Switching electric/gas providers (see first post for links)

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117076#Comment_121117076

Who said that?

kuang1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121116891#Comment_121116891

Had a quick look on Pinergy's site, couldn't find the answer I was looking for, but I'm sure you know...

Is there a monthly or bi-monthly limit to the night time (3 hour) usage before the price goes up?

What's their FIT rate?

I'm out of contract, still with Energia, but reckon Pinergy is my best option now. Have EV, PV panels (6kw inverter + 9.6kwh house battery).

I refused a smart meter over a year ago and went to d/n meter.

Am I best now to order a smart meter from energia and jump ship to Pinergy once installed?

Garibaldi?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117073#Comment_121117073

Time of use divides the day into sections. 8.00 to 23.00 is daytime.23.00 to 8.00 is night rate.17.00 to 19.00 is the most expensive time to use electricity. Three different rates. And when my contract expires apparently I won't be able to avail of Bonkers as I've always done .

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117073#Comment_121117073

2 to 5am type deals are usually for charging cars, which can be scheduled.

2011abc

I signed on for another year with BG with good discounts but does Flogas announcements mean I need to get out within cooling off period or will BG give me any reductions they announce .Are these contracts fixed in time only or also in rate ?Thansk

delly

The Flogas announcement is a bit like saying we'll give you 95% off of our 1 million euro price tag. You need to compare the actual rates, rather the 30% headline.

As others have mentioned, a journalist worth half their salt, would actually list the rates and do a bit of comparison to see how good each announcement actually is.

OmegaGene

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117223#Comment_121117223

use your last bill usage as a guide and check the prices with all the companies using the new rates coming up, the % means very little without looking at the rates and the standing charges each company apply

don't be blinded by discounts just work out the bimonthly costings and go with the winner

2011abc

I was kinda hoping you guys had already done that :-)

OmegaGene

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117312#Comment_121117312

everyone has different usage and different plans, if you want to save money get the pen and paper out

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117312#Comment_121117312

Just call Flogas and ask for the BWG deal.

GarIT

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117076#Comment_121117076

You're getting a smart meter eventually. All meters are being replaced it was supposed to be done by the end of this year but looking like it's going to go on a bit longer

The whole point of the smart meter rollout is to aid the switch to renewable energy. And to do that they need to get people onto varying price plans

I know a few civil servants who should be in the know on this that say when the smart meter rollout is complete the companies won't be allowed offer new 24h plans. So at that point you can stay with whatever supplier you are with on a 24h plan with no discounts and not being able to change supplier or you can switch to a day/night/peak plan

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117134#Comment_121117134

Depends on the provider, but Pinergy is unlimited. Their FIT will be increased to 28c incl VAT next month iirc

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117458#Comment_121117458

My understanding is that they will be able to offer 24 hour rates with discounts etc but the 24 hour rate will be the peak time rate.

They will make it a lot more expensive to be on a non-ToU plan.

kuang1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117566#Comment_121117566

Thanks for that.

And am I right to get the smart meter before switching?

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117607#Comment_121117607

Yes. Either you just wait until you get one, or you request one from ESB (this can take an unknown time, some people say could be next year), or you request it from your current provider, who might demand that you sign a new contract first.

Pinergy won't request a meter change for you

kuang1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117625#Comment_121117625

I refused one last year so need to request one.

Thanks for the info.

tx_tx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117578#Comment_121117578

I may be wrong but I'd be surprised if either legislation or regulation gets so directive as to force suppliers to do that. In general, pricing is up to individual suppliers, there are few restrictions, the CRU ensures there is competition and that this will deliver fair prices. Especially as there would always be all sorts of workarounds (e.g. you could have a peak/day/night plan where the rates are just 0.01 cent different).

So far, the CRU has actually indicated that there is nothing stopping suppliers to offer a 24hrs plan to ToU customers, by just making peak, day and night the same prices. That was part of their justification as to why they won't allow people to move back to non-smart (public document, posted the link some time ago). Their point was that there's simply no need (but that's up to suppliers' willingness to sell such plans).

The scenario @GarIT is giving sounds plausible, but there are dozens of other equally plausible scenarios, I think we should be clearer when posting here that these are mere possibilities, not reliable information.

bren2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117648#Comment_121117648

I work with suppliers on some mathematical modelling stuff, I'm just repeating what they told me. They would be the engineers and usually not that high up. Just repeating what I've been told. Absolutely no idea if it's true. Irrespective of the company, they all say the same thing.

There will be a big push to ToU tariffs at some point and it will come from the regulator. I think it's years away tho.

You are right, everything is just a theory and there are many plausible scenarios.

Redfox25

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117327#Comment_121117327

Tried that, no joy

fafy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117607#Comment_121117607

You’l have a long wait, Energia told me up to 5 months last week

wheresmybeaver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121115043#Comment_121115043

I like the Nov 2023 energia plan because the peak (5-7pm) rate is only marginally higher than the day rate, compared to our old Airtricity plan - trying to avoid high energy usage between 5-7 pm was wrecking our heads the last year.

Based on our households day + peak + night usage of electricity in the last year, the smart plan from Energia works out a good bit cheaper than the flat rate plan so I'm not too bothered about missing out on flat rate plans this year. The gas rate isn't too bad either.

J_R

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121119235#Comment_121119235

Hi,

If you tell then you will only sign if you can avail of the cheap rate 0200 - 0600 then they will book an appointment with the ESB. At least that is what I did and was offered several slots. The first was in just two days which is the one I accepted. Two days later smart meter installed.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121117187#Comment_121117187

Why

GarIT

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121119707#Comment_121119707

It's a long story.

The electricity generated has to be carefully balanced with the electricity being used. If too much electricity is being generated the effects could be similar to a lightning strike, everything plugged in could break. Too little being generated and you get blackouts. It's difficult, inefficient, and expensive to increase or decrease power generation so the varying tariffs exist to discourage people from using electricity during times of high demand and encourage electricity usage during times of low demand.

Also a very large component of not the majority of the cost of electricity is paying for unused peak capacity. Even if a power plant isn't being used it costs money just to exist. So reducing the peak demand reduces the number of power plants we need.

Charles Babbage

It makes sense to offer differential tariffs, if people do not get a smart meter and so provide the information to charge properly then it should be peak rate 24 hours and it probably will be in few years.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121120699#Comment_121120699

I think they were actually asking why you couldn't use bonkers etc

GarIT

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121120930#Comment_121120930

Oops

Cape Clear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121120795#Comment_121120795

Yip a bit like the black and white TV licence back in the day eventually it won't be offered. It would be silly to think esbn networks/suppliers aren't going to use smart metres to their optimum in terms of peak and off peak charges. The other thing that is likely to happen is the price of electricity from the grid is going to increase as demand goes down as a result of microgeneration.

brian2614

Got my 1st bill with Flogas and wondering is this correct tariff for the BWG deal..

Tariff Category

DG1 24Hr BWG Fixed Elec 12 MH23 NB

septictank

I went with the BG offer last year of 33% off Duel Fuel, they offered it again this year + extra 5% off both. Unit price Gas €9.06 and El €29.88. I only had 1 big bill last year over the Christmas period which was expected.

I'm on 24hr and refused the new meter, (For now) I was told each time I change supplier I have to refuse it again or they would take it that I was happy to go ahead with the change.