Cheapest electricity supplier

Argo foc yourself

I know cheapest is not always the best so I am looking for people's thoughts, opinions, reviews.

I am currently paying 19 cent a unit with my supplier. Seems a little high. BE energy and Bright are coming in about 13 or 14 cent per unit but I know nothing about them.

Does anyone else use them - what are you experiences?

L1011

Lower unit rates are often paired with higher standing charges, so you need to do a full bill calculation

Airtricity and Iberdrola have reputations for bad billing consistency and there are multiple complaints about getting those issues fixed. As that is really the only thing that a supplier is responsible for it isn't a good sign!

HeidiHeidi

Argo foc yourself wrote: »

I know cheapest is not always the best so I am looking for people's thoughts, opinions, reviews.

I am currently paying 19 cent a unit with my supplier. Seems a little high. BE energy and Bright are coming in about 13 or 14 cent per unit but I know nothing about them.

Does anyone else use them - what are you experiences?

I've done the rounds of most suppliers over
the years, I haven't noticed any difference whatsoever between them apart from the quality of the various websites.

For energy supply, I would consider cheapest best, always! Interested to hear what else might be worth considering though.

I usually use bonkers.ie to compare suppliers for my usage, and go with the best value. Although I think they don't factor cashback offers in so you have to do a bit of calculations yourself (haven't used it in a while, so a bit hazy on that aspect)

coxy123

Would also be interested in any Feedback especially with regard to utilities I haven't heard of before like Bright and BE.

I'm currently with Electric Irl. but am looking to move as I'm all for competition in the market and movers encourage that.

As people have mentioned it is important to look at all costs - unit price per KWh and standing charge. After a quick check earlier I estimate for me switching to Bright from current provider would yield a saving of approx. €130.

Stating the obvious but just in case for people in general you'll find that new customer prices are promotional so revert to normal after year 1.

ssmith6287

realistically your best bet is pick who gives the best freebie. The fraction of a cent difference wont be all that material over the contract

Squiggle

I change supplier once a year through Bonkers.ie . It's the easiest and quickest money you'll save with minimal work. We use about 1600 unit bimonthly so discounted rates make a big difference. First bill I just got the other day, for one months supply, after switching to Energia in June for the third time, had a €65 discount on it.

Over the years I've used Energia ( repeatedly), Be energy, ESB and Bord Gais.

Basically whatever Bonkers throws up as the cheapest I'm going for it.

I found BE energy poor with billing and I'm still waiting for a refund from them after three weeks, I switched from them in June. I'd rather not use them again but I've no shame and I will if they are the cheapest in a years time.

Other than that my experience of switching in general has been hassle free and well worth it.

RoYoBo

Even with changing every year and using comparison sites like Bonkers, it's worth contacting suppliers and checking out alternative offers. These comparison sites are paid so they may not have all the best deals. The same goes for insurance - you have to work with both online and telephone research to save the maximum.

On occasion, I've found that some companies (even the one you're currently with) can come up with better offers if you speak to them. Always get the offer confirmed by email. Sometimes, it's difficult to compare prices and special deals, so knowing what you use and being able to project your own figures is worth the effort.

Also important to keep track throughout the year and monitor the bills. I hate the level pay type of system (especially Bord Gais) as their complexity and obfuscation fries my brain. Leaving these companies is much harder as you invariably have to chase a refund of your own money paid in advance and contacting them is much more difficult when you're no longer a customer. I mostly skip those offers now as a result.

JTMan

Over the years I've used Energia ( repeatedly)

Energia have high base rates.

Energia often hike their base rates more than competitors.

The percentage discount is high but if they hike the base rates during the 12 month contract then you can often end up paying more than competitors with no way out.

Squiggle

JTMan wrote: »

Energia have high base rates.

Energia often hike their base rates more than competitors.

The percentage discount is high but if they hike the base rates during the 12 month contract then you can often end up paying more than competitors with no way out.

I've never experienced a rate hike with any supplier during a discount period.

It would seem an extraordinary business model indeed, if for an effectively homogeneous product, Energia's base rates are substantially different to other suppliers.

Either way, with my current rate of 12.97c per unit including VAT, I'm more than happy to take my chances.

There is a way out : Pay a €50 break fee and move on to whatever supplier I like.

Geuze

JTMan wrote: »

Energia have high base rates.

Energia often hike their base rates more than competitors.

The percentage discount is high but if they hike the base rates during the 12 month contract then you can often end up paying more than competitors with no way out.

Yes, I pay 22 cent with Energia, before a 41% discount.

So the standard rate is a bit of a marketing ploy, to be able to show big discounts.

My real rate is 12.98 cent.