UK Energy Prices (what they dont tell you)

Mains gas the con (UK Energy Prices) & electric

There is a big con in gas prices for mains gas and many of you may be paying it thinking your on a good tariff. You pay a unit price and often that is split into 2 rates but many of you dont know about this. You get a high rate and a low rate e.g. 9p per unit high rate and 5p per unit low rate.

Often you need to use thousands of units before you start paying the low rate and often its the case you will never get onto the low rate at all. Unit usage before going onto low rate varies from  1000 to 2500 units, now i checked my unit usage for a year on my yearly statement (by the way i wasnt on one of these dual tariff's i was on a single rate and no standing charge) and i had used 948 units in a year. If i were on a dual tariff id have been ripped off big time.

Here's what you can do, find out your unit usage for a year on your bill/statement or if you havent got it then ring your supplier see if they can give you the figure. Next find out what the rates are, single tarrif or dual tariff and any standing charge. Now goto a price comparison site and enter the figures to get some results, note down the results of the best ones and dont use the site any further, go and check their websites e.g. british gas etc.

Now here's some things to take into account, first if your on a single rate tarrif it is usually slightly higher than the low rate on a dual tariff e.g. low rate 5p single rate 6p. This may be more as i suggest but if you work out the figures for the high rate you will find the single tariff is cheaper in the longrun. Now check for a standing charge, i think its best to not have one but there may be single tariff rates that are better but include a standing charge. Work out the figures as you may be better off with a standing charge and a lower single rate tarrif.

A lot of companies use dual tariff's and dont tell you unless you ask. Its worth checking what your tariff(s) are and if you can save money by switching. There are several comparison sites online such as uswitch that you can get the information you need. I know it takes a while to switch, 6 to 8 weeks which is annoying but it would be worth it especially if your being ripped off at the moment.

We all want to try and save energy but we need to keep warm too, the chances are if you find the right company and switch (or stay on your current one if its the best) the chances are you wont switch again for years or maybe even never if they stay good.

NEVER be swayed by things like earn clubcard points, cold calling you at the door and on the phone, if they seem convincing tell them you will think about it and do a bit of research. For me its often that these sort of things are a con and you end up paying more for your gas in order to get these bonuses.

If a company says they can save you say £100 a year and your on a Card meter (or not) think about it, £100 shared by 52 weeks is £1.90 a week which isnt a bad saving but it depends how you look at it, for me any less than that its not worth bothering with to switch companies. For example say you saved £52 a year thats £1 a week it hardly breaks the bank so its not worth it in my opinion.

Foot note electricity prices

Electricity is easier to work out usually it consists of a unit rate and with or without a standing charge, you can use the above info and apply it to electric prices.

I hope this helps some of you save a bit of money and im pleased to write this article above to explain a few things about energy prices. Be aware some information may or may not be correct, this article is a generalisation, and its something you probably wont find to read elsewhere online as its too detailed.You will usually just find unit prices standing charges and savings but this is the things they dont  show you.

Thanks for reading +UK Energy Saving +uSwitch