Sorry to butt in but I'd like to draw attention to the following for anyone with British Gas as their energy supplier. Mrs Tiz gets the free emailed newsletters from MoneySavingsExpert.com which give lots of tips. In the latest one they describe a tip they've been giving on TV and which has saved money for a lot of folk. It's no use to us because we don't have a gas supply. Basically it's because BG offer the same but under the Sainsbury's brand and it's a lot cheaper. Here's the details from the email:
*****************************************************************
British Gas customer? Martin's got a trick to save you £167 a year (
https://clubs.moneysavingexpert.com/che ... eeklyemail )
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It has a 16% cheaper tariff under another name. If you've not switched in a year, this is a no-brainer (
https://clubs.moneysavingexpert.com/che ... eeklyemail )
It's Martin here. I've a quick trick for all British Gas gas & electricity customers - especially those with it out of loyalty or who can't be bothered to switch. I've mentioned it on TV in the last couple of weeks, to a phenomenal response, eg, MonteCristo tweeted: "@MartinSLewis (
https://twitter.com/MartinSLewis ) just switched electricity and gas for my 90 yr old nan from British Gas to Sainsbury's, which is BG. Saved £329, cheers."
*(
https://clubs.moneysavingexpert.com/che ... eeklyemail )Sainsbury's Energy is British Gas under another name, but FAR cheaper. BG licenses Sainsbury's Energy and sells its wares under it. Yet in reality it's the same firm, same gas, same electricity, same service & same safety. The call centre's separate, but that's still run by BG, and all of its smart meters are compatible. Yet price-wise based on typical use...
- BG standard tariff (66% of people are on standard tariffs): £1,044/yr
- Sainsbury's cheapest is its Price Promise Nov 2017 (
https://clubs.moneysavingexpert.com/che ... eeklyemail ): £877/yr. Plus as it's a fix, the rate's locked in for a year (though cost depends on usage) - useful as price hikes are predicted. It's available (not in NI) for dual fuel only on direct debit, with £20/fuel exit fees.
As far as we can see, in every region and at every usage level it's cheaper than British Gas's standard tariff. It's also far cheaper than any other British Gas tariff currently available, though past MSE British Gas collective tariffs are cheaper. So just flick across to it - don't worry, there's no downtime, your gas/elec stays on, and barring the price there's little practical difference.
*How to get it and grab an extra £30 cashback. You could just call up, but as cost varies by region/usage, the best way is to do a quick comparison (
https://clubs.moneysavingexpert.com/che ... r/toppicks ) to see your exact price & saving and compare it with others. This link takes you to our Cheap Energy Club 'top picks' page, which includes Sainsbury's so it's easy to find. Plus you get £30 cashback which you WON'T GET if you go direct to Sainsbury's.
Q. I'm not with British Gas - can I get it? Yes, but why not switch to the comparison's overall winner?
Q. What if I've got exit penalties on my BG tariff? It won't charge them if you switch to Sainsbury's.
Q. Is it cheaper than BG 'HomeEnergy free elec on Saturdays/Sundays' deal? Here, you pay the same £1,044/yr rate as standard but get 8 hours' free elec a week; roughly 4% of a week. Sainsbury's is 16% less.
* If you're willing to switch firm you can save MORE. Even Sainsbury's Energy isn't that cheap. Take 5 mins to do the comparison (
https://clubs.moneysavingexpert.com/che ... /register/ )
and you can save far more. Eg, the cheapest tariff on typical use is £822/year. Or check Green Star unlimited (
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilit ... t-any-good ), which fixes the price regardless of what you use. More help in Cheap gas & elec (
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilit ... lectricity ).
*****************************************************************