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Fixed gas price per unit

(24 Posts)
petallus Wed 16-Oct-13 19:37:22

DH wants to go over to a fixed price per unit for 12 months with British Gas from our present tariff, thus supposedly saving 160 per year.

Is this a good idea?

Jendurham Wed 16-Oct-13 19:42:35

No because it's with British Gas.

whenim64 Wed 16-Oct-13 19:59:45

I've just bounced British Gas, having had too many problems - too many to mention. Customer service is terrible, but polite! At one point I had three different issues being (not) resolved - broken smartmeter, imposition of an exit penalty on a new tariff I hadn't consented to, and their insistence that I was receiving a supply of electricity at one address and gas at another! They had to go.

I switched to SSE/Marks and Spencers to save £80 a year, fixed until Sept 2014, just in time before the price rises start in November. Made it by the skin of my teeth. They announced the 8.2% rise the day after my contract began!

grannyactivist Wed 16-Oct-13 21:08:39

We're with Ecotricity who have frozen their prices until 2014 and had already undercut the big six suppliers. smile

Deedaa Wed 16-Oct-13 21:09:55

I did the same when I've been with M&S since they started doing power and so far they've been fine.

petallus Wed 16-Oct-13 23:43:51

I suppose this counts as one of the boring threads along with socks.

However, believe it or not DH and I managed a big row over British Gas who we have been with for 30 years. We are now consulting the Guardian comparison site for energy companies and might change.

Does anybody do the night/day tariff?

Jendurham Wed 16-Oct-13 23:46:38

Same here, Grannyactivist. No problems whatsoever with their customer service.

kittylester Thu 17-Oct-13 05:34:16

We used to be on Ecomony7 until we fixed (with EDF). This runs out in March, I think, but DH is looking at refixing (probably with EDF) for as long as possible.

petallus Thu 17-Oct-13 07:09:02

EDF came out very well in the Guardian price comparison thing.

Bez Thu 17-Oct-13 07:47:34

We were with EDF for a short while - found them to be a dreadful company - when I changed to them they would not believe my meter readings and put them both back so when my first bills came one was about £300 too much and the other £500 - went back to SWALEC who managed to sort all out for me - part of SSE. EDF did the same to my neighbour and she did not get it sorted quickly enough and they broke in with a locksmith and put in a pre payment meter while she was at work!!

petallus Thu 17-Oct-13 07:59:26

OMG! Shall think again.

kittylester Thu 17-Oct-13 08:03:42

We have never had a problem with EDF.

Bez Thu 17-Oct-13 08:39:07

Maybe our area then - South Wales and it was a few years ago but our experience has coloured our view

whenim64 Thu 17-Oct-13 10:09:45

10.4% rise announced by British Gas today!

JessM Thu 17-Oct-13 10:14:28

flipping norah. when
Kitty I hope you are on Economy 7 because you have overnight storage type heating?

annodomini Thu 17-Oct-13 10:59:54

For 13 years I have been on the Staywarm scheme which Eon cancelled last week and I am researching other schemes which would suit me - single, small house.

kittylester Thu 17-Oct-13 11:27:30

jess no storage heating but Dh kept a unblinking eagle eye on the various tariffs and, so long as we washed, dishwashed and tumbledried overnight, it was marginally cheaper on Economy7. I have to say that I am pleased to be relieved of the tyranny of getting a look if I even thought about using an appliance during the day thlgrin

Charleygirl Thu 17-Oct-13 11:36:05

kittylester I would be worried about the fire risk when using appliances during the night and I was asleep. I never leave the house with my dishwasher or washing machine running during the day for the same reason.

I went shopping many years ago leaving my washing machine on to return to find the flat beneath ours as well as our own, flooded and the water still running. It was a nightmare.

Charleygirl Thu 17-Oct-13 11:44:06

Oops, wrong thread!

kittylester Thu 17-Oct-13 11:46:13

Just realised that this thread is headed gas prices. Is like to point out that we don't run our appliances on gas thlgrin. Our bills are dualfuel!!

Charley, we have fully functioning smoke alarms. I don't have time to be in while a whole dishwasher programme finishes.

petallus Thu 17-Oct-13 11:48:49

After a lot of deliberation we decided to stick with British Gas for both electric and gas but have moved to their fixed price tariff to avoid the just announced price rise (takes place in November).

Even though still with British Gas, I feel happier because I now have a much better understanding of how and why I am charged and what the competition has to offer.

Overall, they all seem to be much of a muchness so I thought better the devil you know.

Galen Thu 17-Oct-13 11:49:33

I'm going over to utility warehouse. I'm fed up with eon!

Galen Thu 17-Oct-13 11:53:10

Or is it EDF I'm currently with!
Must go. Driving to Gloucester to amuse DGD with iPad for an hour while very pregnant (due next week) DD puts her feet up for an hour!

Tegan Thu 17-Oct-13 19:22:41

I've just phoned a comparison site and moved to a fixed tariff for @ 18 months on a slightly lower rate; still with N Power. Could have moved to another company that was cheaper, but I was more concerned with the increases and I quite like being with N Power. I said I would never switch back to British Gas no matter how cheap they were after someone from that company was very abusive on the phone when I said I was switching to another company. Feel relieved that I'm on a fixed rate for a while [and I get my £200 this year as well smile].