How do you reduce your energy bills? a simple question and one with a simple answer, increase your consumption is the simple answer.
What follows is generic and there are variations and options open to everyone so you need to evaluate your particular circumstances to make it work effectively, so be aware of this.
In simplistic terms there are two tariffs, a domestic tariff which is the most expensive and the one homeowners are on, and a commercial tariff which business are on and the commercial tariffs are much cheaper than domestic tariff's. These two broad headings are sub-divided into many other tariffs which are individual to every supplier.
So, how do we increase our consumption and pay less? first we need to switch from a domestic tariff to a commercial tariff; and to do this we need to increase our consumption and to do this we need several domestic users to club together and all agree to go with the one supplier offering the best rate and its numbers which equal consumption.
It may be a dozen neighbours on the same street who club together, it may be a large family in different parts of the country who club together, it doesn't really matter as long as the offer of all those new customers is open to the supplier. Think about it, no paying salesmen to tramp the streets door knocking and getting nowhere, no paying commission to those salesmen, and a multitude of customers for merely offering a commercial rate to a group of domestic users in return for a lot of custom for little to no outlay for the company, and remember its all business to them. If you can guarantee a dozen customers they will offer you a fantastic rate, offer 50 guaranteed customers then you're guaranteed a fantastic commercial rate.
There will be a few nasty tricks they will try so always be aware of them, first they will want one person to accept liability for everyone, never do this as you don't want to be liable for someone else's bills, they will try to get one person to pay one large bill, never do this either. You need to be totally honest with them and make it a condition that they bill each householder individually and each householder is liable for their own bills, basically they are trying to make life easier for themselves and making one person liable is much easier for them as they have one address to target if someone fails to pay, don't let it be an individual.
Remember its all business so act like a business, get one individual to get everyone's usage and list them individually and this is for electricity and gas, you then total them up to give a total for electricity usage and gas usage, then put it out to tender as any other business would do. You E-mail it directly to every individual supplier of your choice and you ensure you get them to quote individually on electricity, gas, and a combined electricity and gas so you can make accurate comparisons.
When you have their response they will want the names and addresses of your group, never give them this data until you have an agreement in place as they often target the individuals directly and offer them an apparent good deal, basic divide and conquer tactics.
Once you have their response and compared their charges and cut through all the B/S they put in about tariffs you make accurate comparison for electricity, gas, and combined and you contact them all again with the lowest price you have received and give them the opportunity to make you another (cheaper) offer. You aren't bothered about tariffs or what they are called as you are only interested in the best price, and you don't tell them which company offered you the best deal, just what the deal is
There is nothing wrong with going for electricity from one company and gas from another if that is cheaper for your group; or going for one company for both if they offer the best deal.
If you wish to you can go back to them all for a third time with the lowest deal again but going back a second time with the cheapest deal tells them you are serious.
Another trick they will try is to get you into a long term deal, forget it, only go for a one year deal and it has to be a guaranteed or fixed price one year deal.
You need one person to collate the information and that person is also the point of contact for the people in your group and the chosen supplier, they must put together a professional quality tender document, and be able to collate the information accurately and pass it to each member of the group.
How and when did we start? we started as our village of 16 properties in 2011 and now we have just over 100 in our group, our initial saving was an average 54% across all properties and our collator is a business woman who is used to tender documentation so gets it right. Now the companies E-mail her directly when our contract is up for renewal.
Over the years our group has grown with families of the villagers coming into our little group and the reductions have been, and remained proportionate.
What follows is generic and there are variations and options open to everyone so you need to evaluate your particular circumstances to make it work effectively, so be aware of this.
In simplistic terms there are two tariffs, a domestic tariff which is the most expensive and the one homeowners are on, and a commercial tariff which business are on and the commercial tariffs are much cheaper than domestic tariff's. These two broad headings are sub-divided into many other tariffs which are individual to every supplier.
So, how do we increase our consumption and pay less? first we need to switch from a domestic tariff to a commercial tariff; and to do this we need to increase our consumption and to do this we need several domestic users to club together and all agree to go with the one supplier offering the best rate and its numbers which equal consumption.
It may be a dozen neighbours on the same street who club together, it may be a large family in different parts of the country who club together, it doesn't really matter as long as the offer of all those new customers is open to the supplier. Think about it, no paying salesmen to tramp the streets door knocking and getting nowhere, no paying commission to those salesmen, and a multitude of customers for merely offering a commercial rate to a group of domestic users in return for a lot of custom for little to no outlay for the company, and remember its all business to them. If you can guarantee a dozen customers they will offer you a fantastic rate, offer 50 guaranteed customers then you're guaranteed a fantastic commercial rate.
There will be a few nasty tricks they will try so always be aware of them, first they will want one person to accept liability for everyone, never do this as you don't want to be liable for someone else's bills, they will try to get one person to pay one large bill, never do this either. You need to be totally honest with them and make it a condition that they bill each householder individually and each householder is liable for their own bills, basically they are trying to make life easier for themselves and making one person liable is much easier for them as they have one address to target if someone fails to pay, don't let it be an individual.
Remember its all business so act like a business, get one individual to get everyone's usage and list them individually and this is for electricity and gas, you then total them up to give a total for electricity usage and gas usage, then put it out to tender as any other business would do. You E-mail it directly to every individual supplier of your choice and you ensure you get them to quote individually on electricity, gas, and a combined electricity and gas so you can make accurate comparisons.
When you have their response they will want the names and addresses of your group, never give them this data until you have an agreement in place as they often target the individuals directly and offer them an apparent good deal, basic divide and conquer tactics.
Once you have their response and compared their charges and cut through all the B/S they put in about tariffs you make accurate comparison for electricity, gas, and combined and you contact them all again with the lowest price you have received and give them the opportunity to make you another (cheaper) offer. You aren't bothered about tariffs or what they are called as you are only interested in the best price, and you don't tell them which company offered you the best deal, just what the deal is
There is nothing wrong with going for electricity from one company and gas from another if that is cheaper for your group; or going for one company for both if they offer the best deal.
If you wish to you can go back to them all for a third time with the lowest deal again but going back a second time with the cheapest deal tells them you are serious.
Another trick they will try is to get you into a long term deal, forget it, only go for a one year deal and it has to be a guaranteed or fixed price one year deal.
You need one person to collate the information and that person is also the point of contact for the people in your group and the chosen supplier, they must put together a professional quality tender document, and be able to collate the information accurately and pass it to each member of the group.
How and when did we start? we started as our village of 16 properties in 2011 and now we have just over 100 in our group, our initial saving was an average 54% across all properties and our collator is a business woman who is used to tender documentation so gets it right. Now the companies E-mail her directly when our contract is up for renewal.
Over the years our group has grown with families of the villagers coming into our little group and the reductions have been, and remained proportionate.
