My energy price increase email

[AiryFairy1]

So I finally got my email from Shell (who we were swapped to when our supplier went bust) - it's almost TREBLED!!!

I'm pretty gobsmacked, and wondering if it is worth trying to switch - I have a feeling it's probably not, but would be grateful to hear others' views please.

We can just about afford it, fortunately, but I'd really rather spend the money elsewhere, if at all possible!

I'd figure out your monthly electricity usage and calculate how much you should be paying at your current rate per kWh and standing day rate...then offer that.

How do you do that?

Yes it's a shock when you get the letter. We joined Octopus when ours went bust. They are still offering a you joiners deal if you go through refer a friend you might find they are cheaper or not . Give them a try and see.
This code gives you and me £50 off.

share.octopus.energy/wheat-goat-698

Can't you just submit monthly meter readings and than pay the actual bill based on your usage?

If you have a smart meter that’ll happen automatically and the energy company will adjust your DD to make sure you end up reasonably square by the end of the year. Or am I missing something?

OP, I’m with Shell too and had my email through Pat week. They’ve switched me to their Flexible 7 tariff. I did some comparisons online and seems the best I could do is a £10/year saving with Utility Warehouse. A lot of websites don’t seem to be running comparisons anymore but I got figures from USwitch. Best to do your own comparisons based on your address.

• last week, not Pat week!

@AiryFairy1 I presume the TREBLED you speak of is your DD?

with most suppliers you can 'pay as you use' if you want to, BUT quite often the price per kWh is a bit higher. Most suppliers are building a cushion into the rate so that come the winter you have a bit of a buffer, but some are then refunding your excess funds 🙇🏻‍♀️

if you work out how many kWh you used last year, you can negotiate a DD that will pay your bills but not build in a buffer for winter if you prefer a regular amount each month than just paying for what you use.

HOWEVER, what is your pkw price & what is the daily standing charge? THAT is what you need to compare, unless you're thinking of moving, and the exit fee might come into play.

unless you compare the Sc & perkW price you won't know which company you're better off with.

is yours dual fuel or just electricity?

I'm dual fuel with BG. I foolishly didn't sign up to the fixed deal they offered in Sept, because it was only a £5 saving over a year & I just didn't bother (I'm a bit of a commitment phobic!). So I could have fixed at a lower rate, but I did fix later on for two years

standing charge is 25.43p per day
unit rate is 26.47 per kWh.
(exit fee £75)

BG told my friend they aren't offering ANY fixed deals currently because it's so uncertain (not even to existing customers) I don't know if they're taking on any new customers, but if they do, it'll be on the standard variable.

do look at the rates that She'll are quoting, compare BG & OTHER BIG companies & see which is offering the best rate.

Not specifically for you, OP but now, more than ever, it is important to take regular readings to understand fully your own gas and electricity usage (kwh per year) and link that to how much you need to pay.

Set a reminder to take and record a metre reading every month (or look at your smart metre history if you have one), do a quick calculation to work out how much more you've used that month. Track over a year to see how your usage rises and falls between summer and winter and to really know how much you've used over the year.

It seems complicated but it really isn't and will demystify the whole bill and direct debit business. And you'll always have the comfort of knowing what you've used, what you've paid and whether you are tracking oer or under for the year.

Re @SweatyAndGrumpy - the Shell Energy app does all that for you.

Thanks all - some great advice here! After going slightly nuclear, DH has taken over this bill and has switched us to Utility Warehouse as there was a deal to do with switching broadband (which we thinking of doing anyway)

Is the price for both Gas and Electric?

I used your link @KittyCatsby but octopus wouldn’t even do me a quote and said people shouldn’t be switching now.