Electricity 10% cheaper with Bord Gais [Merged]

cdb

Is the 10 - 14% saving on the overall bill or does the discount just apply to units used?

wcarey1975

Just energy consumed. Standing charge is still the same no matter who you are with and thus is paid direct to ESB
W

strombone

This quote is from the Irish Examiner article above:

"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."

I'm interested in the discount but I'm prepared to pay a premium for continuity of supply. Is there anyone out there who can give informed comment about the capacity of Bord Gáis to meet demand in the next few years?

zuroph

strombone wrote: »

This quote is from the Irish Examiner article above:

"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."

I'm interested in the discount but I'm prepared to pay a premium for continuity of supply. Is there anyone out there who can give informed comment about the capacity of Bord Gáis to meet demand in the next few years?

it all comes in on the same network. they buy it off esb, then they'll start suppling to the grid through a gas generating plant which will be apparently one of the most efficient in the country. no fears here.

Davy

zuroph wrote: »

it all comes in on the same network. they buy it off esb, then they'll start suppling to the grid through a gas generating plant which will be apparently one of the most efficient in the country. no fears here.

Just because its most efficient doesn't mean its big enough to supply demand. Its only 445MW they are building. The system uses above 4000MW at its peak during the day. Its also going to be the most efficient because its brand new Dont think it will be up and running for a few months yet.

eamon234

I'm not switching for the simple reason that they only accept bi-monthly payments - at least ESB let you pay monthly by DD don't see why they can't.

bk

davton wrote: »

Just because its most efficient doesn't mean its big enough to supply demand.

That is irrelevant, the electricity is shared equally, it is technically impossible for Board Gais customers supply to be effected, while an ESB customers supply isn't effected. After all it is all the same electrons on the same distribution network.

Basically the ESB has been divided into three separate companies:

ESB Supply, who own most of the current power stations (they are being forced to sell some off).

ESB Network, who own the distribution network (i.e. power lines).

ESB Customer, who sells electricity to residential customers.

Both Board Gais, ESB Customer and Airtricity buy their electricity from ESB Supply and other companies and it is distributed to all via ESB Networks. Bord Gais and ESB Customer are both treated exactly the same and are charged the same by ESB Supply.

Of course if Board Gais can build their own power stations and generate enough power to cover their own customers for cheaper then buying it from ESB Supply, then they will benefit from it from higher profits or pass on cheaper prices to their customers.

But they don't have to build their own power stations, they could just continue to buy it from ESB Supply or from Viridian in Northern Ireland, or over the Interconnector with Scotland and the UK.

Hopefully this will help clarify the situation for people and put to rest any fears about security of supply.

cormie

Do Airtricity not generate their own with their wind farms?

Esel

eamon234 wrote: »

I'm not switching for the simple reason that they only accept bi-monthly payments - at least ESB let you pay monthly by DD don't see why they can't.

Penny wise, pound foolish?

Webbs

esel wrote: »

Penny wise, pound foolish?

+1 It was that attitude that contributed to the lack of competition and higher prices in Ireland as people couldnt be bothered to shop around or go a little out of their way to make a saving

mickoneill30

I had somebody arguing with me yesterday about the discounts. Their argument was that the 10% is only for the first year and then for years 2 and 3 it's 5%. They couldn't understand that even paying 95% in years 2 and 3 with Bord Gais was still better than paying 100% in years 1 and 2 and 3 with ESB. I'm not a big electricty user but based on my last years usage I'll save just over €250 over the next 3 years. It won't make me rich but it was 10 mins of my time to switch over. If I got €250 every time I did 10 mins work I'd be a banker rich man.

I wonder what they'll do in years 4 etc. We might have to try Airtricity then.

cormie

That's what I was wondering about Airtricity, will BG be 12% first year (if you're not a bg customer already), then 5% year 2 and 3, but Airtricity is 10% EACH year meaning it would work out better?

bk

cormie wrote: »

Do Airtricity not generate their own with their wind farms?

Airtricity do generate energy via wind. However that electricity is added to the same network as everyone else, so a ESB or Board Gais customer is as likely to receive Airtricity's wind power as an Airtricity customer.

However if you were to sign up to Airtricity, it may encourage them to build more wind power, but not guaranteed.

bk

cormie wrote: »

That's what I was wondering about Airtricity, will BG be 12% first year (if you're not a bg customer already), then 5% year 2 and 3, but Airtricity is 10% EACH year meaning it would work out better?

Given how easy it is to switch, I'm going to use BG for the first year and then switch to whoever is cheapest after that.

One thing to remember, BG haven't said that it will drop to 5%, only that it won't drop to less then 5%. That could mean they would leave it up at 10 to 14% if they thought people might leave.

cormie

Thanks for the replies

I'm not with BG as it stands, so the max I can save is 12% compared to 10% with airtricity, my bill wouldn't be the biggest and I would be prepared to sacrifice that 2% to support renewable energy I think. Also means I wouldn't have to pay the deposit

madmoe

Just signed up there now.....

bennyob

madmoe wrote: »

Just signed up there now.....

me too as it happens. quick and easy.

Richard Dower

If you're on the household benefits package...how does that effect things?, in terms of switching over...do you have to reapply to get the package again?

Richard Dower

"I currently get the Electricity Allowance towards my bill. Will I still get this?:


Yes, you will still receive this, but it will no longer be paid directly towards your bill. Instead it will come to you in the form of a monetary payment which you should use towards your electricity bill. The Department of Family and Social Affairs will contact you directly about the payment arrangements of the allowance."

Crap!, makes things complicated...probably do have to apply all over again.

eden_my_ass

Signed up online Friday night but could only get access to a meter reading yesterday, rang up to be told that they couldn't take it from me cause I have to wait for a validation call at some stage. Understandably theres a backlog at the moment but can anyone else who signed up before or on Friday let me know if they got their validation callback yet. I didn't even get a confirmation email which is a bit lazy from an automated service

Moanin

eden_my_ass wrote: »

Signed up online Friday night but could only get access to a meter reading yesterday, rang up to be told that they couldn't take it from me cause I have to wait for a validation call at some stage. Understandably theres a backlog at the moment but can anyone else who signed up before or on Friday let me know if they got their validation callback yet. I didn't even get a confirmation email which is a bit lazy from an automated service

I got an email straight away.
Did you enter the correct email address and print off the page that shows all the details that you entered?

eden_my_ass

Moanin wrote: »

I got an email straight away.
Did you enter the correct email address and print off the page that shows all the details that you entered?

Print off the page as suggested...muahahahaha........no

Might have to go again then!

eden_my_ass

Just rang Bord Gais to check if the application went through but they can't verify although he said that seeing the "print confirmation" page on screen should be enough, plus he was pretty sure there was no confirmation email, maybe it was switched off after a while??

brillianthenry

Is this part of a deal if you get gas and electricity? or can you sign up for just electricity and get it 10% cheaper?

eden_my_ass

brillianthenry wrote: »

Is this part of a deal if you get gas and electricity? or can you sign up for just electricity and get it 10% cheaper?

You can sign up for electricity alone, theres just more discounts if you are a Bord Gais customer and also if you pay by direct debit...up to 14%

Poncherello

Anyone know if they offer any deals on getting a service aswell. We have a few issues like gas fire not working and one radiator dodgy.
thx

Nomad81

Apparently there's a huge backlog in taking on customers at the moment. Bord Gais had a target of taking on 60,000 customers in the first year, but rumour has it, nearly 30,000 customers have signed up in the first week alone.

Either way, it's great that us consumers now have a choice, rather than being locked in to ESB.

madmoe

I got an e-mail almost immediately after signing up. I signed up on Wednesday.

admiralofthefleet

madmoe wrote: »

I got an e-mail almost immediately after signing up. I signed up on Wednesday.

me too, literally immediately. does anyone know what happens to my esb bill?
will they send me out a final bill up to the date that bord gais take over?

yabadabado

just a few questions i have read the thread .
i am not a current BG customer so the max discount is 12%?
if i pay by direct debit do i still have to give a deposit?
is the discount the unit value ?saw the answer on the site
if i dont pay by DD can i still just pay off part of my bill when i want to like on the ESB?

Esel

Richard Dower wrote: »

"I currently get the Electricity Allowance towards my bill. Will I still get this?:


Yes, you will still receive this, but it will no longer be paid directly towards your bill. Instead it will come to you in the form of a monetary payment which you should use towards your electricity bill. The Department of Family and Social Affairs will contact you directly about the payment arrangements of the allowance."

Crap!, makes things complicated...probably do have to apply all over again.

I wouldn't say people will have to apply again - the contact from DSFA will probably just be to get your bank details so they can lodge directly to your account.

yabadabado wrote: »

if i dont pay by DD can i still just pay off part of my bill when i want to like on the ESB?

I'd be very suprised if you couldn't.

Happy2

I see ESB are supposed to cut their prices by 10% - hopefully that'll mean a 20% discount when moving to BG

http://breakingnews.ie/ireland/eyauaugbkfgb/

MayoForSam

That would be good news if Bord Gais/Airtricity can undercut the ESB price still further.

If the ESB are forced to cut prices, then I presume they will still have plenty left over to fund their own cosy little pay rises/bonuses as well as their multi-billion euro investment plan over the next 10 years :rolleyes:?

If the economy continues to falter, then so too will the demand for electricity and the ESB investment plan doesen't make a huge lot of sense, other than for investing in renewables and modernising (i.e. automating) some of the old power plants (which should in theory lead to further cost savings).

Can anyone remind me if only Bord Gais and not Airtricity require a deposit to change over (don't have gas around here)?

Shiny

MayoForSam wrote: »

That would be good news if Bord Gais/Airtricity can undercut the ESB price still further.

I just got off the phone with them and yes they will continue to
undercut the ESB by 10% regardless of what the ESB do.

House of Wolves

I had a spokesman from Bord Gais give us a lecture on their current plan. He told us there is no catches, just good business and a really good deal! they plan on introducing green energy sources within the next 6-9 months too

electron

tried to switch yesterday but they don't tell you you have to pay a deposit until you've already filled in all the other details. nasty trick, if you ask me :mad:
so my question now would be: will you get the deposit back against your bills, like it was with ESB, or is it just dead money (free credit to BG)?

nephster

Airtricity have lowered their prices still further:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0227/breaking64.htm

EDIT now reflected on their page at http://www.airtricity.ie/ireland/for_your_home/our_prices/

fergm

airtricity have announced that they will now be 13% cheaper then ESB( a 3% reduction on their old prices) for all customers. plus they source 79% of their electricity from renewable energy versus only 9% for bord Gais
you gotta love competition

Quaderno

I just received a call from bord gais with the confirmation of the new contract. They will apparently call everybody who registered online to check the information provided...

jayoo

Hiya guys,
this seems like a no brainer to me, cheaper electricity www.thebigswitch.ie has anyone changed or has anyone had any problems with this service??

Kenno90

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055491651

Similar post here ,
me i'm planning on switch over , the best news that if a lot of people go over then ESB will lower there prices

joes girls

got my esb bill today 391euros :eek::eek::mad:
wasnt thinking of moving but now i am

muffinhead

electron wrote: »

tried to switch yesterday but they don't tell you you have to pay a deposit until you've already filled in all the other details. nasty trick, if you ask me :mad:
so my question now would be: will you get the deposit back against your bills, like it was with ESB, or is it just dead money (free credit to BG)?

Are you paying by Direct Debit? For some reason, when I signed up, I thought you had to pay the deposit if you were choosing to pay by an alternative method however some people think the deposit is to be paid by everyone.

Can anyone clarify this situation? I can't seem to find anything in the T&Cs on the website.

overmantle

Sounds like a no brainer NOT to change.

Quaderno

You don't have to pay a deposit if you own the property.
If you are a tenant however you have to send them €100 if you pay by dd and €200 if you want to use billpay or anything like that. The deposit has to be paid by laser, cheque or credit card (it cannot be taken from the billing account as the the guy on the phone told me yesterday) and will be refunded after 14 months given that there are no unpaid bills. That's what I understand so far.

In my case the deposit will be slightly less than the savings against my esb bills. So I basically pay the same in the first year, but will get €100 back later. When I signed on to esb their deposit was €300 if I remember correctly. So nothing unusual with that and in the end it will help to save the honest customer from paying other peoples bills.

_Kaiser_

Quaderno wrote: »

You don't have to pay a deposit if you own the property.
If you are a tenant however you have to send them €100 if you pay by dd and €200 if you want to use billpay or anything like that. The deposit has to be paid by laser, cheque or credit card (it cannot be taken from the billing account as the the guy on the phone told me yesterday) and will be refunded after 14 months given that there are no unpaid bills. That's what I understand so far.

In my case the deposit will be slightly less than the savings against my esb bills. So I basically pay the same in the first year, but will get €100 back later. When I signed on to esb their deposit was €300 if I remember correctly. So nothing unusual with that and in the end it will help to save the honest customer from paying other peoples bills.

I have been through this deposit scam with them before for Gas which is why I'm not surprised to see they're at it again now..

In my case I was renting an apartment and they insisted on getting DD access to my account or they wanted several hundred euro as a security deposit instead. I wasn't happy with this as I can quite easily pay through billpay myself and I don't trust a lot of these companies to be able to manage their billing anyway. Anyway, despite these concerns, in the end I gave them the account details.

All was well until 2 months before I moved out and I was proven right when they started sending me letters about a deposit and DD access.
Several calls to their useless customer care centre later, they agreed that said deposit charge would be waived.
I let them have it over this discriminatory charge that doesn't apply if you own the place, and which is only in place as a underhanded way to make them some interest on a customer's money - this interest, naturally they DON'T refund.

I also got them to acknowledge that they HAD had DD access for months and had been deducting accordingly which was another reason I was so pissed off over this deposit crap, as giving them DD access reduces their exposure as they can deduct the bills directly.

Two weeks later I get a letter from their credit control section looking for €300 ish. Didn't the guy that took my very pissed off call feel stupid when he realised this was part of the final bill that wasn't even due for DD payment yet. Another escalation later and this was halved and a letter was sent by the head of that department confirming their errors and that my credit rating hadn't been affected by all this.

In short, were it not for the fact that gas seems to be the only option in most of the places around here, I wouldn't have anything to do with them if I could avoid it.

electron

Quaderno wrote: »

The deposit has to be paid by laser, cheque or credit card (it cannot be taken from the billing account as the the guy on the phone told me yesterday)

yeah, that's another thing that p****s me off.


EDIT: i went with airtricity - none of that deposit crap if you choose DD. happy now!!!

patrickc

i already went to switch with bord gais, but the 200 deposit thing is annoying me especially since i a gas customer already, so will be ringing them on monday to cancel, and switching to airtricity instead.

bobbbb

Be careful of the Airtricity deal. They say nothing about beating ESB prices in Years 2 and 3 as Bord Gais do.

padocon

jayoo wrote: »

Hiya guys,
this seems like a no brainer to me, cheaper electricity www.thebigswitch.ie has anyone changed or has anyone had any problems with this service??

I have changed!! Save a grand a year!!!!