# Advice on how to line up utility switch dates, to avoid being charged higher rates when current deal expires?



## SPC100 (19 Jun 2021)

Hi,

I'm looking to organise my annual utiliy switch of electricity and gas.

I am with Bord Gais at the moment, but my great deal expires soon. Unfortunatley every other deal will be more expensive than my current deal, but the new best deal will be cheaper than Bord Gais default rates.

I think if I leave before the one year anniversary Bord Gais will chage early termination penalty. If I stay beyond the anniversary BG will start charging me their very high normal rates.

What is the best way to organise my switch so that I don't pay the Bord Gais early termination penalty, but that I avoid paying higher rates with Bord Gais until I switch.

Thanks!


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## jpd (20 Jun 2021)

Can you not switch on the anniversary date?

I found it difficult to understand the question - maybe if you put in the dates it would help


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## michaelm (20 Jun 2021)

SPC100 said:


> If I stay beyond the anniversary BG will start charging me their very high normal rates.


For how long though, a week maybe before you switch?  It's likely they will ring you in advance and offer to extend your current deal for another year.


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## Sue Ellen (20 Jun 2021)

michaelm said:


> For how long though, a week maybe before you switch?  It's likely they will ring you in advance and offer to extend your current deal for another year.



Which is exactly what they did with me so I stayed as their offer was very good but mine was just on electricity.  I just diary note it coming up to the renewal each year as I do with all bills.


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## vandriver (20 Jun 2021)

It is worth noting one 'trick' that the providers use.
I was 11 months in to a dual contract when the supplier wrote to me outlining the contract termination date and that I could of course stay with them and I wouldn't lose my discounts.
Fair enough says I,one less thing to worry about.
Then my wife reminded me that I got a €250 cash rebate off the first bill,which of course wasn't going to be repeated.
In reality I was getting a 12% price increase.


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## SPC100 (21 Jun 2021)

michaelm said:


> For how long though, a week maybe before you switch?  It's likely they will ring you in advance and offer to extend your current deal for another year.


Depending on when your meter was last read you can end up getting a decent number of units charged at the out of contract rate.

My meters are hard to get at and we get lots of estimated readings. I do a real reading when switching. They apportion some of this units at the higher rate.


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## SPC100 (21 Jun 2021)

jpd said:


> Can you not switch on the anniversary date?
> 
> I found it difficult to understand the question - maybe if you put in the dates it would help


How do you organize that? Last few times I have switched a bit after anniversary date and I'm looking to learn how others manage this.

I want to switch online, typically use one of the switching sites. How many days before my anniversary should I start. If you switch 7 days before will they let you off the early termination fee?


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## SPC100 (21 Jun 2021)

Sue Ellen said:


> Which is exactly what they did with me so I stayed as their offer was very good but mine was just on electricity.  I just diary note it coming up to the renewal each year as I do with all bills.


I have had these calls in the past but they have never been as good as switching to the cheapest on the market.


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## SPC100 (21 Jun 2021)

vandriver said:


> It is worth noting one 'trick' that the providers use.
> I was 11 months in to a dual contract when the supplier wrote to me outlining the contract termination date and that I could of course stay with them and I wouldn't lose my discounts.
> Fair enough says I,one less thing to worry about.
> Then my wife reminded me that I got a €250 cash rebate off the first bill,which of course wasn't going to be repeated.
> In reality I was getting a 12% price increase.


Good point. I always put my annual usage numbers into a switching site and go with whatever is cheaper.

Another issue is the prices are not fixed so it is a prediction of which supplier will be cheaper but it is not a guarantee!


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## _OkGo_ (21 Jun 2021)

SPC100 said:


> How do you organize that? Last few times I have switched a bit after anniversary date and I'm looking to learn how others manage this.
> 
> I want to switch online, typically use one of the switching sites. How many days before my anniversary should I start. If you switch 7 days before will they let you off the early termination fee?


You are completely overthinking it, it's very simple and straightforward. Do you know the date that your current deal expires? If so then just go online the following day and switch using one of the switching sites. You'll have to provide meter readings with the switch

Don't switch 7 days early


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## Sue Ellen (22 Jun 2021)

vandriver said:


> It is worth noting one 'trick' that the providers use.
> I was 11 months in to a dual contract when the supplier wrote to me outlining the contract termination date and that I could of course stay with them and I wouldn't lose my discounts.
> Fair enough says I,one less thing to worry about.
> Then my wife reminded me that I got a €250 cash rebate off the first bill,which of course wasn't going to be repeated.
> In reality I was getting a 12% price increase.



Those cash discounts are usually or were at one stage for first time joiners.  When I queried this with Electric Ireland they confirmed that if you go off to another supplier for a year and then return to them they will often allow the cash discount then.  I don't see Bord Gais allowing much in the line of cash discounts.



SPC100 said:


> I have had these calls in the past but they have never been as good as switching to the cheapest on the market.



They confirm that anything they offer has a 14 day cooling off period so if you change your mind you can cancel.  If I get one of these calls I check what they are offering by checking:   www.bonkers.ie, www.switcher.ie,  and sometimes others.

You can also let them know that you will get back to them and consider the offer at your leisure.  The only problem with that at the moment is that it can be a long wait as many of them are still working from home during Covid.  The 14 day cooling off period is probably the best route.



SPC100 said:


> Depending on when your meter was last read you can end up getting a decent number of units charged at the out of contract rate.
> 
> My meters are hard to get at and we get lots of estimated readings. I do a real reading when switching. They apportion some of this units at the higher rate.



The new meters will put a stop to all the necessity of meter readings.


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## elcato (22 Jun 2021)

I'm pretty sure that when you go to (some) switch sites that they ask you to put a date of switch in. I'd make this the day after the anniverary. They also ask for your last reading so if you're really worried make it slightly less to lower the % they charge of the new price. Either way you are talking pennies I would guess.


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## SPC100 (3 Aug 2021)

I waited till the date of my contract expiry and initiated the switch the day my contract expired.


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## Sue Ellen (3 Aug 2021)

SPC100 said:


> I waited till the date of my contract expiry and iniated the switch the day my contract expired.



I asked Bord Gais this recently and they told me to leave it till at least a day or two after contract expires.


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## SPC100 (4 Aug 2021)

I switched day of expiry. Maybe it will be better to cancel that one and switch again!.


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## Sue Ellen (4 Aug 2021)

SPC100 said:


> I switched day of expiry. Maybe it will be better to cancel that one and switch again!.



Be careful that you are not switching mid-contract (12 months) and therefore incurring the €50 penalty.  The reason why the Bord Gais representative told me to leave it for a day or two was to ensure that this did not happen with my account.


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## Sue Ellen (10 Aug 2021)

Showmethemoney said:


> Watch out for termination fees. For the last two years I have switched on the day my contract was up and on both occasions I was hit with a termination fee. This fee was removed after I questioned it and both companies said it was apparently a technical glitch.  Maybe it was an accident but after two years in a row I am a little suspicious.





SPC100 said:


> I switched day of expiry. Maybe it will be better to cancel that one and switch again!.



@SPC100   Came across this post elsewhere from Showmethemoney and it confirms what I mentioned above so definitely best to leave for a day or two.


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## SPC100 (10 Aug 2021)

Yeah. Last year iirc I switched away from Energia, and it was very close to expiry day, and they agreed to remove termination fees.

I double checked I have an email statement saying contract expires the day before I put in my switch. Although I have another statement or email saying it is the day of my switch. So I'm fairly happy I can get them removed if they are added.

That other thread implies their is a bit of bait and switch tactics happening.

I also submitted a manual reading just before switch so there should be no units at the higher default unit rates.


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## roker (18 Aug 2021)

The broadband providers are using the same tactics


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## SPC100 (18 Aug 2021)

How does one avoid bait and switch tactics though?

I had two companies that were going to be fairly similar price wise for me. I went with the one that has already increased prices twice, hoping that they would be less likely to do it again in near future


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## OMG_OMG (2 Sep 2021)

Im looking at smart meter tariffs and they are all far more than the regular day/night tariffs.
Costs are well hidden by the complex tariffs too.
I definitely wont be switching to a smart meter with these tariffs.
There one that gives you free electricity on a Sunday, which sounds great, but the normal unit price every other day is double whats on the other tariffs.
What a con.


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## keving1989 (2 Sep 2021)

What is the general consensus here regarding smart meters?
Are they of any benefit to the consumer or will it just lead to much higher charges in the future? The energy companies must be licking their lips with the anticipation of more and more people using electric cars and installing heat pumps in their homes.

There is no real competition in the market here and we have some of the most expensive electricity rates in Europe, the cashback deals only make it more difficult to asses which provider is actually the cheapest (similar to mortgage cashback offers) and with so many plans its becoming increasingly complex and over saturated much like the health insurance market


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## Protocol (3 Sep 2021)

Households don't get to choose whether they get a smart meter, AFAIK.

You don't own the meter, so the owner can upgrade it if they like.

That doesn't mean you must switch to a smart elec tariff plan.


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## Sue Ellen (3 Sep 2021)

The smart meters will put a stop to all the messing about with estimated bills which was a particular pain during the heavy stages of Covid lockdown.

We have recently signed up a new plan but not a smart elec tariff plan.   Looking forward to seeing what the new information that they say will be available on usage in different areas of the house.


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## Leo (6 Sep 2021)

keving1989 said:


> What is the general consensus here regarding smart meters?
> Are they of any benefit to the consumer or will it just lead to much higher charges in the future?


Smart meters open the possibility of better deals for people who can tailor or adjust their usage to avoid peak consumption hours. For example, some of the current plans offer a greatly reduced rate for a couple of hours overnight which electric car owners could take advantage of to time their charging.



keving1989 said:


> The energy companies must be licking their lips with the anticipation of more and more people using electric cars and installing heat pumps in their homes.


Unless of course they're a gas supplier  



keving1989 said:


> There is no real competition in the market here and we have some of the most expensive electricity rates in Europe, the cashback deals only make it more difficult to asses which provider is actually the cheapest


Out of interest, do you have an example of a similar market with good competition?


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## paul00s (10 Oct 2021)

I know this is a month old but i thought i'd add my experince of smart meters. I've had one for about 18 months now, the info it shows is total kwh, total day khw, total night khw, and total peak khw. 

The companies offer those three tariffs on smart meters, but unlike day night meters, you pay the same standing charge as a 24 hour meter. 

Day is 8am to 11pm (excluding peak), Night is 11pm to 8am and peak is 5pm-7pm.

My usage over 18 months is very close to the numbers used by the switching companies to calculate usage, mine is 65% day 23% night and 12% peak. I think they use 63/24/13.

I'm on a 24 hour tariff, so I've also made no effort to use particular times for things like washing machine or dishwasher (which im sure i would often put on during peak after dinner).

SSE, electric ireland and community power all offer smart tariffs that are between 10-25 euro cheaper per year based on my existing usage by going from 24hr to smart, that's not including the fact i'll set the washing machine and dishwasher to come on over night and save more. I feel like its a no brainer.

(i actually came in looking for info about community power, if anyone has any experience)


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## blanketyblank (10 Oct 2021)

Who did the OP switch to in the end?  I'm with Bord Gais and am out of contract at the moment. I looked on Bonkers but the saving seemed to be very small for switching both gas and electricity and the best seemed to be Electric Ireland but then I read that they are going to  put up their rates so wondered was it worth it at all?


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## RetirementPlan (12 Oct 2021)

paul00s said:


> I know this is a month old but i thought i'd add my experince of smart meters. I've had one for about 18 months now, the info it shows is total kwh, total day khw, total night khw, and total peak khw.
> 
> The companies offer those three tariffs on smart meters, but unlike day night meters, you pay the same standing charge as a 24 hour meter.
> 
> ...


Is it possible to access the smart meter readings to better understand usage patterns without going on a smart tariff?


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## Sue Ellen (12 Oct 2021)

RetirementPlan said:


> Is it possible to access the smart meter readings to better understand usage patterns without going on a smart tariff?



We're not on a Smart tariff but I would appear to be able to access some information about the usage.  I think the full info is not readily available yet because we have not completed a full 2 month's cycle as we have only moved back to Electric Ireland recently.


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## RetirementPlan (12 Oct 2021)

Sue Ellen said:


> We're not on a Smart tariff but I would appear to be able to access some information about the usage.  I think the full info is not readily available yet because we have not completed a full 2 month's cycle as we have only moved back to Electric Ireland recently.


Thanks, can I ask how/where you access this information - is it through your Electric Ireland account?


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## Sue Ellen (12 Oct 2021)

RetirementPlan said:


> Thanks, can I ask how/where you access this information - is it through your Electric Ireland account?



Yes though my Electric Ireland on-line ac.


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## RetirementPlan (12 Oct 2021)

Sue Ellen said:


> Yes though my Electric Ireland on-line ac.


Thanks, I'm not with EI, so I've no option to see that information now.


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## paul00s (13 Oct 2021)

RetirementPlan said:


> Is it possible to access the smart meter readings to better understand usage patterns without going on a smart tariff?



Just to say I have a smart meter, but I'm currently on a normal 24hr tariff.

If you have a smart meter installed you can access the info on the meter. You just press the button to scroll through and it gives you t1 t2 and t3 readings, so you can figure out what percentage of each you use.


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