Fixed Energy Deal running out

Well as we all well know we have Margaret Thatcher and the Conservstives to thank for this. Ed Milliband was mocked by the right wing press when he wanted to bring in some caps of some kind. This current system will continue as is as it suits those who benefit from it ie the shareholders. All we can do is be as savvy as possible to ensure we are on the lowest tariff possible - which apparently the majority are not. Why on earth would any of the big companies want to facilitate you paying less?

This nonsense INFURIATES ME! Why are there umpteen confusing tariffs? We all want the cheapest so there only needs to be one. Why do we have to waste time changing over and over again when all the companies increase their charges once one has?
It's all done to confuse and rob us, while their profits climb ever-higher.
Everyone complains and nothing is done except telling us to keep changing companies. Why should we have to?

I lovecheese you are throwing away money! As tanith said it is easy to do it finding the correct deal for you but if you have never changed you could really save yourself hundreds of pounds each year.

My move to Octopus was also a deal done en masse. The company appears to friendly and more importantly efficient.

Maybe I will bury my head in the sand for a bit longer!

I've already checked with MSE GrannyA11i as I said in my OP its not at all clear.

A really safe way to change is via Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert Website. He organises en masse switches - finding the best deals and you switch with them orchestrating it all. You stil need to take meter readings but the arrangements are done for you and they will help if things go wrong. We've done two with them and one without. The one we did on our own was a nightmare with wrong readings being recorded and being given different information and I felt we hadn't been refunded properly for what we'd overpaid. Gave up trying to sort it out and went via MSE next time.

Its relatively easy, its finding a better deal thats the problem.. and believe it or not its the same energy coming through the pipes/cables whichever company you are with so no interruptions.

We've never changed providers, is it easy? The power supply doesn't get interrupted or anything like that?

Not half, tanith, my head's spinning too after an hour or two with the comparison sites and the calculator! I've decided - or I think I've decided - to plump for the 3 year fixed deal my current supplier's offering. So don't worry, you can now be assured of 36 months of steadily falling fuel prices....

Well I've spent a long time with comparison sites and all of the suggested switches are more than the cost with SP So makes you wonder why we'd even try moving.
I'll try one more site later when my head stops spinning and try again, then I'll ring SP to see if they can reduce the cost at all before staying right where we are and paying more.

MADNESS LIES THIS WAY!!!

I have not had a problem when I switched to Octopus about 2 months ago. All I did was send them a meter reading and that was it. They ask me monthly for another reading, no problem and to date I have paid the same amount each month, I think £49 but I would have to check.

Yes, they're good, Chewbacca, aren't they? I really don't want to move again. It sounds daft, but I'm rather hoping the comparison sites don't come up with anything much better, as friends have had bad experiences when they've switched.

Hmm, yes, First Utility are offering us a 3 year or 2 year fixed deal for £103. They'd throw in a free remote thermostat control and access to offline services, neither of which I want or need. I'm currently on £80 a month, and a new standard 12 month plan would be £93. Our account's well in credit (£150). Even though I'm loath to switch again, it's back to the comparison site, I think.

I moved from British Gas to First Utility and saw my monthly direct debit go down from £69 a month to £41. I get an email at the beginning of each month asking me give a meter reading . As soon as you send that reading, they send an email back to tell you how much you've used in that month and whether your payments are still within the expected forecast. They're easy to contact by phone if you need to speak to someone too. Moving to them was the best thing I did. No complaints at all.

tanith if you do decide to move try and choose one that allows you to leave whenever and you do not have to pay a fee for the privilege

Thanks for the thoughts everyone, I'm not looking for cheaper Rigby46 just not a steep rise like £20 a month.
gretel seems like your fixed deal is the same one we are only paying £54 at the moment so it will rise to £74 which seems really steep to me, I'm going to check again what their standard tariff will be if I just do nothing as thats where we'll end up and a comparison sight.
We've been with SP for years too and I'd rather not have the hassle of moving but we shall see.

Tanith, I've changed suppliers lots of times but have been with Scottish Power for the last four years. I think I have changed to the same fixed 2019 deal as you have. Current deal ends at end of April. Our direct debit will be going up by £22 per month. When I have changed providers before I don't think we have ever achieved the savings stated on the comparison sites. We pay £80 per month at the moment so this will be almost a 30% increase.

I agree with you, suzied. For what it's worth, we've saved around £500 a year by switching to First Utility from British Gas, and are happy with their service and helpful web site. But I've just had a call to remind me that our 2 year agreement is coming to an end and we need to check out the options (sigh), so I might be revising that opinion today!

I've been with EON for sometime now although I do go on a couple of comparison site everytime the fixed deal ends. The last time, EON worked out a few pounds a month dearer but I stayed with them as I find their customer service and online site extremely good. My last deal started in Feb and I did have to pay more than the previous one - I think you are being a bit unrealistic if you think you'll necessarily get a cheaper deal - it's more about getting the best deal on offer at the moment.IYSWIM

This whole privatised utilities idea is ridiculous. They don't do anything apart from send you the bills., the gas/ electricity coming through the wires/ pipes is the same. The pricing is a nightmare. Our fixed price with the Coop finished and they wanted to charge us double ( even though our account was about £500 in credit) . We've switched to Southern and the charge about the same as before. What the point?

We moved from Sainsbury's Energy to Eon, saved money and got £30 cash back! Makes you wonder if its all a big con !

I saved over £600 thus year by moving from EON to Sainsburys Energy (linked the British Gas) and got a £30 gift from the comparison site I used - cannot recall which one!

Thanks Charleygirl I think I'll do another comparison and then give them a ring.. it doesn't make sense to me either.

I was with EDF and I moved very recently to Octopus which is a new, London based company. It is on line only which can be a bit of a pain but so far so good. I am paying £20 a month less (that is until the builders started here using heavy duty machinery at my expense). Mine is a fixed rate I think for 2 years.

I do not understand how Scottish Power can be the company of choice if the charge per month is higher?

I tried more than one comparison site. Good luck.