WHICH TARIFF?
So who should you switch to? The very cheapest tend to be variable online tariffs.
The problem is that prices can go up. Your account must be managed entirely via the internet, so you input meter readings online and receive statements by email.
The cheapest way to pay is by direct debit. You will normally be charged more if you receive paper bills or have a prepayment meter.
You are also penalised if you don’t want to use direct debit and choose to pay quarterly by cheque.
With other suppliers set to follow Scottish Power’s lead, the biggest worry for people is that their new supplier will increase prices.
Therefore, it may be best to opt for a fixed rate. You will pay a small premium for fixing, but your bill won’t go up. The best is EDF’s Fix Saver v2 which the supplier says should work out at £1,009 a year for a typical semi-detached home.
This is £69 more expensive than its cheapest variable deal — but your costs will not go up until September 2012.
These fixed-rate deals have limited capacity and are likely to be snapped up very quickly.
If you are in fuel poverty — where one-tenth or more of your income goes on gas and electricity — ask if you are eligible for your supplier’s social tariff, which gives a discount to the most vulnerable customers.
Each supplier has different eligibility criteria for social tariffs. EDF, for example, requires people to be either in fuel poverty or receiving income support or pension credit.
Social tariff customers can normally save £150 per year.
full article
Wednesday 15 June 2011
Sunday 12 June 2011
Chris Huhne urges energy customers to switch suppliers
Consumers should vote with their feet and switch to a different supplier if their power company raises its charges, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has said.
In an interview with the Observer, Mr Huhne said people did not have to take price increases "lying down".
He urged people to hit firms "where it hurts" by finding a cheaper supplier.
Scottish Power has this week announced big rises in gas and electricity prices and there are fears the other five major suppliers will follow suit.
Mr Huhne said: "Consumers don't have to take price increases lying down. If an energy company hits you with a price increase, you can hit them back where it hurts - by shopping around and voting with your feet."
Mr Huhne is expected to announce new measures this week to make it easier for smaller companies to compete in the energy market.
He said: "Right now, only one in five people switch suppliers. I want to see more switching, more competition and more companies in the market.
"The big six only have a few minnows snapping at them, who are kept artificially small. By scrapping red tape for small players they can become serious challengers and help keep bills down."
'Deep concern'
On Tuesday Scottish Power revealed price increases of 19% for gas and 10% for electricity from 1 August, affecting 2.4 million households in the UK.
The company blamed the rises on a sharp rise in the wholesale cost of gas.
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney has called for talks with the supplier over the move.
He said: "I am deeply concerned at the scale of Scottish Power's price increases and I am seeking an urgent meeting to hear why they think increases of this scale are justified.
"Any fuel price rises have an impact - yet these increases will leave many households, in particular vulnerable consumers, in real, real difficulty."
A spokesman for Scottish Power said the company always co-operated with parliamentary requests and it looked forward to the meeting with Mr Swinney.
full article
In an interview with the Observer, Mr Huhne said people did not have to take price increases "lying down".
He urged people to hit firms "where it hurts" by finding a cheaper supplier.
Scottish Power has this week announced big rises in gas and electricity prices and there are fears the other five major suppliers will follow suit.
Mr Huhne said: "Consumers don't have to take price increases lying down. If an energy company hits you with a price increase, you can hit them back where it hurts - by shopping around and voting with your feet."
Mr Huhne is expected to announce new measures this week to make it easier for smaller companies to compete in the energy market.
He said: "Right now, only one in five people switch suppliers. I want to see more switching, more competition and more companies in the market.
"The big six only have a few minnows snapping at them, who are kept artificially small. By scrapping red tape for small players they can become serious challengers and help keep bills down."
'Deep concern'
On Tuesday Scottish Power revealed price increases of 19% for gas and 10% for electricity from 1 August, affecting 2.4 million households in the UK.
The company blamed the rises on a sharp rise in the wholesale cost of gas.
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney has called for talks with the supplier over the move.
He said: "I am deeply concerned at the scale of Scottish Power's price increases and I am seeking an urgent meeting to hear why they think increases of this scale are justified.
"Any fuel price rises have an impact - yet these increases will leave many households, in particular vulnerable consumers, in real, real difficulty."
A spokesman for Scottish Power said the company always co-operated with parliamentary requests and it looked forward to the meeting with Mr Swinney.
full article
Saturday 11 June 2011
It's a Swiss Army bike!
This extraordinary new electric bicycle looks sharp and folds out just like a Swiss Army knife.
The creation by Swiss brand Voltitude, has been dubbed the ultimate space saver.
Designed for city-dwellers, the compact 18.5 kilogram bike measures just under two feet in width, 2ft 7in high when folded and 3ft.6in when stretched out.
The bike can be charged by hooking it up to a standard mains socket and takes around four hours to reach full power.
It can reach speeds of around 15 miles per hour and can be ridden for 25 miles before needing to be recharged.
The bike, which is set to sell for around £2,650, is not yet in full production but it can be pre-ordered through the Voltitude website.
full article
Friday 10 June 2011
Car-hire giants in U-turn over electric fleet
A pioneering scheme to provide cheap, "help yourself" electric cars for Parisian residents and tourists faces a last-minute legal challenge from the traditional car-rental industry.
The first 700 Autolib' cars – based on the city's successful bicycle self-hire operation, which inspired a similar scene in London – will appear in the French capital from December at a modest €5 (£4.40) for the first 30 minutes.
But a pressure group representing large car-rental firms such as Avis and Hertz has belatedly accused city hall of organising unfair and publicly subsidised competition. The administrative tribunal, which hears complaints against public authorities, must decide within weeks whether to abolish the scheme in its present form.
Manufacture of the first Autolib' cars – roughly the size of a Twingo or Mini, and with a battery life of 250 kilometres – has already begun in Turin. The Socialist Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, is convinced that the scheme will be a popular and groundbreaking success like his do-it-yourself bike-hire programme, Vélib'.
The small, blue four-seater cars will be available from street or underground docking stations for €5 for the first half-hour for Parisian residents and €7 for visitors. As with the Vélib' bike scheme, long-term rentals will be more expensive. The idea is to offer a "green", cheap alternative for cross-town journeys.
Joining the scheme will cost a further €10 a day, €15 a week or €144 a year. "Autolibbeurs" will use a credit card to pick up a car from a docking station and leave it in a spare place at any other station when finished. Each car will have a radio, a GPS route-finding system and an onboard computer to direct the driver to empty docking spaces.
full article
The first 700 Autolib' cars – based on the city's successful bicycle self-hire operation, which inspired a similar scene in London – will appear in the French capital from December at a modest €5 (£4.40) for the first 30 minutes.
But a pressure group representing large car-rental firms such as Avis and Hertz has belatedly accused city hall of organising unfair and publicly subsidised competition. The administrative tribunal, which hears complaints against public authorities, must decide within weeks whether to abolish the scheme in its present form.
Manufacture of the first Autolib' cars – roughly the size of a Twingo or Mini, and with a battery life of 250 kilometres – has already begun in Turin. The Socialist Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, is convinced that the scheme will be a popular and groundbreaking success like his do-it-yourself bike-hire programme, Vélib'.
The small, blue four-seater cars will be available from street or underground docking stations for €5 for the first half-hour for Parisian residents and €7 for visitors. As with the Vélib' bike scheme, long-term rentals will be more expensive. The idea is to offer a "green", cheap alternative for cross-town journeys.
Joining the scheme will cost a further €10 a day, €15 a week or €144 a year. "Autolibbeurs" will use a credit card to pick up a car from a docking station and leave it in a spare place at any other station when finished. Each car will have a radio, a GPS route-finding system and an onboard computer to direct the driver to empty docking spaces.
full article
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