Switching energy ---- experiences?

As I said the first year I saved a lot around £500, the 2nd year they promised to save me £400 but it's been a complete shambles. They ignore my meter readings so everything is always estimated, tried to put my D/D up by £50 a month which I refused and yet with no further readings they claim to have saved me the £400 but how would they know. So I've added up all the figures and this time will go for a 2 year fixed rate deal. As we all know energy prices only go up. So this deal will be fixed for 2 years, no early exit fee and will save me around £20 for the year. I can live with paying the same, just get sick to death of swapping and being no better off. If I find a supplier I'm happy with I'm staying put and not changing again.

The comparisons quoted by energy suppliers are misleading. They are based on the assumption that if you didn't make the switch to the new provider you would stay with your current provider, do nothing and would be transferred to their more expensive variable rate because you would not negotiate a move to a new tariff if you stayed with them.

Thus the comparison is not made with the tariff you are actually paying but a higher tariff you might pay, if you did nothing at all.

This patently absurd, as most people who shop around move from cheap tariff to cheap tariff either with their existing supplier or transfer to another supplier and never pay the variable rate.

The easiest thing to do is to stay with one supplier, but each year as your annual tariff ends look at that same suppliers range of tariffs and choose the cheapest. What you mustn't do is stay with the same supplier and do nothing. That is how you end on the higher variable rate and paying more.

Most suppliers offer one year tariffs with the price unchanging for that year, but at the end of the year the cost of the next year's tariff may be different. It could go down but usually goes up. The main thing is to renegotiate your tariff every year so that you never go onto the variable rate.

The other thing I do is refuse to pay by monthly DD. I just pay quarterly when the actual bill comes in. I put money aside in a savings account in the summer to meet the winter bills. That way I have none of the problems that go with monthly direct debits. I just pay for what I actually consume.

I don't generally have a problem with D/D but this year was the exception. I could have stayed with the same supplier and had it fixed for 3 years but I honestly am glad the tariff is at it's end and I can try someone else. The monthly cost per month is less than I'm currently paying and being fixed for two years is good from my pov. I would happily have fixed for 3 years with someone other than my current supplier but the very few offering it were at a higher monthly charge. Tbh my winter bills are never very high as the house is very well insulated (too well) and I rarely put the heating on. I'm sure we use more energy in the summer with fans and a/c going 24/7. Suppliers always comment on how low my gas usage is.

Today I've been running the gauntlet of looking into getting a new supplier as my tariff runs out end of September and will go up 25%. I'm with First Utility and receive Warm Home Discount worth £140 p/a. I contacted F.U. about the forthcoming price rise and looked at the Martin Lewis site for a cheaper deal, which I've found.

What surprised me is that on talking to F.U. I discovered I'm over £200 in credit (this is after a new price fix a few weeks ago). It seems customers aren't advised they're in credit, it's up to them find out. I presume if you go in debit it's automatically added onto your bill.

I'm about to change suppliers again but will be £200 richer in my bank account for doing so.

Same thing happened to us, started off DD was £48 a month it's now £90.
Last year the DD was increased to £135 a month and I was in credit by £200.
To say I was livid was an understatement I had quite a few words to say about that.
Son says it's a logarithm that's used to estimate future usage but it doesn't always get it right.
I've switch a number of times and they all seem to be the same you start off with a low DD and it gets higher as the months go on.

I've made up my mind not to change supplier.
As has been said, it seems that new suppliers draw us in with good deals, then hike up the prices to match everyone else.

For those who are interested, the Martin Lewis website gives the option of registering with the energy club thingy.
You set an amount, and if a supplier can save you that much or more a year you'll receive an email so you can switch.

I found a cheaper tariff with Energy through USwitch, has anyone used them.? It is supposed to save me £100 per year, but I don't know whether to stay with First Utility as not sure it will save me that much as some of you seem to been disappointed.

A note of caution.
Not everyone can access all energy providers, only the ones which serve your area, so although some posts advocate certain good deals, if you don't live in that area you won't be able to access them.
Also, tariffs can be higher in less densely populated areas.

If 'Outfoxthemarket' is the one which was on Dragon's Den, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
They don't guarantee the cheapest price as they take into account all sorts of variables including but not limited to, customer services and time they take to answer emails.
I would have thought that if you gave regular quarterly readings and they billed you correctly, there would be no need for you to ring customer services after all, it's very simple to calculate your own energy bills. A mere 15 minutes to do both.
The company who were on Dragon's Den get paid by the company they choose for you.
There is always a catch.
You can DIY cheaper.

As for being in credit, it's company policy (at least with the big 6) to repay into your bank, any credit over £5.

It's better the devil you know rather than switch to a two-bit unknown company which promises the earth. We're all being fleeced anyway.
Bring back nationalisation !

Remember that the savings quoted on comparison sites are on what you would pay in future with your current provider on a certain tariff, not on what you were paying before.
Our last swap put our price up by £20 a month but it would have gone up by more with our old company....the increase in energy prices is to blame

I'm paying £14pm and have done since 2013 with nPower (monthly read + DD) and since Oct 2017 with Brilliant Energy (monthly DD + quarterly reading) This is for GCH and cooking. Business rates for electric which are locked in for 5 years at £21pm.
Currently £

Normally, we are rather stick in the mud about things, but after a big hike we decided to use uswitch, ( at least I think that was the company). We ended up with Octopus, a completely renewal energy company. We were pleased with the saving. We do have to give a meter reading each month and most months they give us an updated account. We are still in credit after half the winter so a good saving.

You pay £14 a month including GCH??? ?

Nandalot I’m with Octopus too. Very user friendly and quick to reply.

It is sometimes possible to get a better deal with the same energy company.

Often all that is needed is a quick phone call to ask if you are on their cheapest deal, and if not, then ask to switch.

Otherwise it means a search online. Yes it can be a bit tedious and time consuming, but my husband literally saves us hundreds of pounds every year by shopping around for everything, house and buildings insurance, car insurance, travel insurance, energy etc.

Anyone who watches the Martin Lewis tv programme knows exactly what to do!!

Same think happened to us.