Switching Gas and Electricity Suppliers – Navigating the Pitfalls

Many of us have considered changing Gas or Electricity suppliers but have either been put off by all the written notices and added paperwork to fill out or just not been bothered to change. The trouble is that with the number of energy suppliers having increased over the years there is as much competition in the energy market as other services such as mobile phone networks. Many companies now offer Gas and Electricity in one package, referred to as “Dual-Fuel”.

Some people are held back by thinking that if they switch providers that they may well get cheaper service but at the expense of the reliability of their current provider, the good thing is that some websites can show you not only the prices but also the amount of complaints that each provider receives. There really is a lot of information out there for you to make an informed decision.

With many gas and electricity suppliers vying for your custom some are recognizing the reluctance of some customers to make the jump to another company and are offering to take care of all the transfer paperwork for you because it isn’t unknown for transfers to go awry. In the past people have not been given clear enough notice that they haven’t cancelled their service properly and have ended up being billed for service from their new provider but also their old one still! Admittedly this is quite rare, but the process is not as daunting as it may seem, and there’s lots of people in the same boat.

Getting a quote

This used to be the most time consuming process, going round all the suppliers to see what deals they can do and what rates and tariffs there are. This used to be done by either phoning up salespeople or searching out leaflets. Luckily with the rise of comparison sites this process can be nigh-on eradicated, all you have to do in some cases is give your postcode (to determine which suppliers are in your area) and a brief usage summary (to determine which tariff is best for you), you’re then presented with a list of all possible gas and electricity prices.

Sorting a new deal

First of all you should find your new supplier, to ensure your service is uninterrupted you should sort this before cancelling with your current supplier. Firstly when checking comparison sites you need to make sure that they are accredited with energywatch’s “Confidence Code”, fortunately all gas and electricity suppliers have to reveal their prices so you can guarantee you’ll make the right choice. Once you have arranged a new contract it can sometimes take up to 6 weeks to start with your new provider, during which you need to…

Give your notice to your old supplier
This can be done by giving notice to your supplier in writing, also make sure all outstanding bills are taken care of. In some cases people have had their changeover held up by the fact they had not settled all outstanding bills. It is a good idea to take note of the gas and electricity meter readings on the changeover day so that any discrepancies over what the reading was when you joined your new supplier was

Once all this is taken care of then you should have a smooth changeover from your old supplier to your new one. Hopefully by taking up service with a new provider you may have received some form of discount or sign-up incentive which may have been your reason for choosing that provider above all others. The other benefits of changing are that it can sometimes be absolutely free. The flexibility of payment means that you can choose which method to use (cheque, Direct Debit) and when to make payments (monthly, annually).

So if you think you could be paying less on your bills, your provider’s service isn’t up to scratch or want to take advantage of the discounts and incentives being offered to new customer then now is the perfect time to make the switch to another energy provider.