Energy companies' stranglehold

I wasn't using the nightime rate, Jess; tumble dryer wouldn't switch on from a timer and I use gas to heat my water. With Economy 7 the daytime rate is higher [I believe] and that's when I was using most of the gas/electricity. Someone else has told me about Ecotricity today [at least it was a supplier beginning in E so I assume that's what it was!].

Sorry, JessM. Did not mean to confuse.
I get my gas and electricity from a company called Ecotricity.
They base their prices on the standard tariff of your local electricity supplier, which here is NPower, and your gas on British Gas standard tariff.
Any profits that they make go into building wind turbines and researching alternative fuels. They are researching wave power and green gas at the moment as well as building wind turbines. If you live anywhere near Swaffham in Norfolk, you can climb their wind turbine there.
I believe in alternative technology anyway, and I work on the principle that, as I have to pay for gas and electricity, I would rather pay a company that does what I believe in, rather than have my payments diverted into the pockets of shareholders.
On Monday, I have to give them an electricity reading because they have now decided not to mirror the Big Six companies and are reducing their tariff. They only have one tariff now anyway.
I can give them my reading online, or I can phone their customer service reps. The phone will be answered straight away, by someone who knows what is going on.
www.ecotricity.co.uk for anyone who wants to find out.
If you are with the Big Six and do not like their blackmailing of the Labour Party's attempt to cut their profits, it seems a no-brainer to me to change to Ecotricity.

Or treadle sewing machines converted to power laptops - I like it.

Elegran "Fit a dynamo to your exercise bike?"

Just a thought, but given all the stuff about children becoming obese and playing computer games/watching too much TV, how about connecting them to an exercise bike? Pedalling away for X amount of time, which would then allow them Y amount of computer/TV? 2 birds, one stone, sorted!

tegan - why did you stop the economy 7 (pm me if you want)
That is not very clear jendurham - you seem to be making a lot of points in your post and it has left me confused.

I'll check that out.

I have just had a letter from my energy supplier to say they are reducing my costs. They have just one tariff which was based on the basic tariff of the local big six. Now it is going to be less.
Miliband is being blackmailed by the big six. If you do not like this, change to Ecotricity. Of course, you will not do this if you do not like wind turbines as that's where their profits go. However, at least your money is not going to shareholders who could not care less about climate change.

Bill said I was £13 in credit .

I am now reading my meters monthly and EDF send me a revised bill within the next couple of days. This is a way that I can keep a handle on what is happening.

I had mega problems with EDF when I first switched about 9 months ago- EDF thought that I should pay a miniscule amount of money each month but we now appear to be in agreement re the direct debits.

Tegan read your meters around the same date each month and hopefully you should not run into debt.

There's no such thing as competition if a few big players dominate the market and follow each other's lead where price rises are concerned.

There is an excellent article in October's Which magazine. Lovely clear writing.
When electricity was privatised the companies were not allowed to be both generation and distribution companies. Then "they" were allowed to become "integrated" and that is apparently why there is such a miserable amount of competition in the electricity market.

Why did you come off Economy 7 - did you get rid of storage heaters?

Need to look at the bill in more detail. I was paying very little but am a bit concerned given that I haven't had the heating on for months and I don't do much cooking. It was £48 a month but is now £99 [which doesn't sound a lot but will be when I'm on a very limited budget starting tomorrow!]. I'm sure I gave them a reading not long ago when I stopped the Economy 7. I do find energy bills confusing to say the least. Am with N Power. Need to speak to them to see if I'm on the best tariff [for starters, at least].

Tegan 100% increase? Something is wrong to say the least. I've always found I've been overpaying on DD but it's always been adjusted. One way for energy companies to have free working capital

There are various fixes available so at least you'd have a better budgeting idea. Have a look at www.moneysavingexpert.com for some impartial advice. Apologies if I'm stating the obvious

Ruddy hell 100% increase!

Is it rude to ask which supplier that is Tegan?

Doubled! That is outrageous tegan - did you have a series of estimated readings that were on the low side or anything?

Well, my monthly energy direct debit has just doubled and, given that I'm retiring this week it is a real concern, especially as they are probably going to put the price up soon as well. Something has to be done in one way or another because how can we plan ahead financially if we don't know how much we will have to pay in the future?

My problem is that I don't trust the energy companies or the politicians (and I don't just mean Milliband).

Elegran good thinking!

I agree Jess. I posted the New Statesman article purely as a counter to the Telegraph polemic.
We need to hear how this can be done in clear and measured detail. I am not a great fan of Ed Miliband either, but I wouldn't accuse him of being economically illiterate or of being ignorant of how the energy companies work.
I certainly wouldn't trust the energy companies to give a measured response.
Interesting that here, we have no choice of electricity supplier, but our prices are lower than the UK.

sel I was in California at the time. The energy companies were doing "planned" shutdowns in such a way that power cuts were inevitable.
mamie again more of an opinion piece than logical analysis. Yes it we would be nice if we had more engineering expertise in this country but what did the previous Labour administration do to remedy this?
Seem to remember Cameron having a "bright idea" about energy prices. This involved making all the companies offer customers the cheapest tariff. Labour obviously not got the monopoly on economic naivety.
And has this happened or has it been quietly forgotten once the civil servants pointed out that it did not make sense?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/household-bills/9616124/Millions-to-see-energy-bills-fall-after-David-Cameron-promises-tariff-reform.html
The thing that really pees me off is that fuel poverty is not going to be solved by controlling prices when so many people live in dismally energy-inefficient property.

Fit a dynamo to your exercise bike?

Where can I buy a cheap generator?

Good point Mamie Not the whole reason though and their activities were illegal.

Nothing to do with Enron creating an artificial shortage then, Sel?