I'm also in the same boat - Utility Point has gone bust. I had almost £300 in credit when I checked last week. In spite of me requesting them many times to reduce my DD with proof of my meter readings, they kept on increasing it. Now, have to wait until a new supplier is assigned.
Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils (roses). Taking a bit of liberty with Wordsworth
For others who are with smaller or newer companies now because they are cheaper, it might well going over to larger, stable companies - if only for the winter. Then review next summer.
Most of the deals have now stopped. I found EDF expensive. My oldest son worked in their call center. Yes,Electricty de France. Accent on the E,no idea how to do that! used to be with SSE,he said they were the only company he had no complaints about. Fine service but they got really expensive
We have had a formal complaint with Scottish Power rumbling on for months, and it is now in the hands of the ombudsman. The minute it was sorted, we said, we’d be off to a more customer-focussed supplier like Octopus.
Really I am glad this case has moved at snail’s pace because being with one of the Big Six at the moment does provide security. And the fixed tariff we’re on with Scottish Power is excellent value - when putting our energy usage data into some price comparison sites a couple of weeks ago no companies could get close to S.P.
So, we’ll stay with them till March when our fixed contract ends and then reassess the market, but almost certainly will switch.
In spite of me requesting them many times to reduce my DD with proof of my meter readings, they kept on increasing it. Now, have to wait until a new supplier is assigned.
When Mum died and Dad moved into a nursing home, I transferred the bills for Dad's house to me and closed Mum and Dad's account. There was well over £1000 credit accrued that they then had to pay Dad back. They did it fairly quickly and without a huge fuss, but the principle that they would cheerfully take that amount of money from a pair of pensioners, I thought, was appalling. South West Water also had credit but when it got to £300 they stopped the DD and used the credit to cover the bills instead. Never pay by DD. We pay all our bills when they are due. They get enough in payment of the actual bills without making money by investing a 'surplus' that belongs to me and should be in my account, not theirs.
There have been a number of factors that have created the present cost surge, including an interconnector fire and calm, cloudy weather increasing the need for gas to generate electricity (the wholesale cost of which is also through the roof) as well as international politics. It may well be fairly short term this time. As Hosta has pointed out though, once the retail costs go up they generally don't come down again.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I have been with E-on energy for several years, each year on a fixed tariff). Now has changed to E-on Next (basically the same company). They have not always been the cheapest but prices only seem to go up slightly each year so has never been worth the hassle of switching. They also have 100% renewable sources for electricity.I currently get gas from them for my heating and when my 20 year old boiler finally goes (not yet I hope!) I am considering going all electric and possibly with solar panels as well The high cost of electricity for heating over cheap gas was always a reason to stay on gas but if the price rockets electricity starts to look a good option!
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
Renewables in the UK had a boom time last year with long sunshine hours and increased solar capacity. You would hope this would mean lecy costs would come down respectively. When the price of oil crashes, you would hope it would be transferred, but, no, it doesn't seem to work like that. It's a very twitchy, unstable globalised industry.
They also have 100% renewable sources for electricity.
Be aware that quite a lot of the 100% renewable suppliers include nuclear, unless they specifically stipulate nuclear free. You may not mind that, but a few people have said they would prefer to avoid nuclear, so just a point to note, really.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
@raisingirl, I do not accept your counsel to avoid direct debits. I like to have fixed amounts leaving my bank account every month and, with interest rates as they are at present, even if the energy company did have, say, £500 of my money for six months I won’t go hungry as a consequence of missing out on about £4 of interest. Indeed it is the opposite - my mentality would be to reclaim the £500 and deem it to be ‘bank error in your favour …’
We currently average £15 per week for gas and electricity combined (about 5 of which is gas). For the last two months Bulb have asked us to increase our direct debit to £145 a month. I haven’t done it as it seems ridiculous.
In our last place (old, cold, not well insulated) we rarely went over £90 a month in the coldest winter months.
I wonder if they knew what was coming and were trying to up everyone’s DDs to top up their coffers….. 🤔
Posts
Really I am glad this case has moved at snail’s pace because being with one of the Big Six at the moment does provide security. And the fixed tariff we’re on with Scottish Power is excellent value - when putting our energy usage data into some price comparison sites a couple of weeks ago no companies could get close to S.P.
So, we’ll stay with them till March when our fixed contract ends and then reassess the market, but almost certainly will switch.
There have been a number of factors that have created the present cost surge, including an interconnector fire and calm, cloudy weather increasing the need for gas to generate electricity (the wholesale cost of which is also through the roof) as well as international politics. It may well be fairly short term this time. As Hosta has pointed out though, once the retail costs go up they generally don't come down again.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Now has changed to E-on Next (basically the same company).
They have not always been the cheapest but prices only seem to go up slightly each year so has never been worth the hassle of switching.
They also have 100% renewable sources for electricity.I currently get gas from them for my heating and when my 20 year old boiler finally goes (not yet I hope!) I am considering going all electric and possibly with solar panels as well
The high cost of electricity for heating over cheap gas was always a reason to stay on gas but if the price rockets electricity starts to look a good option!
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”