Bord Gais enters the domestic electricity market

esbnoway said:

Fnergg

I got my bill from esb yesterday and the meter reading is not what I gave when I signed up for BG. it looks like the same as any two monthly bill.

It does not look like I am getting BG rate from reading I supplied when I signed up.

Does anybody know when exactly I move to BG rate

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What may have happened here is that your normal ESB two-monthly bill crossed with your switch to Bord Gais. In other words, you should receive a special bill maked Closing Account from ESB shortly and that should be based on the reading you supplied to Bord Gais. If you don't, I would contact Bord Gais and ask them to confirm they are arranging to open your account with them from the reading you supplied.

Regards,

Fnergg

tosullivan said:

So any idea which of the 2 new players would be better for me?

BG or Airtricity?

Currently with ESB. I'm not using gas as I am on oil. SO no saving for the existing customer with BG.

From what I've been reading BG guarantee min. 10% saving on year 1 and 5% year 2 & 3. An extra 2% for going DD. Am I right so far?

Airtricty seem to offer 12% discount with DD or 13% with the eBill? Can someone explain the eBill and for how long Airtricity are offering these savings?

One last thing. Are these discounts based on being % lower than the current ESB rates over the next few years?

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The 10%+ discounts offered by BGE and Airtricity apply until January 2010.Thereafter, they will, they say, offer savings in the region of 5% against the ESB price. That shouldn't be difficult as the ESB is forced by the Regulator to keep its prices higher than its competitors in order to foster competition in the domestic market.

eBilling is getting your bill by email as against the traditional paper bill through your letter box. You will get an email reminder when the bill issues and if you really need a paper copy for your files you can just print one off.

The ESB has a similar approach with their eBilling system. Other companies (e.g. Eircom) send both a paper bill and an electronic one.

So, which supplier should you go for - BGE or Airtricity? Doesn't really matter from a price perspective. The months ahead will show if there are any serious billing and/or customer service issues with these companies. They are getting a significant number of new customers. Let's hope their billing systems and customer service offerings will be up to scratch.

Regards,

Fnergg