Beware these five pitfalls when switching energy suppliers

What a shame that your didn't do at least some of the homework for us.

Having done the research you could easily have listed the aforementioned pitfalls against the companies perpetrating them.

Also it appears that yet another "regulator" is doing less than the bare minimum for the customer. I would like to know who benefits most from the "regulators" existance (a retorical "like").

Always check the unit price, even when the comparison site says the deal is cheaper than your existing one. It often is not!

John S is right. One comparison site I recently used did not even have my current supplier's tariff in the drop down so couldn't possibly have made an accurate comparison.

There's only one way to be sure and that's to work it all out for yourself with the unit/standing charge prices.

I appreciate that not everyone finds this easy though and it is a bind, even when you can do arithmetic.

Also before you sign up through a comparison site check Quidco as they might offer better cash-back.

I reckon it's almost impossible to calculate comparison rates oneself without having details of a bill from another supplier (maybe from a friend or neighbour). Even with a current supplier, it is almost impossible because of the way a supplier breaks down their bill ie: so many units at a cheaper rate for so many days, and further complicated when the quarterly bill comes in every 113 days or 86 days just to confuse the 91 days that make up the true quarter period. Then there is the Customer Service, or lack of it, to consider.

Treat comparison sites as a guide, because as stated above, the tariffs on some websites don't always compare correctly to current rates actually available. The suppliers have us by the short and curlies unfortunately.

In looking to change energy supplier, I built up a chart of my actual consumption over several months then got actual unit prices and standing charges etc from the companies. I then drew up a spredsheet using all the info including the discount rates and how it is applied to get a complete picture over an 8 month period. I have kept a running monitor using actual readings and bills.

My gas spends in winter (Oct to Apr) are five to six times the summer half year. Some discounts (eg British Gas) only apply to a limited amount of units each quarter or month. So in winter, most of my gas usage will not be discounted.

Another interesting thing I found is that BGas price for electricity is currently cheaper than Scottish Hydro but the latter is cheaper on gas! (I live in the NW). All things considered, I changed to SHydro Go Direct 3 and saved c. £250 from the standard tarrif. But these discounts last 12 months only.

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I changed from Scottish Power to e.on mainly because SP always calculate the DD in March and then robbed me for the reast of the year, ending up £400 in credit before I finally switched.

Yeah, privatisation has worked a treat hasn't it!!

Another triumph for Margaret Hilda!

If a single mother takes a bottle of milk from Tesco to feed her children she goes to prison. If a crooked CEO of a utility behemoth cheats you out of hundreds of pounds a year, he is hailed as wizard of commerce and elevated to the Lords. Long live private enterprise.

By the time one has spent comparing all the various and fluctuating rates and charges over long periods, I am more than satistied to have remained with British Gas throughout .This company may not at any given time be the very cheapest, but as ajoint provider of both gas and electricity over along period with it's various discounts,it takes a bit of beating.

It's not the privatisation that has caused these sharp (and painful) practices - it's the regulators Ofgem being so ineffectual and failing to stamp them out. It's time someone got a grip !!

I see that some people cannot resist emotional rubbish comments. We do not know what energy prices would be if the utilities had not been privatised, but I suspect that they would be higher given the previous high overheads and inefficiencies which existed before privatisation. And, of course, given the high pension fund share holdings, then most of us still own the companies !!

Yup, the regulator is really doing a great job to ensure transparency in the energy market ,where would the poor consumer be without him !? To the average punter an energy bill is about as clear as mud........its a good job the regulator works for free and we the taxpayers don't have to pay his wages or office costs !!!!!!!