ofgem conducted a consumer empowerment survey last year to unearth consumer habits. It came as a bit of a shock to find that only 18% of people actually changed their energy supplier in 2018. It is even more worrying that 57% of people are still paying the extortionate standard tariffs despite increased awareness.
In January 2019 the energy supplier watchdog Ofgem introduced an energy price cap. This is intended to protect people that are on the standard variable tariff by limiting how the suppliers can constantly hike their price up. This obviously only attempts to prevent consumers from being over-charged. It does not ensure that you get the best deal from your supplier, and definitely does not eliminate the need to compare tariffs regularly.
Everybody is entitled to change their energy supplier. There are many myths that if you are a tenant you are unable to switch. This is complete nonsense and the general rule of thumb is that if you pay for your utilities directly then you are entitled to choose your supplier and of course your tariff.
Now I know just how little free time everyone has, and who wants to be spending it pouring over energy tariffs? I also know how easy it is to think that you checked the tariffs last year and you are on the cheapest tariff. Unfortunately, the prices change so dramatically, that the best deal last month is perhaps not so good this month.
The answer to all of these things is auto-switching. Automatic switching is being offered now as a service that you subscribe to free of charge. You enter some basic information like consumption, which can be found on one of your previous bills. The switching company then constantly checks tariffs and if it finds you a better deal, it switches you over automatically. You then receive an email stating how much you will save and if you don’t want to save money, you get 14 days to review the change.
Are you looking to change suppliers? Find out more at http://lookaftermybills.com
*This is a collaborative post*
Just got a water meter and it is saving me a bundle, never heard of this auto-switching but seems wortha shot
My sisters monthly water bill was nearly £57 – Welsh Water not for profit.
Changed to a water meter, single occupancy and baths every day. 2 washing machine washes a week and now averaging £18.
I always find hints and tips on money saving so interesting and of course useful! Will have a look and think about switching if there is a better deal out there for me.
This is brilliant. Will definitely be taking this on board!
Brilliant, very informative! Thank you. We need to change our supplier of gas and electric after Co-Op energy hiked our direct debit by £40!
Changing my unitilies supplier has been on my list of things to do for a while now! It’s one of those things I think we assume will be more difficult than it actually is.
I love the idea of just letting them take care of it rather than comparing loads of tarrifs two or three times a year!
Very informative. I have been looking to change our utility supplier recently and was a little unsure as to the auto switching so this has really helped.
Good tips – will have to investigate auto-switching
thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing the helpful information 🙂
Some real good pointers here – I think this is something I should do
Good advice, thank you.
Great blog post. Thank you for sharing with us.
Saving energy doesn’t just save money, it helps the planet too.