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 switch gas supplier 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.