I’m with Bulb and have about 500quid in credit
Id be getting on to Bulb pronto and asking for a refund of my credit balance.
I had to do this when pen I was with them and it was sorted within a couple of days. It might be a bit more difficult now but I’d not be leaving that amount of money to be moved to another supplier.
So we’re effectively re-nationalising energy supply?
Nah, just more taxpayer-backed corporate socialism
Ironic in the week that they cut Universal Credit so that poor people will be even less able to pay their gas bills.
“That’s why if me foregoing £20 a week in benefits – which I’d only waste on food for the kids anyway – can be used to protect the dividends of all those worried investors with portfolios a bit heavy in the energy sector, the so be it.
I appear to have missed the window to switch to a less expensive (not cheaper) fixed rate. I still don’t know who my new supplier is.
My supplier, PFP Energy, has gone now and I’m being transferred to British Gas. Deep joy.
I’ve now had the strangest email, from PFP, asking me to sign a petition set up to oust Kwasi Kwarteng as Business Secretary!
I’ve signed, because I profoundly despise the entire cabinet, but I never thought that a utility company would be so outwardly political!
Strange times.
Me too, I thought their deal was too good to be true and it was!
Now who knows what tariff British gas will be charging.
I'm electric only tho and have a tank full of oil.
Yeah its a worry, I've emailed bulb asking for a refund so lets see what happens.
On paper it should be okay but i wouldnt be surprised if the government give all the credit to serco for processing and they take 50% !!!
...I do wonder whether these smaller surviving companies will now need to keep their prices artificially high instead of passing savings to customers so they can pay back the assumed debt.
But then the customers will move to cheaper deals with other providers and they'll go bust anyway. Maybe that answers my own question about why the government don't want to bail out the smaller suppliers. 🤔
Bugger! I'm soon moving into a stone house. I can see the gas bills going through the roof.
Slightly tangential, but does anyone understand why tough times for energy suppliers results in Centrica/British Gas share prices going up 5% in the last few days?
…I do wonder whether these smaller surviving companies will now need to keep their prices artificially high instead of passing savings to customers so they can pay back the assumed debt.
It seems to me more that some of the smaller companies were able to offer artificially low prices because they didn't hedge sufficiently and now it's biting them in the arse. Offgem are going to have to take a look at their regulatory framework for new market entrants.
Also with bulb 😩
The people blocking the M25 are right – the government should be insulating houses.
Did anyone try and use green homes grant to try & get some better insulation? Tried to get our useless doors replaced, but the entire thing was an absolute joke
They are taking on 1m? new customers who will be profitable in the long term and may get subsidies from the tax payers would be my first guess
EDIT reply to British Gas share price
You just get transferred to another supplier at no cost to you.
Other than the levy that we will all have to chip into to cover the big players extra costs. A very poorly designed "market" with no apparent risk if the company goes under.
Gas prices since we left the EU regulated market have gone from £60 per unit of trade to £120. A dividend for the spivs again and @Kryton57 don't hold your breath!
I can see the gas bills going through the roof.
You need to insulate the roof then.
Does anyone have a list of the "at risk" providers?
I've got 40 days left on my 'deal' with EDF, they're currently offering me a 6 month deal that's a couple of decimal points cheaper than standard variable, which I assume is the cap, or worryingly much longer 3 year deals at waaaay more.
USwitch say there are basically no deals to be had at all, Money Supermarket offered me 2 way over the cap.
I guess we'll have to find the extra £50 a month it's going to cost us, on top of the extra £63 NI we'll be paying next year between us.
Haven't had a pay rise in 4 years.
Does anyone have a list of the “at risk” providers?
Pretty much all except the 'big 6'
There is a list in most newspapers
How about sharing some tips to reduce energy bills over the coming months?
These are a couple of tweeks I’ve done over the year or so which have definitely helped to limit our bills:
Hot water (save gas)
- reduce the flow rate on hot water taps
- fit flow reducers on shower heads
- stop using the bath
- reduce the duration the boiler heats water for the tank until it runs out every day then slightly increase until it doesn’t (we’re down to 15 mins a day now)
- change the schedule for hot water heating to reduce on days when demand is less
- turn off completely when away from home
Heating (save gas)
- use zone valves if possible
- reduce the temperatures in the day or limit to one area if working from home
- reduce at night and use thicker bedding
- fit window sensors so that when your partner opens the window then turns the heating up because the house is cold the system turns itself off again until the window is shut
- optimise the heating schedule on a day by day basis (so weekdays are different to weekends)
- turn the radiator TPV valves down (or off in rooms that aren’t used)
- keep the doors shut inside the house when it’s really cold
- turn off / put in “frost” mode when away for a day or longer
Power (save electricity and gas)
- turn things off when not used throughout the day
- turn on “eco” mode on devices where possible
- turn off the fast freeze setting on the freezer
- use less water when boiling veg
- use the smaller combi oven instead of the big oven as it heats faster / uses less power
- use eco mode on the dishwasher / don’t wash crockery with the hot tap running
Other:
- invite yourself round to family and friends houses, complain the temperature is too low and take a good couple of long hot baths whilst staying there 😂
I reckon the above saves us around 25% on our bill overall.
Has anyone else got any small tweeks to help keep bills down?
Has anyone else got any small tweeks to help keep bills down?
Not having a family...
Wife, heating on, windows all open? Because we don't want to feel stuffy do we?
Son, 25 mins with the hot tap running wide open when he "does his face" every, ****ing day.
Every light, in every room on, even during the day when we're out, or at night when we go to bed? Oh yeah, we'll have some of that...
Only boil the kettle water you need above minimum line.
Don't keep the giant kettle (water immersion tank) turned on 24/7 if it's heated by electric, schedule it to come on for a set period, for Economy7 users ~60 to 90 mins before night rate ends.
– turn things off when not used throughout the day
At the socket if they go into stand-by mode.
Kettles only need to boil enough water for the mug/cup being used for tea/coffee/instamnt chocolate.
Electric showers FTW, don't heat a tank full of water for showers nor do you need a power shower (they use around the same amount of hot water as a bath.
So youre moved from a low cost supplier think call centre /phones and desks to a large multi million pound company and of course prices are going to rise to their prices not lower to the low cost call centre,probably all the small ones will go bust, and staff sacked or made redundant all funded by the uk tax payer.
Easiest way to not pay higher costs is to reduce consumption, insulate, turn stuff off, led lamps,and more as detailed above.
Then just wait ttil a major power producing plant goes Boom.
Does anyone have a list of the “at risk” providers?
Pretty much all except the ‘big 6’
There is a list in most newspapers
You got a gritter for the salt to be taken with that?
At least one of the big six isn't doing too well and is losing generation capacity year on from now through to the next decade.
USwitch say there are basically no deals to be had at all, Money Supermarket offered me 2 way over the cap.
Going through comparison sites pushes costs ip for spoilers so not many tafiffs currently showing via this route. Go direct to supplier or use MSE Energy Club search as this will show all offers, including those that don't pay comparison sites.
We have a FIXED PRICE 2 year agreement with our LPG supplier. They have today written to us to say that they will be applying a 'special levy' of about 20% to all bills, despite the fixed price agreement. Inevitably there will be some weasel words in the contract we signed but I'm a bit miffed. How would they feel if I wrote to them using saying that in the exceptional circumstances of Brexit-covid, I'd decided to pay them less? Rant over.
Does capitalism work then? Or just for some?
@bongle which LPG supplier? We’re with flogas and on a 2 year fix which runs out at xmas.
At least one of the big six isn’t doing too well and is losing generation capacity year on from now through to the next decade.
Sorry, I know this is a few hours old, but unless the rules changed, where a company has both generation and supply activity the two have to be financially separated from each other to prevent internal trading and gaining an advantage over other suppliers. And I can't think of any of the big 6 that have fossil generation who won't be closing some of their assets in the next 10 years. It's not just coal, a lot of the major gas sites are coming to the end of their lives over the next few years.
Slightly tangential, but does anyone understand why tough times for energy suppliers results in Centrica/British Gas share prices going up 5% in the last few days?
It’s not tough times if you’re actually producing the stuff and selling it at high wholesale prices! Centrica still have some production via their stake in Spirit Energy. If their website is up to date they’re also currently producing the gas from the Rough field, which was previously used for gas storage but no longer (arguably one of the problems )
How would they feel if I wrote to them using saying that in the exceptional circumstances of Brexit-covid, I’d decided to pay them less?
They'd be entitled to cancel the contract and go elsewhere, as you are. Bummer though.
Leccy AND water saver: Turn the shower power setting to Low/Medium (not cold, Obvz) and reduce the water flow.
A friend in a chilly 70s block of flats uses Ikea summer duvets as curtains - up until now I have had fleece with slits cut in the top as thermal curtain add-ons (window side) but if I get time I may follow suit - staple or stitch the duvet inside its cover and punch eyelets into one edge of the cover, job done.
Sorry, I know this is a few hours old, but unless the rules changed, where a company has both generation and supply activity the two have to be financially separated from each other to prevent internal trading and gaining an advantage over other suppliers.
Whilst that's true the energy supply market means suppliers will have agreed to supply a certain amount years in advance, another tranche the year before and the last load on the day. If you can't supply what you agreed to you have to buy it in. At spot price.
And I wasn't talking about fossil 😉
Shitting arse bum looks like my supplier (Green) have gone pop. Guess I'll be transferred onto somebody's far more expensive variable tariff. 👍
Usefully, absolutely nothing on their twitter or website about it, phone not being answered, web chat not working.
I’ve now had the strangest email, from PFP, asking me to sign a petition set up to oust Kwasi Kwarteng as Business Secretary!
I had a similar email from Green yesterday. Obviously didn't do enough as Green went bump today.
Soooo the recommendation is?
- don't panic
- wait for another supplier to get appointed...
- only then shop around for a better deal?
Edit: answered my own question
Green just gone to the wall
Shitting arse bum looks like my supplier (Green) have gone pop. Guess I’ll be transferred onto somebody’s far more expensive variable tariff. 👍
Usefully, absolutely nothing on their twitter or website about it, phone not being answered, web chat not working.
Website does say they've ceased trading. I did have to hit ctrl+f5 on my browser to get rid of the cached page.
Freester
Website does say they’ve ceased trading. I did have to hit ctrl+f5 on my browser to get rid of the cached page.
Yep, got that now too, thanks.
Really hope the government get a good shoeing over this. Crisis to crisis to crisis.
Avro now as well, which is an arse because I'm still in the throes of migrating across to them...
Avro now as well, which is an arse because I’m still in the throes of migrating across to them…
Been with Avro for a few years, just taken meter readings but can't get on their site to load them or check my statements 😕
Interestingly Ofgem website recommends taking meter readings.
Write em down I'm sure the new supplier will be wanting them sooner rather than later.
Scienceofficer
Free MemberAvro now as well, which is an arse because I’m still in the throes of migrating across to them…
Bad luck, hope you don't get stuck in admin no mans land with that.
Anybody know how long it takes to get assigned to a new supplier?
edit - according to MSE it will be several weeks
It's going to be a cold winter!
Something similar happened to me a few months back - my supplier went bust. Got automatically transferred to British Gas but kept same pricing/tariff and deal length as before. I also received money back I was due from overpayments.
And I wasn’t talking about fossil 😉
I know who you mean. And there's been speculation they may want to get out of the consumer retail market, as SSE did.
