You’re not the only one who doesn’t understand what all those numbers mean on your electricity and gas bills. There are many who are pretty much clueless about what the figures mean and entail. But hang on, there’s good news! It is a great way to gain control over your energy use and start saving money if you understand your bills.
Energy and gas costs vary based on where consumers live, their usage, and their ability to compare providers. Choosing the best plan is the best way to cut costs on electricity and gas plans; however, this can be time-consuming without help. Consumers can now compare electricity and gas plans free of charge with Select and Switch to see how much money they can save.
It is often discussed why you should switch your electricity and gas provider and how you should do so, but you may not know the best time to switch. While you may think that switching at the right time doesn’t matter as long as you save, there’s more to consider.
When is the best time to reassess my electricity and gas plans?
As a habit, ensure that you make an electricity and gas comparison every 12-18 months, or whenever your current deal (if on a fixed tariff) ends. In the event that you come off a fixed tariff without signing up for a new deal, you will likely be placed on your supplier’s standard variable tariff, which is usually one of their most expensive ones.
To avoid incurring these higher costs, be aware of the calendar and know when you’re eligible to switch to a new deal based on the terms of the one you’re currently on.
When is the best time of year to reassess my electricity and gas plan?
Before the winter months begin, it’s best to reassess and switch your energy. You’ll use more electricity than usual to light your home as well as more gas than usual to heat it as the days shorten and the sun sets earlier. By reassessing before winter, you can spend less on your energy during a time when you will use more of it.
When is the best time in my contract to reassess my electricity and gas plans?
You should switch energy deals when you are no longer charged early exit fees in your contract. Changing providers is fairly time-taking, which means that you can inadvertently end up paying standard variable tariff fees for a few days or weeks.
Although you can keep track of these dates yourself, suppliers (or price comparison websites, if you switched that way) should alert you in writing.
Re-assessing before prices go up
A price increase used to take customers by surprise, as one supplier would suddenly raise prices, followed by other suppliers. Now, there will probably be a lot more warnings, so you may want to be prepared. Suppliers will raise their prices if the cap increases, which will hurt customers on standard variable tariffs.
How should I reassess my energy deal?
Thankfully, Select and Switch makes it very convenient for you to compare energy deals. Once you provide us with your postcode and a recent bill (so we can provide you with the most accurate deals based on your energy usage), we will take care of the whole process here. With switch, you no longer need to contact a supplier or leave the site.