Gas and Electricity

Anyone can change energy suppliers and the process can take anything between one and two months approximately. Many people avoid considering swopping energy suppliers as they think it might be a lot of hassle, however it can be simpler than you think.

Once you have decided that you want to change your gas or electric supplier and have decided who to go with, your new supplier will contact your existing provider to inform them. Your new energy supplier will contact you to get your final meter readings.

You can change your gas and electricity provider as often as you like, however you might have a fixed term where you have to stay with your existing supplier for a certain period of time in order to avoid paying penalties.

The main change you will notice should you decide to change your supplier is the name at the top of your bill. As your home will already have the necessary pipes, your energy supply will not be affected.

Things to consider when changing your Gas and Electricity supplier

• Work out how much you have spent with your existing supplier by looking at previous bills. If you can work out the number of units you have used, this might give you a better comparison
• You may want to look at bills from different times of the year as you may use more gas and electricity in the winter months
• Manage your account online and pay by direct debit were ever possible as this will save you money
• Is your new supplier due to review their existing pricing plan, if so will it still be worthwhile you changing if your main reason to change is to save money

What will you need when changing your gas and electricity supplier?

• Your new supplier will request your bank details if you are paying by direct debit. Information required will be name and address of your bank, sort code and account number
• Reference numbers from your existing bill in order for your new supplier to transfer your details and get accurate information
• Your personal details including information such as full name, address including full postal code and email address

What to do after you have switched your supplier

• Give your meter readings to your new supplier from when you changed over
• Clear any money owed to your previous supplier and cancel any direct debit arrangements you might have set up with them
• Inform your previous gas and or electricity supplier you have changed to a new provider unless you are informed by your new provider that they will do this on your behalf

Simple tips to save energy

There are lots of things you can do in order to save energy. Many of us have simply fallen into bad habits with certain things.  If we change these you can save energy. It is often just a matter of getting used to doing certain things like for example turning lights off when you leave a room that can help reduce how much energy you use.

Some things for you to consider are:

• Take a shower rather than run a bath as showers use less water
• Turn lights off when not needed
• Turn off electrical appliances when not in use instead of putting them on standby as this still uses up energy
• Insulate your loft well as this will help you retain heat in your home
• Only put as much water as required when boiling the kettle
• Use energy efficient bulbs – these will cost you more in the short-term, however you will save on the amount of energy you use
• Draft proof doors and windows in order to minimise the amount of cold getting into your home