Electricity 10% cheaper with Bord Gais [Merged]

Moonbeam

TM wrote: »

Didn't work properly for me in Firefox. I had to switch to IE because it didn't enable the Dublin postal code or direct debit details form controls properly.

Worked fine for me in Firefox.

BendiBus

I've just switched online too. No problems in Firefox.

dingding wrote:

Anyone know if it will work with the day / night rate.

Yes it will.

http://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/htm/residential_electricity/3_existing_customer/index.htm?layer=4

Oracle

No problems using Firefox for me either, I switched in 5 minutes.

Just one issue I'm concerned about, is there a minimum contract? I found the terms and conditions on the web site, but there's no mention of this.

P.S. Sorry, just found the answer in another post on this thread. The contract can be ended with 28 days notice: https://www.thebigswitch.ie/tcs_supply.htm

itisyeah

TM wrote: »

Didn't work properly for me in Firefox. I had to switch to IE because it didn't enable the Dublin postal code or direct debit details form controls properly.

Worked for me no problem in Firefox.
Are you on v3?

Esel

bk wrote: »

Wind generated power is actually quiet....

Not if you live near one of the mills!

ADSLUSER

Also works fine using Google Chrome

zuroph

DublinWriter wrote: »

I for one, welcome our new Bord Gaseous overloards...

...but I won't be switching anytime soon. I personally would wait to see this service bed down over the next six months before switching.

There will be inevitable problems with initial customer service, out of ESB and BG, I find BG to be the most meter-shy and usually just send estimated bills.

I just get a gut feeling that there will be a lot of initial problems with Bord Gas, and my guy rarely fails me.

Sids Not wrote: »

Agree with DublinWriter...i'm sick of having to ring BG with the actual meter reading...and always over-estimated.....just wondering how many people just pay their bills without looking, i know my sister in law does....thats quite a few bob in the BG account...
They say the ESB meter readers will be doing the reading and passing on the info.....prepare for some very high estimated readings on your bills for a while...:D

ESB will be still taking the meter readings :rolleyes:

cormie

I thought if you pay by Direct Debit, usually you don't have to pay any deposit? Is the 1/200 euro deposit for those who DON'T pay by DD? If I switch before my Christmas bill is issued, will I save 10% off that? T'was a cold winter

michael_d

hi
next week I moving to new house (nobody use a electricity before-placebo)
Can I save my current ESB deposit and transfer to new house,
then switch to BordGais?

wcarey1975

Is there a cost with switching. I know the ESB have a disconnection fee of €100 but I think this is only for an actuall switch off of supply.

It's here in their charges for other services

https://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential/your_account/charges_for_other_services.jsp

Esel

How could there be a cost?! If there was, it would have been mentioned on the site and in the news items.

wcarey1975

I dont think there is but I was just asking the question...something to do at 2:09am on a thursday i suppose :rolleyes:

absurdtrivia

There's definately no charge.

You're not actually leaving the ESB network. That is to say that after switching, the ESB will still operate the power network or "Grid", ESB will still read your meter and ESB will still handle any callouts to your home related to your electricity supply.

The only noticeable change you'll have is with your bills.

woodyg

do you loose the ESB deposit when you switch?

s_carnage

With regard to the ESB deposit. I moved house about 6 months ago and I rang ESB looking for my deposit back. They said they would send it out in a cheque to me so that was fine. After a few weeks I had heard nothing so I rang again and the person I was talking to this time informed me how after 6 months of paying your bill ESB refunds your deposit through your bill. I asked for the bills to be sent out to me and sure enough it was deducted off my bill.

This was a bit of a b*tch for me as I had paid the deposit on the ESB in the first place and hadn't realised it was taken off the bill so the other lads in the house got 2/3 of my deposit off their bill.

Sids Not

Only 3000 have changed so far....does'nt seem like a lot overall.....think people a a bit confused and suspicious....maybe they should have started advertising it a few weeks earlier...:rolleyes:

bennyob

if you are with bord gais already, will your electricity and gas be merged into one bi-monthly bill or will they still be considered 'seperate'

keith_d99

These rumours of a deposit are putting me off - can anybody clarify?

I will be a new Bord Gais customer if I make the switch.

Keith.

delly

Lads, i having a bit of bother with the site. I'm trying to remove some of Lucy's cloths, but the mouse isn't dragging the right way?


Wait, what? You mean its not that type of site? FFS.


/puts clothes back on

mickoneill30

Does this shed any light.

https://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential/contact_us/our_credit_terms.jsp

"Provided your bills are paid in full and on time, your deposit will be credited to your account 14 months after payment, or credited against your closing bill if the account is closed before the 14 month period."

So if you've been an ESB customer longer than 14 months your deposit should be used against your bill anyway.

milltown

Sids Not wrote: »

Only 3000 have changed so far....does'nt seem like a lot overall.....think people a a bit confused and suspicious....maybe they should have started advertising it a few weeks earlier...:rolleyes:

3001 now

Piece of cáca milis. Less than 5 minutes filling the online form once you have a gas and leccy bill handy.

Sids Not

I'm expecting a lekky bill next week, if i change now will i get the discount on that bill do yas think..

TM

itisyeah wrote: »

Worked for me no problem in Firefox.
Are you on v3?

Yes. It works today. Maybe they fixed the problem since.

GhostInTheRuins

Sids Not wrote: »

I'm expecting a lekky bill next week, if i change now will i get the discount on that bill do yas think..

Why would they give you a discount on electricity that you bought from the ESB?

cormie

Sids Not wrote: »

I'm expecting a lekky bill next week, if i change now will i get the discount on that bill do yas think..

I wan't to know this too, as I said, it's the winter bill so 10% off would be nice

delly

The meter has to be read before you change over to Bord Gais billing. If you entered the reading when you signed up then thats what they'll bill you from.

So in theory if you had your last reading from your ESB bill, you could enter an amount after that and then the Bord Gais rates would apply.

mfox

TM wrote: »

Can't see any catch on the supply issue - it's the same network/infrastructure and supply. You just deal with a different provider. Customer charter issues should be covered by the CER rules.

www.cer.ie

I have just tried to switch electricity from ESB to Bord Gais and they are trying to charge me a €200 deposit for the privilage of switching suppliers (€100 because I am a tenant and not already a Bord Gais Customer and €100 if I dont choose to pay by direct debit). Based on my current bill I would save about €100 in my first year by switching my bill, however if I pay this €200 deposit I will loose €100. Even if I choose to set up a direct debit there is no benifit to be made.

This is complete false advertising to say that you will save 10%, when you have to pay at least 10% for the privilage of becoming thier customer. I live in Donegal and this completly discriminates against me because we dont have piped gas in this county therefore it would have been completely impossible for me to have been previously a Bord Gais Customer.

Their website also fails to let you know about the switching deposit untill you are half way through the online switiching process. There is also no information relating to how you get this deposit back if you choose to switch again in the future.

soc

I totally agree with you MFox...

When we signed up for ESB, we didn't have to provide any deposit if we used DD. I'm thinking this is a nice little way for Bord Gais to make a bit of dosh...

20,000 people sign up, each paying €100 deposit = €2,000,000.
Stick that into a deposit account, make money on it, before you return the 'deposit' back to the consumer after a while

This deposit probably wouldn't even cover most people's bill over a 2 month period - so it's a bit of a farce TBH.

itisyeah

mfox wrote: »

I have just tried to switch electricity from ESB to Bord Gais and they are trying to charge me a €200 deposit for the privilage of switching suppliers (€100 because I am a tenant and not already a Bord Gais Customer and €100 if I dont choose to pay by direct debit). Based on my current bill I would save about €100 in my first year by switching my bill, however if I pay this €200 deposit I will loose €100. Even if I choose to set up a direct debit there is no benifit to be made.

This is complete false advertising to say that you will save 10%, when you have to pay at least 10% for the privilage of becoming thier customer. I live in Donegal and this completly discriminates against me because we dont have piped gas in this county therefore it would have been completely impossible for me to have been previously a Bord Gais Customer.

Their website also fails to let you know about the switching deposit untill you are half way through the online switiching process. There is also no information relating to how you get this deposit back if you choose to switch again in the future.

Well those are the T&Cs, get over it.

I just switched and it cost me nothing.

mfox

itisyeah wrote: »

Well those are the T&Cs, get over it.

I just switched and it cost me nothing.

Well that is so easy for you to say! I am assuming you are living in an area that already has piped gas ie. Dublin (Therefore you are already a Bord Gais Customer) and you own your own home?

It is a totaly different story if you live in a more rural area without piped gas? The advertised 10% saving over a year is not really a saving as it is wiped out by the deposit you have to pay. This makes the advertising false.

delly

mfox wrote: »

Well that is so easy for you to say! I am assuming you are living in an area that already has piped gas ie. Dublin (Therefore you are already a Bord Gais Customer) and you own your own home?

It is a totaly different story if you live in a more rural area without piped gas? The advertised 10% saving over a year is not really a saving as it is wiped out by the deposit you have to pay. This makes the advertising false.

You get the deposit back, thats what a deposit is. Sorry you don't like it, but you will still get a 10% saving.

TM

Sids Not wrote: »

I'm expecting a lekky bill next week, if i change now will i get the discount on that bill do yas think..

You'll get a discount on any electricity that you use between whenever the switch to BGE takes effect and when you get billed. Obviously (as above) BGE will not discount charges for electricity used when you were with ESB.

Sids Not

:(....

bk

Sids Not wrote: »

Only 3000 have changed so far....does'nt seem like a lot overall.....think people a a bit confused and suspicious....maybe they should have started advertising it a few weeks earlier...:rolleyes:

Well if they keep signing up 3,000 people per day, that will add up to over 1 million customers within one year.

There goal is to sign up one million customers in the first year, so it looks like they are on target.

However I expect people signing up will die down as older people will be slower to change, assuming some catch and because of the whole deposit thing.

jArgHA

To get around the whole deposit thing could one not just sign up for a direct debit, complete account switch, then a week or so later call you bank and ask them to cancel the direct debit. Then notify Bord Gáis that you have cancelled your direct debit and will be paying your bills through Post Office etc. ?

zuroph

jArgHA wrote: »

To get around the whole deposit thing could one not just sign up for a direct debit, complete account switch, then a week or so later call you bank and ask them to cancel the direct debit. Then notify Bord Gáis that you have cancelled your direct debit and will be paying your bills through Post Office etc. ?

The deposit is required regardles of payment method, its a regulator thing out of their control.

Lumi

I'm going to hold of a while before switching over.
The small company I work for switched to airtricity 8 months ago and have received 'estimated' bills ever since. The ESB read the meter but according to Airtricity there is usually a six month delay in sending on the meter readings to them. We have to take our own readings now and send them on every month. It's so much hassle.
I reckon that it will be the same story with Bord Gáis! Hope I'm proven wrong though 'cos it looks like a good deal.:rolleyes:

wcarey1975

switched over today to BGE so thats that. Now for the ESB to offer gas at a 10% discount!

iggy

wcarey1975 wrote: »

switched over today to BGE so thats that. Now for the ESB to offer gas at a 10% discount!

switched over too online today..

total of 14% savings with direct debit and existing Bord Gais customer included....

Its a no brainer really

soc

Well, we switched to Airtricity - given that:
a) they don't require a deposit
b) you still save 10% on current ESB prices.

Overall (when you take into account paying of a deposit), in the first year we'll probably save more money with Airtricity than Bord Gais.

the groutch

a quick thought, seeing as the CER also control Bord Gais' gas prices, it would be very easy for the ESB to start selling gas and undercut Bord Gais' prices

bugfreebob

the groutch wrote: »

a quick thought, seeing as the CER also control Bord Gais' gas prices, it would be very easy for the ESB to start selling gas and undercut Bord Gais' prices

...Great idea, then you could buy your electricity from Bord Gais, and your Gas from ESB, and get both at a 10% discount! :mad:

jprboy

Just wondering about a scenario whereby one might wish to change tariff AFTER switching to Bord Gais/Airtricity.

I'm currently looking at changing to the Nightsaver tariff (due to underfloor heating which we have been using for a few months now).

So, say I move from the ESB and then want to change to the Nightsaver tariff - who do I contact to get things in motion? Is there potential for being messed around here?

BTW, I have one of those new electronic meters which the ESB have been installing in new homes in recent times. I've been meaning to phone them to find out a bit more info abou them as they made no mention of it at time of installation.

catho_monster

I've been thinking of switching, I'd love to go with Airtricity, simply on the grounds of sustainability, but that set monthly bill thing, and having to read your own meter doesnt appeal to me. However, in the IRish Times this morning, they say that the Bord Gais electricity is basically the ESB electricity, that the ESB are making it anyway. So my real wonder is, how can they afford to undercut their supplier by 10%?

cormie

catho_monster wrote: »

I've been thinking of switching, I'd love to go with Airtricity, simply on the grounds of sustainability, but that set monthly bill thing, and having to read your own meter

What's the set monthly bill thing and what do you mean you have to read your own meter? How often do you have to read your own meter with airtricity? Is it still not ran by ESB the way the bord gais thingy is?

catho_monster

cormie wrote: »

What's the set monthly bill thing and what do you mean you have to read your own meter? How often do you have to read your own meter with airtricity? Is it still not ran by ESB the way the bord gais thingy is?

From the Airtricity site:
"Airtricity Level Payment Plan evens out your monthly payments. You’ll still pay for the amount of energy you use, but you’ll do so in a way that’s more manageable."

As far as I can gather, they look at your last years usage, and then take that amount and divide it was 12 and thats what you pay per month. To take into account that you might change your usage, it'll be reviewed reguarly - ESB read your meter 4 times a year, and you can submit monthly readings yourself to ensure you are actually getting charged for what you use...

Check out here:
http://www.airtricity.com/ireland/for_your_home/frequently_asked_question/

itisyeah

http://www.examiner.ie/Ireland/ideysnmhsn/rss2/
Friday, February 20, 2009

Vow to cut ESB prices after power switch
By Ann Cahill and Evelyn Ring

ENERGY Minister Eamon Ryan has renewed his pledge to reduce ESB prices following news that 7,500 households have switched to new provider Bord Gáis — the country’s first dual-energy supplier.

With pressure from new market competition mounting, the Government and Energy Regulator are expected to cut ESB prices in an effort to boost competitiveness and cut costs for business.

Speaking in Brussels yesterday, the minister said it was imperative to protect jobs and the Government was looking at a double-digit cut in the price of electricity. The Energy Regulator has already said it intends to make a statement shortly, and it is widely expected to bring forward a review of the ESB’s prices, which was due next October.

It is expected to take into account the fall in gas and oil prices, and the fact that two companies now launching on the Irish market, Airtricity and Bord Gáis, are offering competition to the ESB.

Under the existing system the ESB, having had a near monopoly, is not allowed to discount the price the regulator sets for electricity while other companies are free to set their own rates in an effort to encourage competition to enter the market. Mr Ryan could not say, however, if there would be changes to the current system where the regulator sets the price for electricity from the ESB. New Bord Gáis electricity customers can save between 10% and 14%. The offer is open to residents throughout Ireland.

Bord Gáis communications manager Elaine Hattie said the ESB would still be responsible for dealing with supply problems encountered by their electricity customers, but that service would be free of charge. Ms Hattie said Bord Gáis electricity customers would not have to get their electricity meter changed or have new electricity lines coming into their home. "It is the supplier, not the network that will have changed," she said.

Once a new customer signs up with Bord Gáis, the company contacts the ESB with all the details. The customer will receive a final bill from the ESB and only one Bord Gáis bill for their electricity usage thereafter. Asked if Bord Gáis would have enough electricity available to meet demand, the spokesperson said they would be purchasing supplies for use between now and 2010.

Next year, Bord Gáis will get most of its supply from a new gas-powered plant in Whitegate, Co Cork, and claims it will be the most efficient station in the country.


Click here for irishexaminer.com stories before this date

Webbs

catho_monster wrote: »

From the Airtricity site:
"Airtricity Level Payment Plan evens out your monthly payments. You’ll still pay for the amount of energy you use, but you’ll do so in a way that’s more manageable."

As far as I can gather, they look at your last years usage, and then take that amount and divide it was 12 and thats what you pay per month. To take into account that you might change your usage, it'll be reviewed reguarly - ESB read your meter 4 times a year, and you can submit monthly readings yourself to ensure you are actually getting charged for what you use...

Check out here:
http://www.airtricity.com/ireland/for_your_home/frequently_asked_question/

You dont need to go with the level plan though do you? You could just set up a direct debit, granted it means a saving of 9 and not 10% if you go with the level plan.

Its not easy being green, but checking the meter every few months inst really that much of a chore is it?

Davy

jprboy wrote: »

Just wondering about a scenario whereby one might wish to change tariff AFTER switching to Bord Gais/Airtricity.

I'm currently looking at changing to the Nightsaver tariff (due to underfloor heating which we have been using for a few months now).

So, say I move from the ESB and then want to change to the Nightsaver tariff - who do I contact to get things in motion? Is there potential for being messed around here?

BTW, I have one of those new electronic meters which the ESB have been installing in new homes in recent times. I've been meaning to phone them to find out a bit more info abou them as they made no mention of it at time of installation.

You contact your supplier (airtricity, bord gais or esb customer supply), who in turn will contact ESB Networks to change your meter.

Depending what meter you have they may not have to change the meter. I think some of the new meters can be setup for either single or dual.

I would recommend changing the meter before moving from ESB CS, as they will do it without charge, their is possibly a charge from the other providers.

fuzzball

conor_mc wrote: »

I think the problem is that ESB can't drop their price of their own accord - it's set where it is by the CER.

Apparently, it's been set high to encourage competition in order to lower prices..... go figure!!!!! :rolleyes:

yeah a couple of years ago we had the cheapest esb in europe. the regulator has driven up prices over the last few years to make it more attractive for competitors to come in..ESB was too cheap to compete with.


seems like the consumer has taken a hiding to promote Competition.
TBH ...the price being offerred now is higher than was being charged by the esb a few years ago.

not clear on how the consumer has benefitted here. Maybe it's a long term objective

That said, ignoring this illogical progression, I will take the Bord gais offer