Bonkers.ie, reliable means to save on energy provider rates?

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BrokeBroker

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I've checked this the last couple years, but the provider I'm with then typically meets the competitors rate after I switch, and I end up renewing my contract.

"Cashback", is this legit?

Screenshot 2024-12-21 130442.png

This is the saving I can apparently make (as I used a ratio of 2.2 to 4 units of energy in the day versus night).

Was with enegia.

Is this straightforward, simply fill in the details and bonkers.ie will do the rest?

There's no hidden charges or anything, it really is this simple to save almost 300 euro?
 
BrokeBroker said:
"Cashback", is this legit?
Click to expand...
What do you mean?
Yes - some providers offer cashback deals when you sign up.
Terms and conditions may apply.
BrokeBroker said:
Is this straightforward, simply fill in the details and bonkers.ie will do the rest?
Click to expand...
Yes - but make sure to enable the option on Bonkers that also shows providers that they don't act as a broker for in case some of these offer even better deals.
BrokeBroker said:
There's no hidden charges or anything, it really is this simple to save almost 300 euro?
Click to expand...
Bonkers don't charge anything.

If you have a Smart Meter and might opt for a smart tariff then you should download your usage data from My Smart Data and use Energypal.ie to check for deals on offer.


EnergyPal.ie

Use smart meter data, visualise your energy usage. Take control of your energy costs with EnergyPal.ie! Compare and find the best energy plans based on smart meter data - all for free. Start saving money and optimizing your energy consumption today
www.energypal.ie www.energypal.ie
 
Used to think that Bonkers and Switcher.ie were good but they are definitely out to promote their own deals so as Clubman mentions above you need to look at offers outside theirs by

ClubMan said:
Yes - but make sure to enable the option on Bonkers that also shows providers that they don't act as a broker for in case some of these offer even better deals.
Click to expand...

www.energypal.ie is definitely the way to go if you have a Smart meter.

Very important to look at the unit rate that you would be charged rather than just the discount rate that the companies are quoting. Also check the yearly fee as it can differ quite a lot from one company to another.

We recently found the AXA Plus rates with Energia suited us best. Needless to say you need to be insured with AXA and sign up with their AXA Plus discount scheme.
 
Regarding the OP question as to whether Bonkers.ie is "reliable", I certainly have seen major issues with non-energy comparisons with Bonkers.ie. Bonkers.ie are anything but reliable for deposit products. Mistakes with rates. Products missing. Fees not listed. Slow to update. And other issues.

But Bonkers.ie core business seems to be energy comparisons. But their layout (not just the search options, the display too) tries to mislead people towards products that will pay them commission rather than the best rate. And they remove some details on products that they don't earn commission on.

For Energy Comparisons, I would suggest doing 3 things:
- Check Energy Pal.
- Check the 3 regulator approved comparison websites as listed here: https://www.cru.ie/consumer-information/switch-supplier/price-comparison-websites/
- Check this Boards.ie thread for promo rates that might not be on the comparison websites.
 
Lightning said:
Hi Sue, I seem to recall seeing Boards.ie posters signing up to the Axa Energia rates without being a Axa customer but maybe I am wrong.
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Hi Lightning,

Hope you are right as I would have taken it for granted that you had to be insured with AXA and therefore signed up with the AXA Plus rewards scheme which we are. I suppose the bottom line is that its up to Energia to allow it or not.
 
Lightning said:
Regarding the OP question as to whether Bonkers.ie is "reliable", I certainly have seen major issues with non-energy comparisons with Bonkers.ie. Bonkers.ie are anything but reliable for deposit products. Mistakes with rates. Products missing. Fees not listed. Slow to update. And other issues.

But Bonkers.ie core business seems to be energy comparisons. But their layout (not just the search options, the display too) tries to mislead people towards products that will pay them commission rather than the best rate. And they remove some details on products that they don't earn commission on.

For Energy Comparisons, I would suggest doing 3 things:
- Check Energy Pal.
- Check the 3 regulator approved comparison websites as listed here: https://www.cru.ie/consumer-information/switch-supplier/price-comparison-websites/
- Check this Boards.ie thread for promo rates that might not be on the comparison websites.
Click to expand...
When shopping for electricity I usually use a combination of:
  1. Bonkers and Switcher (making sure to choose the option to see all providers/plans and not just the ones that they can sign customers up for)
  2. Energypal.ie (I'm still building up to a year of smart meter data)
  3. CRU list of domestic providers
  4. Manually checking individual providers' websites for tariffs/offers
  5. Checking the likes of Askaboutmoney, Boards.ie, Reddit etc. for offers
 
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