Switching electric/gas providers (see first post for links)

batistuta9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122541440#Comment_122541440

just tell them your moving out, not that you want to bring your contract to the new address.

Not made with hands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122525415#Comment_122525415

That's grim reading.

They track the monthly wholesale rate so there's no prospect of further reductions in that trend.

Getting back to the 15-20c range is what we need to see.

ando

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122542225#Comment_122542225

that’s what I want to find out. I have a smart meter but on the 24hr rate (non smart meter tariff). I too want to move to the day/night non smart tariff but not sure if I can do this with a smart meter?

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122542773#Comment_122542773

The answer is no.

There are two types of smart meters. One can do smart and non-smart 24 hour rate. The other can do smart and non-smart D/N rate.

The reason being how the suppliers have access to the data when you are non-smart.

There may be smart D/N plans available which you can switch too (i.e. peak = day) but would require you to activate your meter and you can't switch back (I'm not aware of any tariffs like this but theoretically they may exist).

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122542825#Comment_122542825

I thought energia had one but I can find it on their site now, it was a replica of the D/N plan but it used a standard smart meter.

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122542931#Comment_122542931

It would have to be an activated smart meter.

Blinked_Missed It

Our dual fuel contract with BG is up on the 29th of August. The website had been offering us

20% off gas

24% off electricity

I called them a week ago and they said there was nothing more to offer & nothing showing as coming up for offers (not that they would be told in advance by management). I looked on the website again today and drum roll

19% off gas

19% off electricity.

So looks like BG aren't the go-to this time around. Has anyone else spotted their BG offers worsening?

corcaigh07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122533949#Comment_122533949

Doesn’t seem to be close to the best for any regular residential customer that isn’t charging storage batteries or EV at night.

pelluci

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122544874#Comment_122544874

Same here. Had been offered 20% off gas and 24%off electricity, but this morning the offer was 20% off gas and 11% off electricity. Guess I'll be switching at the weekend!

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122544904#Comment_122544904

Of course you would want to avoid their very high peak rate. So yes you are correct, this is only suitable for people like me who only buy electricity for 3 hours per day (so a large battery is required). The other rates are extremely good though. Not only is my electricity bill zero for the year, Pinergy also pay me enough to cover my gas bill too 😂

Fine for EVs though, unless you drive more than about 40k km per year

pelluci

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122544966#Comment_122544966

Must have been a glitch, as it's back to 20% and 24% now! Still hoping for some sort of increase in the offer before 31st.

Pitythefools

Is there likely to be another price decrease this autumn/winter or should I fix now for peace of mind?

antfin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122545943#Comment_122545943

Likely to be increases, particularly gas given the situation in Ukraine.

_BAA_RAM_EWE

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122545956#Comment_122545956

Nothing new in Ukraine. "They" have said prices are going up. And prices are going up. Cuz profit.

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122547570#Comment_122547570

The Customer Solutions division of ESB which includes Electric Ireland made a 12 million loss in 2023. The idea that energy companies are gouging people is just factually incorrect. The price of our electricity is determined by the gas market and the margins for suppliers is minimal on residential customers.

The large profits in the ESB are from Generating and Trading where 40% of the profit is from the GB market. ESB are legally mandated to run Electric Ireland as an entirely separate company and profits in one section cannot be used to offset losses in another.

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122547704#Comment_122547704

AHH, Jesus will you give it a rest, thread after thread derailed with this shyte.

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122547980#Comment_122547980

you’re free to report the post to the mods

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122548026#Comment_122548026

Please don't start all this ESB stuff up again, nothing more, nothing less, thanks.

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122548056#Comment_122548056

you’re free to report the post to the mods

autumnalcore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122542280#Comment_122542280

I wouldn't be holding my breath no indication of it happening soon unless we have a major economic crash which we shouldn't hope for either. With energy growth in the second and third world, climate change, global instability it could swing the other way quickly.

Sam the Sham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122542028#Comment_122542028

So I switched the electricity only from Energia to BG yesterday. Today, sure enough, Energia rings me to offer me their 37% new customer offer, which was absolutely impossible when I spoke to them a week ago. That's the lowest price I've seen currently (standard D/N meter, 26.30 day/12.61 night).

Weird thing is: I was on dual fuel with them but they can only offer me the 37% discount if I'm a single-fuel customer. Otherwise they only offer 29%. So they're incentivising me to switch my gas away from them. Which I did, just now, to SSE at 8.28 (fixed rate). I don't know whether gas prices will be going down (hard to imagine, given what's going on in Russia). But I'd rather be able to ignore any volatility.

I do wonder about how they run their business. Not only are they encouraging me to take the gas supply to a competitor. But my continued business with them depends upon me knowing that they lie to me about rates/discounts when it's time to renew and that, as long as I actually switch to another supplier, they'll give me the very rates they told me were impossible before I switched. Routine and acknowledged dishonesty doesn't seem like a good customer relations policy to me.

But what do I know?

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122549977#Comment_122549977

What were BG offering? They don't list D/N rates on their website. Was the standing charge similar to energia?

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122549977#Comment_122549977

Routine and acknowledged dishonesty doesn't seem like a good customer relations policy to me.

Its not dishonesty. The reps are not allowed offer you 37%.

My understanding of their logic is calling your bluff. People threaten to move all the time to get a better rate. So they offer them a better rate and lots of people will take it because its less hassle than switching (in their opinion). Energia make more money on the 8% differential from people who ultimately decide not to move than they do offering everyone 37% all the time. When you actually leave, they throw one last offer at you to stay. If its the cheapest, take it as you have for electricity.

Personally, I couldn't give a flying crap about customer service with regards these companies. Whoever is cheapest, gets my coin. With Energia, you know you have to actually leave to get the best discount. With others, what they tell you when you ring up is usually the best you're going to get. Just all part of the game.

Which I did, just now, to SSE at 8.28 (fixed rate). I don't know whether gas prices will be going down (hard to imagine, given what's going on in Russia). But I'd rather be able to ignore any volatility.

Right now, fixed seems like the right choice but only time will tell. I am assuming that 8.28c is including VAT? Flogas is a little cheaper (0.14c) but factoring in standing charges etc it likely works out roughly the same.

Sam the Sham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122550017#Comment_122550017

It is dishonesty. They don’t say “we’re not allowed to offer you 37% but if you switch to another supplier, then we will offer it to you.” They say: “26% is the maximum discount I can offer you.”

I get that they’re calling people’s bluff, but if I make perfectly clear (as I have last year and this year) that I know the exact parameters of the game they are playing, they should own up to it and give me the 37%. Especially since last year I went through with switching for the same reason and with the same result: they rang me and made a better offer. So I have form, having already done it. And I explained that to them this year (“see? I’m going to do exactly what I did last year and then you are going to ring me and offer me 37%”) but they persisted with the ridiculous charade.

8.28 for gas with SSE includes VAT.

Next year I’m going to change my phraseology with them. I won’t ask “What is the maximum discount that you (and all other colleagues in your position) can offer me?” I’ll ask: “what is the maximum discount that a renewing customer can get if, for example, they actually switch to another provider?”

Sam the Sham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122550008#Comment_122550008

26.40/13.06 VAT inclusive. Standing charge was slightly cheaper than Energia at €287.36.

It’s much of a muchness, really. My EAB was slightly cheaper with Energia so I stuck with them. Also, if standard rates do go down, the 37% discount is greater than BG’s 33% discount, for whatever that’s worth.

OfflerCrocGod

Are you going to explain why @bren2001 is wrong @CoBo55 or are you just going to throw abuse around? Because out of the two of you only one seems to know how the energy market works. I'll give you three guesses cause I think you might need the help.

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122550203#Comment_122550203

They say: “26% is the maximum discount I can offer you.”

An entirely factual statement. The reps cannot offer you higher until you leave.

Energia could offer you 100% off if they wanted. The can do anything they want. However, the policy is that you must leave to get the highest discount.

Next year I’m going to change my phraseology with them. I won’t ask “What is the maximum discount that you (and all other colleagues in your position) can offer me?” I’ll ask: “what is the maximum discount that a renewing customer can get if, for example, they actually switch to another provider?”

Entirely fair but I doubt you're going to see any different results.

Sam the Sham

What they actually say, which is a lie, is that “26% is the most we [i.e. Energia] can offer you.” And it is disingenuous at best for them to take direct questions from me like “what is the maximum discount that a person in my position can receive?” and to treat them as though they were questions about what the person I happen to be talking to is able to do. That is not what I’m asking and I’ve made that clear to them. I’ve been around this particular carousel a few times and it most certainly is dishonest. They aren’t always scrupulous about saying “I” and, even when they are, they know what I’m asking and, rather than answering my question, they’re playing dishonest and misleading games.

fits

Ah it’s annoying but it’s easiest to just play the game and don’t waste any more energy on it. It’s not the fault of the person on the phone. I’ll be doing same fake switch on Thursday to get the 37%

John arse

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122550494#Comment_122550494

Ah so they don't offer the 37% to existing customers (without the fake switch - how ridiculous is that),i'm thinking E I with the €100 credit is a better deal anyway?