Those that can, need to take a look at Martin Lewis's advice. Basically fix your tariff now before the price cap change. EDF for example tariffs are not on the increase at the mo. And a fixed tarrif of 12months on offer. Saving most if not all the 10% increase. I am trying to contact Octopus as I'm into a fixed tarrif till february. And seeing if I can get into the 15m quote on offer on their site without having to pay a switch/admin charge. I'm no expert by any means but worth the look. Those not on fixed tarriffs or in contract are in a decent positions to be able to shop around for the best deals before next Tuesday. Edit For those that might be in the same position as me. I've got this in a reply to my email on the subject. :- Yes, we have sent you the details of the new Octopus 15M Fixed tariff in a separate email for you to review. You can check that email for the quote and further information. As for changing your tariff, there are no exit fees for our fixed tariffs, so you can switch without any penalties. If you have any trouble accessing the quote or need further assistance, please let me know, and I’ll be happy to help! Edit gone ahead and changed for 15 months and the actual tarriffs are around 1p cheaper than what my present tarriffs are. As I say I'm no expert but wanted to put it out there for you to look at and decide if it's for you. I'm not a financial advisor lol.
Pfft Martin Lewis some of us listened to him 2 years ago and ended up on a variable rate ! No thanks cost me thousands
I'd be interested to know how you lost thousands Jud, was it genuinely that bad. there will be winners and losers. I remember him saying variable tariffs are exactly that and a risk. Fixed tarriffs give you the comfort you are knowing what you'll be paying within reason. The main difference again is usage. I have always chose the latter given I know what the payments are. Since the oil companies held us to ransom. I'd check for leaks lol. Joking aside, In this case re a fixed rate. Unless the tarrif drops to an abnormally smaller rate than at present you'd be quids in. You are about to get a 10% increase. I will be around £175 better off than if I stay still. (Given £150 would be going onto my Bill at the present yearly usage.) One thing I do know unless my usage increases. My duel fuel Bill's over 12 months. are going to be circa £25 less than last year in comparison.
Did the downs outweigh the ups then. ?. Cos as far as I can tell. That wasnt the case in general. From government stats. Under the July to September 2024 direct debit price cap the average annual bill for typical gas and electricity consumption is £1,568. This is well below the peak level of £2,380 level under the Energy Price Guarantee from October 2022 to June 2023, but still 29% higher than in Winter 2021/22. I've looked at my direct debits in 2022 and I paid £160pcm to Shell. When Octopus took over in feb this year. Their fixed tarriffs were far better than Shells. And I now pay £131..it is easier to manage my outgoings. it covers all bills over the 12month period and I generally end up still in credit once winter is over. The sooner the war is over let's hope we can get back to normality. In the energy supply world.
I love Martin for a lot of good that he does, however never listen to him on mortgages. He's not qualified and is well known in the mortgage advisor world to talk quite a bit of nonsense about mortgages!