Alternative Energy Suppliers

Fnergg

corktom wrote: »

Just switched online. My 2 fingers to the ESB giving their overpaid staff 3% and saved 12% as well. Win win situ.

You do realise that the "overpaid" BGE workers got the increase as well?

Regards,

Fnergg

corktom

Ok not a win win situ just a win situ

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

corktom wrote: »

Just switched online. My 2 fingers to the ESB giving their overpaid staff 3% and saved 12% as well. Win win situ.

Pay in BGE is every bit as good as ESB and they got the 3.5% with the further 2.5% on it's way, while ESB is looking for a pay freeze. Is this just lack of understanding or begruddery?
The switch is worth it certainly as ESB are not permitted to respond to the price competition but let's stick to the facts.

Bobeagleburger

Does the 10-14% discount include the standing charges? If not the saving would not be too much for me

Cabaal

rarnes1 wrote: »

Does the 10-14% discount include the standing charges? If not the saving would not be too much for me

Standing charges remain unchanged....how would the saving not be much to you?
Your looking at 10e saving in every 100e (at 10%)

Bobeagleburger

Cabaal wrote: »

Standing charges remain unchanged....how would the saving not be much to you?
Your looking at 10e saving in every 100e (at 10%)

Just worked it out, would save a tenner every 2 months so fiver a month. 60euro a year. Still a saving I know but my bills are pretty small in comparison to others

cormie

As a non BG customer currently, who can pay by DD, over a period of 2 or 3 years, who will work out cheaper, airtricity or BG? I'd definitely prefer to support renewable energy

Will switch soon myself

Sizzler

Did this over the wkend and opted to pay by DD. Tend to pay BG the same amount each month voluntarily regardless of usage throughout the year so always in credit with them for a few bob so will make things handier if nothing else.

Have the ESB reacted in anyway shape or form to this?

Any stats on how many people have left ESB yet? I read somewhere last week that 2000 people signed up in one day to BG, if this continues ESB will have to react surely? Thats a lot of revenue down the toilet for them...

brettmirl

ESB can't react. Their prices are set by the regulator.

soc

Gosh darn it! Now Airtricity is added to the poll... and I can't add my vote (I voted NO to switching to Bord Gais).

If OP can change my NO vote (poll was originally a yes/no vote) to AIRTRICITY I would be much appreciated!

Sizzler

mick_irl wrote: »

ESB can't react. Their prices are set by the regulator.

Bummer ! They pretty much have a clear run so? Havent seen anything from Airtricity?

soc wrote: »

Gosh darn it! Now Airtricity is added to the poll... and I can't add my vote (I voted NO to switching to Bord Gais).

If OP can change my NO vote (poll was originally a yes/no vote) to AIRTRICITY I would be much appreciated!

LOL

Fnergg

Sizzler wrote: »

...Have the ESB reacted in anyway shape or form to this? Any stats on how many people have left ESB yet? I read somewhere last week that 2000 people signed up in one day to BG, if this continues ESB will have to react surely? Thats a lot of revenue down the toilet for them...

Sizzler,

See my post above (21/2/09;18:00) which explains why the ESB will not be reacting.

I think that as of today about 13,000 customers have switched.

Regards,

Fnergg

cormie

soc wrote: »

Gosh darn it! Now Airtricity is added to the poll... and I can't add my vote (I voted NO to switching to Bord Gais).

If OP can change my NO vote (poll was originally a yes/no vote) to AIRTRICITY I would be much appreciated!

soc, would you know about this:

As a non BG customer currently, who can pay by DD, over a period of 2 or 3 years, who will work out cheaper, airtricity or BG? I'd definitely prefer to support renewable energy


?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Sizzler wrote: »

Did this over the wkend and opted to pay by DD. Tend to pay BG the same amount each month voluntarily regardless of usage throughout the year so always in credit with them for a few bob so will make things handier if nothing else.

Have the ESB reacted in anyway shape or form to this?

Any stats on how many people have left ESB yet? I read somewhere last week that 2000 people signed up in one day to BG, if this continues ESB will have to react surely? Thats a lot of revenue down the toilet for them...

Sizzler, You need to read back through the posts a bit as this has all been explained. In brief ESB are precluded from reducing prices in competions, and the loss to them is not as gteat as you might think due to Distribution Use of System tariffs.

Doesn't take from the savings in changing to BGE though.

mike65

13,000 signed up so far, thats not many all thnigs considered. Half of them are prolly on boards!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0223/1224241664749.html

Fnergg

mike65 wrote: »

13,000 signed up so far, thats not many all thnigs considered. Half of them are prolly on boards!

I think it's a decent number and probably what BGE were expecting. The trick now is to sustain the momentum as best they can and judging by their campaign to date they should have no problem.

Regards,

Fnergg

ongarite

mike65 wrote: »

13,000 signed up so far, thats not many all thnigs considered. Half of them are prolly on boards!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0223/1224241664749.html

I think it shows how apathetic Irish people are. Just couldn't be bothered to switch from ESB, still with Eircom or AIB, BOI BUT still bitch about them.

soc

cormie wrote: »

soc, would you know about this:

As a non BG customer currently, who can pay by DD, over a period of 2 or 3 years, who will work out cheaper, airtricity or BG? I'd definitely prefer to support renewable energy


?

The truth is nobody knows.

In simple terms if you are a non BG customer on DD then you will get a 12% discount with BG and only a 10% discount with Airtricity.

To get the 10% from Airtricity you also need to sign up to their payment plan where you get charged a set amount each month, based on your past 12 months of use. At the end of the year any overpay is refunded and any underpay is charged. That might not suit everyone.

If you don't sign up for the Payment Plan you only get an 8% discount.

E.g. based on an ESB charge of 1500 for the year, you'd save 150 with Airtricity and 180 with BG. So 30 euro difference.

For that you need to pay BG a 100 euro deposit. You might actually have to pay a bigger deposit! From talking to Bord Gais I got the impression that if you rent and have been at the address for less than 14 months they want a 300 deposit. Need to double check that though.

Also BG promise to drop their price if ESB do, to keep the 10% difference, I don't think Airtricity promise that, but I might be wrong.

So, yes, once you've got your deposit back, BG is cheaper at the moment.
But in 12 months who knows? Anything could happen.

Given the situation with deposits with BG - I've chosen to go with Airtricity for Year 1, but will definitely reassess my chosen utility company in Year 2 (maybe sooner).

Fulton Crown

Cabaal wrote: »

I'd imagine Srameen is just getting tired of explaining the same thing over and over to correct people's incorrect assumptions

I'm sure he is...and we are grateful - but he has choices...just explain it once..or continue to help with better grace.

We are all not experts in this area....and may need the great man's guidance from time to time.:D

Frank_Gooding

defo gotta go with bord gais, I am not just saying that because I work for them, can't work for pepsi and drink coke.:)

rameire

just want to add that not everybody gets charged the deposit from bg.

_Nuno_

rameire wrote: »

just want to add that not everybody gets charged the deposit from bg.

I signed up online and it said I I had to pay a deposit of 200 OR sign up for direct debit. I signed for direct debit and I didn't pay any deposit so far.

As a side note, I am a BG gas costumer already and they already have a deposit of 200 from me that I had to pay when getting the gas contract.

cormie

Thanks soc, that cleared it right up

dlambirl

Is there any time you have to wait from connecting with ESB until you change over? We got our metre connected and ESB turned on in November. Do we have to wait a minimum period before switching?? How long do you have to wait with Bord Gais to switch to another provider if one comes along cheaper? IS there a minimum contract??

harsea8

Ok, I just read through the 6 pages of comments and was pretty much sold on the switch to BG. However, after looking at the tarrifs page ( http://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/htm/residential_electricity/3_existing_customer/index.htm?layer=4 ) and my latest ESB bill, I am confused. I know that I don't have a nightsaver meter, but my ESB bill says that I have used up a certain amount of 2 types of units over the last 2 months...one is priced at €0.1597 per unit, the other is €0.1640 per unit. Looking at the above link, I can't see how this compares with the tarriffs on the BG website and I can't see how I will save 10% on those rates. I also notice that the text above the table on the BG website mentions rural 24 hrs and urban 24 hrs, but only give one rate for 24 hrs in the table.

Any idea why there is discrepancy?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

There are 2 rates on you ESB bill because the cost changed mid billing period. The higher one is the new rate. This is before VAT while the price quoted on the BGE site include VAT.
The Urban 24 hour and Rural 24 hour rates only differ in the standing charges the unit price is the same.

Just in reply to a comment by soc earlier. An annual bill of €1500 with ESB will not be €180 cheaper with BGE as the standing charges are the same. Only the Unit rate is 12% cheaper. It would be closer to €157 for a rural customer. Is a small point but worth bearing in mind. Still a saving though!

MOH

dlambirl wrote: »

Is there any time you have to wait from connecting with ESB until you change over? We got our metre connected and ESB turned on in November. Do we have to wait a minimum period before switching?? How long do you have to wait with Bord Gais to switch to another provider if one comes along cheaper? IS there a minimum contract??

According to the T+Cs on sign up with Bord Gais, you have to give them 28 days notice to terminate the contract, but that seems to be it.
(also, slightly misleading - you have to agree to their electricity supply T+Cs before signup, but the link beside the check box brings you to the website T+Cs - you have to click on the 'Supply' tab to reach the supply T+Cs)

As regards switching from ESB, don't know - what do their T+Cs say?

billyhead

Hi,

I am currently with the ESB for elctricity in the home and I have a direct debit account with Bord Gais for the gas. I plan to switch over. Do I have to notify the ESB first or do I just sign up with Bord Gais for the electricity on the website and they take care of everything.

Sizzler

billyhead wrote: »

Hi,

I am currently with the ESB for elctricity in the home and I have a direct debit account with Bord Gais for the gas. I plan to switch over. Do I have to notify the ESB first or do I just sign up with Bord Gais for the electricity on the website and they take care of everything.

You dont have to tell the ESB diddly. You just go onto the BG website and the rest is easy. Handy hint, if you happen to have your latest meter reading then I think that makes the transition even quicker

admiralofthefleet

i have just switched over