How do you choose the cheapest gas supplier?
It may sound like a dumb question, but it’s not as easy to choose the cheapest gas supplier as you might think. In principle, all you need to do is look at the cost and choose the cheapest. Unfortunately, you have to know what you are looking at in order to be able to compare power prices.
When it comes down to it, all the gas suppliers are selling the same thing, namely gas. Where they differ – which is where it gets confusing – is that they all have their own ways of working out the cost, and passing it on to you.
You will find that the best gas suppliers often have discount offers, where they will offer the gas at, say, 30% off the base price. This is great, but you need to check exactly what is being discounted, as it can make a big difference to how much you pay. 30% off the whole bill is significantly better than 30% off the cost of the gas alone, leaving you to pay the full transport and service costs. Don’t just compare 30% off from one company against 40% off from another without checking what is being discounted.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, the cheapest gas supplier isn’t necessarily the best gas supplier. It is important to consider the level of service, which is something you can check by reading the reviews that the comparison sites usually have. Again, re-read my earlier post for more on this.
It’s worth a look at the terms and conditions for the gas suppliers, as they all have slightly different terms, and you want to make sure there’s nothing nasty lurking in the small print. This is not so likely nowadays as there is such strict regulation on even the cheapest gas and electricity suppliers, but it’s worth checking.
The good news is that most of the sites that allow you to compare power prices will show you an estimated monthly or annual bill, so you can see exactly how much you’re going to pay overall. This should be your main deciding factor, closely followed by the customer reviews.
Hopefully you won’t find it too hard to choose the cheapest gas supplier if you use this comparison site as it’s pretty well laid out and easy to use.
Speak to you soon,
Chris
Topics: Cheapest gas supplier, Compare gas suppliers
How to find the cheapest business gas supplier
If you’ve read my earlier posts in this blog, you’ll know that I have written a lot about finding the cheapest gas supplier, but didn’t discuss the details of domestic against business gas provision. In this post, I’d like to address this issue briefly, so you can compare power prices for your business as well.
The good news is that unless you’re a very large company, the chances are that the decision process for you will be exactly the same as for a domestic customer. You may want to pay more attention to the customer reviews on the gas prices comparison sites, as level of service is even more important for a business than it is for the home. If your gas breaks down at home, you can always use electric heaters until it’s fixed, or eat out for the evening.
On the other hand, if your business gas supply fails, it’s probably not going to be practical to heat the entire office with electric heaters, and your staff won’t be happy about working in the cold. Your business could be closed until you can get the problem fixed.
Other than that, just read what I wrote earlier, and that will help you find the best gas supplier for your business.
So, if you’re looking for the cheapest gas supplier for business, I suggest you check out the energy comparison sites and see what they come up with.
Hope you found this useful,
Chris
Topics: Compare gas suppliers, Switch gas supplier
How do I know who is the best / cheapest gas supplier?
If you’ve read my previous articles about finding the cheapest gas supplier, then I guess you’ve probably already tried to compare power prices. If you’re like most people, you probably found this a fairly confusing experience! Don’t worry though, I’ll try and make it easier for you in this article.
Let’s assume you’re using one of the online comparison sites to find the cheapest gas supplier. I tend to recommend this site, mainly because it’s one of the clearest of the comparison sites, and it allows you to see exactly what you’re getting.
You start by putting in your postcode, and then answer the questions on the form. Most of these should be straightforward, although you may need to check your last gas bill to get an idea of what you’re paying now. You can use the estimated figures that the site provides by telling them what size house you have, but I think it’s worth the time to find your last bill and use some real numbers. If you can find more than one bill, that’s even better. You can average out the totals, which will give you an even better idea of what you can save when you find the cheapest gas supplier.
When you click the button to submit the form, you’ll be show a list of the best gas suppliers, with the tariff names, costs and customer ratings. These lists are usually sorted by price, with the cheapest first, and this is a good way to start examining the list.
Start at the top and look at the customer reviews. Scan down the list to give yourself an idea how the top ten or fifteen are rated. Then go back to the top and click on the link that allows you to see the actual customer review. Read these carefully as they are often very revealing. If you judge by price alone, you might get cheaper bills, but you also might get poor customer service. Whilst we all want to save money, it’s often worth spending just a little extra to have the pea ace of mind that if anything goes wrong, you’ll have some support from the gas supplier.
Read the reviews of a few of the cheapest gas suppliers, and get a feel for how they compare against each other. When you’ve done that, you should be able to tell which you think will be the best gas supplier for you.
That’s it! It doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that. Hopefully this will help you find the cheapest gas supplier quickly.
Speak to you soon,
Chris
P.S. here’s the link again to the "compare power prices" site that I recommend.
Topics: Compare gas suppliers, Finding the cheapest gas
How do I change to the cheapest gas supplier?
Once you’ve chosen the cheapest gas supplier for your needs, you need to start the process of switching companies. Although this sounds difficult, it’s actually pretty easy, and is no reason not to compare power prices. If you aren’t convinced of the need to look for the cheapest gas supplier yet, please read my article that discusses whether or not you should switch gas suppliers at all.
As I discussed in that article, the online tariffs are generally much cheaper, so I’m assuming for the rest of this article that you’ll be switching to a cheaper gas supplier online.
What do I need to do to switch to the cheapest gas supplier?
So, once you’ve selected the best gas supplier, all you do is inform the new company that you wish to change, fill in their online form and the rest should be taken care of automatically. They will inform your old gas supplier, who will send you a final bill.
Will I need to supply a meter reading?
Generally you will need to check your meter readings when you switch, so that the two companies can bill you correctly. This is easy to read from the front of the meter, and the new company will be able to help you if you have any problems.
How does the changeover happen?
The switch usually occurs within a month or so, and is all done using your existing meter, pipes and appliances, so you won’t see any interruption to your supply. The first thing you’ll know about it is when you start saving money with the cheapest gas supplier you can find!
Sounds great, so how do I find the cheapest gas supplier?
As I explained in an earlier article on this site, all you need to do is use one of the comparison sites, and check down the list of results. Sort them by price, then check the ratings of the companies with the lowest prices. Make sure to read the customer reviews carefully, as the best gas supplier isn’t necessarily the one with the lowest prices. See what other people have to say about their customer service.
As you can see, changing to the cheapest gas supplier is actually pretty easy, and is a great way to save money.
Look forward to seeing you soon. be sure to check back for same more useful information.
Bye for now,
Chris
Topics: Cheapest gas supplier, Switch gas supplier
Should you switch gas supplier at all?
Before 1999, you didn’t have any choice about your energy, so you weren’t able to look around for the cheapest gas supplier. Since the government deregulated the energy industry that year, you have the freedom to compare power prices, so you can choose who you use for your gas and electricity suppliers. The question is, should you change at all, or would you be better staying with your existing company?
The answer to this largely depends on the tariff you are on now. Many people are still on the old standard type of billing, where you pay what you owe four times per year, after you are sent a bill. If this is you, then you are almost certainly not using the cheapest gas supplier, and would benefit from using an online direct debit arrangement. This can save you as much as £200 or £300 compared to your current bill.
The gas companies increased their prices quite significantly a couple of years ago, and this meant that the old quarterly bills became expensive. With the rise in the use of the Internet in the home, most companies are now offering incentives for people to sign up online, and are passing on the cost-savings of online applications and direct debit payments in the form of lower bills.
Even if you are already paying by direct debit, it’s still worth comparing power prices to see what you could save by switching, as you’ll probably find a cheaper gas supplier than the one you have now.
The first place to look is online, as the information is free, and easy to find. Make sure to look carefully at the online tariffs, as these are generally much cheaper than the standard ones. There are a few comparison sites around, and these will allow you to see the results in order of price or customer ratings. These ratings are usually based on customer reviews, so they worth reading carefully as they can reveal some useful insights into how good the company is.
With most people feeling the financial pinch, it makes a lot of sense to compare power prices. It isn’t hard to find the cheapest gas supplier nowadays, and it could save you a significant amount of money.
I hope you found this information useful. Keep an eye on this site as I’ll be adding more articles very soon.
Bye,
Chris
Topics: Finding the cheapest gas, Switch gas supplier