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E.ON Age Concern : Update to customer benefits
- Wednesday, October 08th 2008:
As of today, 8th October 2008, E.ON have amended the customer
benefits for those customers signing up to their Age Concern
tariffs.
These now include:
* A Carbon Monoxide Alarm worth £20
* 2 energy saving light bulbs
* A card hypothermia thermometer
* A voucher to claim a free personal computer Powerdown worth
£12
* Other energy saving appliance offers
* Energy saving advice
* Safety advice
* A leaflet regarding free or discounted loft and cavity wall
insulation
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E.ON - new fixed price
tariff - Thursday, October 2nd 2008:
E.ON launched a new fixed price energy tariff
called Fixed Price V3 – Fixed until 1st July 2010
- Single electricity and dual fuel product
- Available for MDD and QCC payment methods
- Customers can receive a Tesco point for every pound
spent
- Not available to Prepayment meter customer
- IGT charge is applicable
If customers leave before the end date of 01.07.2010 there is
a cancellation fee of £50 for a dual fuel customer and £20 for a
single electricity customer
The tariff is went live on all our platforms at 0001 today and
is available for signup now.
At the same time Price Protection v18 has been withdrawn for
sale.
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New EDF Energy Tariffs - Wednesday , October 1st 2008:
The new latest EDF Energy tariffs were launched today.
These are:
Price Protection 2010
This is a price protection tariff where prices are held until
until 30 September 2010.
It is available for dual fuel and electricity only.
Online Electricity only Tariff V6
This is an electricity only Online tariff available over 10
areas.
Both standard and E7 tariffs are available.
Payment is by monthly direct debit only.
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British Gas Click Energy 6 - launched Tuesday , September 30th
2008:
British Gas Click Energy 6 has been launched today.
This means the immediate withdrawal from market of Click Energy
5 and this has been removed.
This will launched across all platforms at 1900.
Also being launched at 1900 is Click Pay as You Go.
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Are you wondering whether the tariff you
want may be going up in price? - Wednesday, September 17th 2008:
Have you ever wondered whether the savings shown on some
comparison services like inuweb.com are too good to be true? To
help consumers switch with confidence, this service now warns
about tariffs that may be due a price increase - another unique
feature you won't find anywhere else. Tariffs that may
reasonably be due an increase are labelled with a big exlamation
mark and explanatory content. Tariffs that have recently been
adjusted are shown with a green GO sign. The Price Increase
warnings are not based on advance information of price changes
by the energy suppliers, but represent this service's
longstanding experience in gauging the direction of the energy
market.
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fuel measures - the government's missed opportunity - Thursday,
September 11th 2008: The
government today announced a package of measures to help the
country cope with soaring fuel bills. These measures include:
- A partial reversal of previously
announced cuts for the government?s warm front scheme, which
provides support to households on pension credit with the
installation of central heating
- Doubling of winter fuel payments to
pensioners. Help for disabled and families with children
under five - but only if the coming winter is severe
- Free or half price insulation offers
for all families and a price freeze for the remainder of
this year for the poorest families
The measures have already been criticised
as being overly focused on inducing long-term reductions in
energy consumption, while providing little help for average
families struggling to pay their bills this coming winter.
The current vagueness around the implementation of the longer
term measures does not help. For example, it is unclear how the
insulation offers will be marketed by the energy suppliers, and
what the take-up will be.
The value of offering a price freeze for the poorest for the
rest of the year (a period of a little over 3 months!) is also
in doubt. The consensus is that suppliers had no intention of
raising prices this year anyway, but that they will probably put
through further increases in the New Year.
The measures also don?t seem to include any new energy tariff
initiatives that might help incentivise
UK energy consumers to reduce their consumption, for example by
introducing attractive fixed rate one year packages with usage
limits.
We are also sorely missing any new initiatives to make bills
more useful to the consumer ? for example by forcing suppliers
to clearly show the last 12 months? of usage on every statement,
within the context of the national average.
Most importantly, we are missing any special help for customers
who use Prepayment meters - the most expensive way to purchase
gas and electricity - and which are present in about 10% of UK households.
We were hoping that suppliers would be forced to offer their
customers a free meter replacement, so that those willing and
able to pay quarterly or by monthly Direct Debit, could benefit
from cheaper prices, but this was not part of the package that
was announced.
So unfortunately, the government?s efforts are not going to help
you this winter with the 25-35% extra that you will have to pay
for your gas and electricity. This is the sad fact.
For the average family. the only way to save money on the
energy bills is to somehow use less energy in the future and to
switch to a cheaper tariff deal from another supplier, this can
easily save up to 20%, so we do recommend that consumers take
this step first.
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or Heat? What to do if you cannot pay your energy bills -
Friday, August 29th 2008:
Together with the terrible weather, shock
increases on the price of gas and electricity have been
distasteful features of this summer. And while we may yet enjoy
a sunny autumn season, there is unfortunately no end in sight to
spiralling energy prices, as energy providers are already
setting their sights on further hikes of about 20% by early next
year.
So if you have just come home from your summer holiday ? here is
the dismal picture of what you can look forward to:
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Supplier
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Date announced
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Gas Increase %
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Electricity Increase %
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British Gas
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30th July
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35
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9
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E.ON Energy
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21st August
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26
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16
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EDF Energy
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25th July
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22
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17
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Npower
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28th August
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26
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14
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Scottish and Southern Energy
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21st August
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29.2
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19.2
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ScottishPower
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28th August
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34
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9
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Average
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28
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14
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From now on, UK consumers will have no
option but to pay attention to their energy bills, or else these
increases - when taking into account the rising cost of living
overall ? will end up causing real hardship. So here is what to
do if ?Eat or Heat?? could be a question for you this winter.
Get a capped rate or the cheapest discount alternative
You may be thinking that you have missed out on signing up to
the cheapest fixed price energy deal ? these are limited
availability tariffs that come with a guarantee against price
increases.
The good news is that some suppliers have now re-entered the
ring by offering between 1 to 3 years fixed Price tariffs, which
are available from our comparison service
If you cannot find a capped rate that works within your budget,
switch to the cheapest deal overall using our service ? there
are savings available of up to ?300 on an annualised basis, but
be prepared to switch again in 4-6 month?s time when you are
notified of a price increase. So be an aware consumer and keep
your eyes peeled for deals ? that means know where your bills
are and have them ready so you can act when that price increase
announcement comes through
Contact your supplier.
If you are already struggling with your
bills or are in arrears at this time of year (when consumption
is low), then that is a sign of trouble ahead for the winter.
Contact your supplier and discuss your options ? here are the
hard and fast rules about being in debt to your supplier
- If you are in debt as a result of
inaccurate billing, then the repayment of that debt should
take as long as it took to run up the debt. For example, if
you have not been billed correctly for a number of years,
then your repayments should take just as long.
- Several Trust Funds exist to help
people in serious difficulties ? your supplier will know
about these and will be able to tell you about your
eligibility. Ask your supplier for an ?entitlement check? to
find out what help is available.
- If you believe you are at risk, and
someone in your household is of pensionable age, disabled or
chronically sick, ask your supplier to add you to the
?Priority Services Register?, which can be useful if you
find yourself in debt later (if you are on that list, the
supplier should offer you additional assistance).
Dealing with Disconnection
Suppliers can disconnect a home if no
agreement is reached about debt settlements. The exceptions are:
- Elderly or chronically sick customer
may not be disconnected during the winter months (October to
March)
- If a debt is with a previous supplier,
not the current supplier
- If a debt is not related to your gas
and electricity consumption (for example if a customer
defaults on the repayments of a boiler bought from the
supplier)
- When a customer is officially declared
bankrupt
There is no disconnection exception for families with small
children.
In the event of disconnection, suppliers will provide
instructions on how to get a household reconnected. Here are the
things to note:
- Reconnection charges usually apply,
and reconnection is usually made only after a debt
settlement has been reached.
- The supplier may suggest to install a
pre-payment meter at the property in order to reconnect ?
and while this may be tempting, customers should know that
getting your energy via prepayment meters costs about 20%
more, which will not help in reducing energy bills
- Reconnection can take a week or more,
as an engineer will have to come to the property, so
customers are advised to keep engaging their suppliers to
avoid disconnection in the first place
You may be able to get a
Crisis
Loan from the Department of Work and Pension if you
cannot afford the reconnection fee. Click here for more
information
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/sb16/crisis.asp. This is an
interest free loan from the Government. You will have to prove
that you genuinely cannot afford to pay the reconnection fee, so
this really is an option of last resort only.
Reducing your consumption
Paying more for each unit of gas and electricity is unavoidable
given the recent price increases, but by using less energy, it
is still possible to take the edge of price increases. The key
is to act now, and take the necessary steps before the onset of
colder weather. We recommend that you trawl through
www.energysavingstrust.org.uk for ideas and also to check
whether you may be eligible for a free home insulation
improvement grant.
To keep in touch about future free energy benefits, you can sign
up to the energywatch newsletter service. To register with
energwatch click here
http://www.energywatch.org.uk/help_and_advice/free_services/index.asp
Most important in dealing with the issue of energy debt is not
to ignore it. Your supplier must offer you options if you are in
trouble, and just by contacting them to talk about the problem
you will be buying yourself valuable time.
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Come out as a winner in the energy wars - Tuesday, August 12th
2008:
Looking back, 30th of July 2008
might well be marked as a watershed date for
Britain?s energy consumers. On that date, British Gas announced
an unprecedented increase on the price of gas - an astounding
35% - marking the single biggest increase ever announced by any
of the big six suppliers in the UK.
Because most consumers already pay about 60% of their household
energy bills on gas, British Gas? decision to raise electricity
prices by ?only? 9% at the same time will do nothing to undo the
damage that has been done.
The energy markets are still struggling with the aftermath of
this shock. Four of the ?Big 6? energy suppliers (E.ON, npower,
ScottishPower, and the Scottish and Southern Group), which
together supply about 70% of the UK?s households, are furiously
working their calculators, deciding by how much to up their own
standard rate prices.
So while this is going on, what should energy consumers do to
protect themselves?
First of all ? get angry. Suppliers are not about
to reward you for loyalty. If you have not recently switched
tariff or supplier, you will gain nothing by doing nothing.
Come early November, the effect of these recent price increases
will be felt. And the effect will be massive ? if you have been
paying ?70 a month on your gas direct debit ? the average of
what we see go through our service ? then your new annual gas
bill will suddenly be ?1,130. You need to ask yourself: can I
really afford that?
Secondly ? start looking. You may be thinking that you
have missed out on signing up to the cheapest fixed price energy
deal ? these are limited availability tariffs that come with a
guarantee against price increases.
The good news is that ScottishPower has now re-entered the
ring by offering an attractive one year price fix tariff which
is available from our service (if you are currently supplier
by ScottishPower you will need to contact them directly).
So now is a good time to look again. The ScottishPower offer
does generally compare favourably against the current British
Gas 2011 offer and the EDF Fixed Price 2009 offers (both
available from the suppliers directly, but shown on our service
for comparison purposes).
Thirdly ? switch tactically. If you cannot find a capped
rate that works within your budget, switch to the cheapest deal
overall using our service ? there are savings available of up to
?300 on an annualised basis, but be prepared to switch again
in 4-6 month?s time when you are notified of a price
increase. So be an aware consumer and keep your eyes peeled for
deals ? that means know where your bills are and have them ready
so you can act when that price increase announcement comes
through.
Finally ? use less energy. When energy prices increase by
35% in one hit and there is no end in sight to future price
increases, something has to give. Just visit the Energy Savings
Trust website (www.est.org.uk)
and follow their excellent advice ? the Energy Savings Trust
really does offer the
UK?s one-stop shop for energy savings advice.
And be a little sceptical about some of the advice that is being
given at the moment. We have noted with great concern that the
self-appointed
UK consumer champion Martin Lewis (also known as the
Money Savings Expert) has recently told people not to
switch energy supplier.
This advice has left us scratching our head ? the last time Mr
Lewis told the country not to switch early in 2008,
suppliers like npower and ScottishPower were offering generous 3
year capped rates that are now long withdrawn. Customers who
followed Mr Lewis? advice then totally lost out on those offers!
With ScottishPower now offering a good capped rate it does not
make sense to wait.
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Ecotricity increase energy prices:
Ecotricity, the green electricity company has today, 1st
August 2008, announced prices increase in three distribution
areas.
Ecotricity offer two tariffs.
New Energy
Ecotricity's popular New Energy tariff offers a growing
percentage of green supply offset from their own turbines,
currently around 25%, with the rest coming from conventional
sources. The more customers Ecotricity has, the more investment
they can make in building new renewable electricity. With New
Energy you pay the same as the standard price of your regional
supplier.
New Energy Plus
New Energy Plus tariff is derived of green supply offset
from their own wind turbines, plus additional green
electricity purchased from elsewhere, making this a 100%
green supply tariff. There is a small premium of 0.5p
per kilowatt hour to cover the extra costs of supplying
additional existing green supply. As a result of EDF
Energy's recent price increase Ecotricity has reviewed
electricity prices in the London, Seeboard and SWEB
distribution areas.
If you wish to see how these prices compare with the
rest of the UK renewable energy tariffs
click here.
Regardless of what energy supplier you are with it is
definitely worth comparing the entire energy market,
especially in light of the recent price increases and
the fact that many fixed and capped price deals are
being quickly removed from sale.
Now really is the very last chance to get yourself
any kind of bargain in the energy markets.
If you have gas and electricity
click here.
If you only have electricity
click here
Remember inuweb.com is totally free to use, 100%
impartial and lists every single supplier in the UK.
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