1: Switch supplier
This should be straightforward and can be done over the phone or online - yet 12 million households have never bothered.
The internet has made searching for a cheaper deal easier. Our sister website, thisismoney.co.uk, can help you to make average annual savings of £263. Where a household has never switched before, the savings should be far higher.
'Allow about six weeks for the transfer to complete,' says Mark Todd, managing director at energyhelpline.com, which powers This is Money's switching facility.
2: Consider newcomers
New smaller firms, such as OVO and First Utility, are grabbing market share from the big six - British Gas, EDF, Eon, npower, Scottish and Southern and ScottishPower.
First Utility has undercut many of the big players. It is also innovative, offering customers in the Midlands smart-meter technology since last September. Smart meters attach to existing gas and electricity meters to give an exact reading of usage, which is transmitted back to First Utility.
3: Seek a dual-fuel deal
If your gas and electricity is supplied by different companies, you can probably save by moving to a dual-fuel package. All companies offer dual-fuel as a standard tariff as opposed to an online-only deal.
4: Go online and pay by direct debit
The biggest savings are to be made by people prepared to take a dual-fuel online deal and pay by direct debit. According to thisismoney.co.uk, a household paying its bill quarterly on receipt of a bill will save on average between £200 and £300 a year by switching to an online direct debit tariff. British Gas has the cheapest online deal for households with average energy consumption, while ScottishPower and EDF are among the best for high users. Npower is competitive for homes with low energy use.
There have been problems with direct debit payments being set too high and companies holding on to customers' overpaid cash.
5: Consider a fixed rate
Almost all energy companies offer fixed-rate tariffs, which can suit those households that are worried about rising costs and need to budget. Yet Todd says that if energy prices are set to fall it may be worth waiting.
Help for the vulnerable
Pensioners and households on low incomes may be eligible for help with their energy bills.
Energy companies are required by law to provide 'social tariffs' to help their most vulnerable customers. These tariffs must be at least equal to the provider's cheapest deal. There are also State-funded grants and money available from energy providers to help lower-income households make energy-saving improvements to their homes.
One of the best known is Warm Front, which provides grants of up to £3,500 to eligible households in England. Similar schemes operate in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Money is available for loft insulation, draught-proofing and cavity wall insulation. To find out more, go to warmfront.co.uk or call 0800 316 2805.
The Government's boiler scrappage scheme still has funds available. Households with a G-rated boiler (the oldest and least efficient) can get £400 towards the cost of a new, more efficient model and its installation. For more on this and other energy savings ideas, visit energysavingtrust.org.uk.
full article
Saturday 6 March 2010
Thursday 4 March 2010
Tesla gets ready as electric cars go mainstream
The single-model display at the Geneva motor show by electric motoring pioneer Tesla is swamped this year by a seemingly endless string of rival sportscar companies launching electric vehicles of their own.
Whereas in the past the Tesla Roadster stood out as a breath of fresh air, and although it remains the only fully functional and street-legal electric car with others being trial models, it will soon be up against petrol-electric hybrids from Fisker and Lotus, Ferrari and Porsche.
"The world has been waiting for Porsche to show this," insists Porsche's chief executive Michael Macht as Porsche unveiled its plug-in petrol-electric hybrid at a Volkswagen Group event ahead of the motor show.
"Electric cars will be important for our customers; our models will have to be socially acceptable."
But whereas analysts fret about the threat, Tesla views the rivals' arrivals as good news.
Global Insight automotive analyst Aaron Bragman takes the view that Tesla is in danger of losing its "competitive advantage of being novel and unique".
By contrast, Cristiano Carlutti, head of Tesla's sales and operations in Europe, believes more electric cars from established brands will instead result in growth in the overall market for electric cars.
"Whoever does electrics is our friend," he says. "The fact that large firms enter the electric car market is an advantage for everyone.
full article
Saturday 27 February 2010
Government firms-up£5k electric car incentive
Ministers have provided more detail on forthcoming incentives to encourage the uptake of electric cars.
The plans, first outlined last April, will allow people who buy a qualifying ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV) to receive a grant worth 25% of the vehicle's value, up to a maximum of £5,000.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has now said that the 'Plug-in Car Grant' will operate in a similar manner to the scrappage scheme, with motorists paying the discounted price and the manufacturer being responsible for claiming the subsidy back.
But while the scrappage incentive was made up of equal contributions from the Government and car manufacturers, the new grant is set to be wholly provided from the public purse in an attempt to encourage "pioneering motorists" to take up new technology.
However, it will not be available until January 2011, at which point ministers expect a wider range of eligible vehicles to be available. In its previous announcement, the Government made clear that only electric, or plug-in electric hybrids would qualify, seemingly precluding currently popular models such as Toyota's Prius.
full article
The plans, first outlined last April, will allow people who buy a qualifying ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV) to receive a grant worth 25% of the vehicle's value, up to a maximum of £5,000.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has now said that the 'Plug-in Car Grant' will operate in a similar manner to the scrappage scheme, with motorists paying the discounted price and the manufacturer being responsible for claiming the subsidy back.
But while the scrappage incentive was made up of equal contributions from the Government and car manufacturers, the new grant is set to be wholly provided from the public purse in an attempt to encourage "pioneering motorists" to take up new technology.
However, it will not be available until January 2011, at which point ministers expect a wider range of eligible vehicles to be available. In its previous announcement, the Government made clear that only electric, or plug-in electric hybrids would qualify, seemingly precluding currently popular models such as Toyota's Prius.
full article
Energy giants accused of cashing in on boiler scrappage scheme
Some energy companies are ripping off householders using the Government’s boiler scrappage scheme by quoting inflated prices for a new boiler, according to industry experts.
The warning comes as a leading heating engineer says that paying £2,000 to replace a working boiler is “financial madness” and that the scrappage scheme has serious flaws.
The boiler scrappage scheme, launched last month, gives households £400 to replace old boilers with a new, energy-efficient model. British Gas, E.On, nPower and Scottish and Southern have matched the Government scheme by offering an additional £400 discount. But some householders hoping to claim £800 off the cost of a new boiler have complained that British Gas is quoting far higher figures than independent engineers.
Peter Thom, of Green Heat, the heating engineer, says: “The energy suppliers are top-loading the price and then offering an £800 discount. A customer I saw in Cambridge received a quote from British Gas of £5,012 for a boiler replacement, which reduced to £4,212 with the £800 discount. Our quotation for exactly the same work and identical boiler was £2,894.”
full article
The warning comes as a leading heating engineer says that paying £2,000 to replace a working boiler is “financial madness” and that the scrappage scheme has serious flaws.
The boiler scrappage scheme, launched last month, gives households £400 to replace old boilers with a new, energy-efficient model. British Gas, E.On, nPower and Scottish and Southern have matched the Government scheme by offering an additional £400 discount. But some householders hoping to claim £800 off the cost of a new boiler have complained that British Gas is quoting far higher figures than independent engineers.
Peter Thom, of Green Heat, the heating engineer, says: “The energy suppliers are top-loading the price and then offering an £800 discount. A customer I saw in Cambridge received a quote from British Gas of £5,012 for a boiler replacement, which reduced to £4,212 with the £800 discount. Our quotation for exactly the same work and identical boiler was £2,894.”
full article
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