Mumsnet users discuss their energy supplier

[JustineBMumsnet]

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We’re very aware that energy bills are not the most exciting topic to discuss and that sorting them can be a pain, but they are a fact of life and we’d like to find out how you get on with your energy suppliers. The government has recently passed through some new legislation which will cap the total amount a supplier can charge, but do you think it will make a difference? Some of us are super organised and expert at searching for the best deals and negotiating costs each year whereas others me included overestimate our capacity to be organised enough to sort our energy bill in the least painful way.

We’re really interested in finding out how you get on with your current energy supplier and what you like and dislike about them? Is there something they particularly do that makes your life much easier? Or something you wish they’d start doing? Or even something that frustrates you about them?

Whatever your thoughts are on what makes a good energy supplier and creates a good or bad energy tariff, please share them below for your chance to be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks

MNHQ

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I move regularly according to the best tariff so for me ease of communication on ending contract is key.

I look for the cheapest that isn't too complicated or looks dodgy, some seem really convoluted.
I'm currently with Avro, they ask for a reading, they get a reading, we're told what we owe. Not complicated.
The switch to them was smooth too.

Mine was who supplied when we moved into our rental. They seem fine, no problems to report. I have a smartmeter and after a few months of seeing how expensive it seemed to be, I hid it in a drawer! It was winter though!

it was expensive because you were on a a standard tariff. do nothing, pay more.

Shop around every year but it still goes up too much. Surprised there isn't more coverage in media about why fuel, petrol etc keeps rising and why gov does so little to bring prices down. It's not inevitable, there is no political will to help struggling families.

Not happy with my provider feels like I’m forever paying out for estimated bills

Tried swapping energy proviber with U switch and ended up paying a lot more, went back to my original provider and prices just keep going up. Fed up with the lot of them & don;t trust the comparison site to do a good job, Feel lost in all this mess of finding cheaper power. Don't belive the government to cap pries at a reasonable cost

My supplier is fine; they are the cheapest, I don't really expect anything else and when our rate runs out in a few months we'll swap again.

The only thing I would like is to have paper bills without having to pay a penalty for them. I tend to ignore online bills so I might end up on a standard (more expensive) tariff before I remember to swap.

Like current provider as they have good green creds and are very friendly, easy to get hold of etc. Think may be a shade more expensive than the others but my mental load is such that I can’t contemplate looking into this no matter what Money Saving Expert Martin says!

I'm with flow energy. Their customer service I have found fab. I love that they post (not email!) me my yearly statement so when I decide to leave I have all the info right in front of me.

When I was with bg I had to work it all out myself. .

I'm with Octopus Energy and have nothing but good things to say! Really transparent with prices etc. and customer service is fab. Any issues I've had I've contacted them by FB/email and had a really quick response from an actual person (!) who seemed to care about my issue and wanted to get it sorted.

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Ecotricity and Octopus are both good. I like that they proactively suggest the best rates for you as you go along, unlike previous providers where the onus is on you to figure it out. Boils down to customer service, really.

I usually shop around and go with the cheapest, but mother in law got me onto Octopus Energy earlier in the year. I hadn't even heard of them! I'm so impressed! Unlike most suppliers, they encourage you to submit monthly meter readings and email a statement soon after, which means you really can stay on top of your energy usage rather than waiting the usual 3 months. They also offer out of hours customer service which means you can chat online with someone if you have a query in the evening and at the weekend - I've never come across this before! I really do think as they're not one of the big suppliers that they care about their customers and customer service really is fab. One happy customer!

I'm happy with my supplier, I have flexibility of tariffs, customer service is great. I always price compare for renewal however but the last 5 years they have had the right deal for me.

My only bugbear at the moment is the constant contact regarding smart meter installation. I do not want a 1st generation smart meter installed and want to wait until the second generation are released however I am rang/texted/emailed every couple of days about this and even though I have advised I don't want one this contact does not stop.

I'm with OVO. After years of being turned over by other suppliers I absolutely love them. I can track my gas and electricity on a daily basis, I overpay and get 5% interest on it and the customer services department is second to none.

Don't like or dislike our provider. Our bill is very average so I'm happy and customer service has always been fine

We've not had any problems with our current supplier, we should definitely shop around though and see what else is available to us at a cheaper rate.

They are all so expensive!

I like our supplier (Ovo). They seem competitive, give interest on a credit balance and have installed a smart meter so that everything is done online and automatically

Completely hit or miss dependent on who answers the phone but on the whole incredibly unhelpful. We’re on a meter and it’s overcharging us a previous debt, our provider keeps giving us instructions that don’t work then providing no alternative solution. They’ve also given totally different instructions to me and my husband when we’ve phoned.

We go for the cheapest big name supplier, I've signed up for MSE emails that tell me if there is anyone cheaper, and we're getting a smart meter fitted tomorrow.

We look for competitive and reliable. None of the companies seem bothered about retaining customers, though. Discounted rates for existing customer renewals and/or bonuses would be good.

Was with British Gas for many years, they kept ringing me on a daily basis to have a smart meter even though I'd told them many times I didn't want one. My fixed tariff with them came to an end so I did a comparison and found a cheaper company with a cheaper fixed tariff and was not locked in and changed supplier who I am happy with

Was with edf and winter bills went up to £240 a month

Changed to bulb and saved lots and now pay £80 all year round which covers me for winter

I wish they would be more transparent on pricing plans. Every year I have to shop around for the best deal - I get fixed price deals for 12 months - and it is a total headache. I find the providers themselves are much of a muchness but just wish the pricing/switching process was more straightforward. I never feel like the providers actually want to provide good value for money and that they’re basically out to get as much as they can from you. No complaints in general about the product/service but I find the tariffs can be confusing when looking to switch. Also I never feel all that valued as a continuing customer, it’s always been better to switch and really I’d rather find a good value provider to stick with over a longer term.