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July 01, 2005
Utilita reviews its gas and electricity tariff names
Utilita, the UK's first company who designed their electricity and gas tariffs on the basis that they would not only help you save money but they would help reduce your actual energy consumption has today announced some changes.
The good news is that Utilita are not increasing their gas and electricity prices, rather they have taken the opportunity to rebrand their current packages.
The new brand names are:
EnergySaver - this was formerly known as get80
EnergySaverPlus - this was formerly known as get180
PlanetSaver - this was formerly known as get280
Energylinx has loaded these new names into their free online tariff calculators and these are shown on the site now.
With all the recent news in terms of ever increasing gas and electricity costs, Energylinx would encourage all households to carry out a quick check to ensure that they are on the best deal for their home.
These Energylinx calculators are unique in that they allow you to compare the prices of all energy suppliers.
Energylinx will arrange the whole transfer process for you, including notifying your existing supplier of any planned change and tracking the transfer to ensure that it occurs on time and accurately. Energylinx provides its services completely free of charge to the domestic consumer.
Posted by energylinx at 03:23 PM Technorati: Energy Prices
Independent Gas Transporters - Emergency Cover
OFGEM, The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, has published a Consultation Document "Emergency Service Arrangements provided by Distribution Networks to Independent Gas Transporters". The document is available from http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/temp/ofgem/cache/cmsattach/11790_15605.pdf
The consultation ends on the 11th August and although the document is available in the public domain, Energylinx is concerned that the average domestic customer who has their gas supply connected via an Independent Gas Transporter is probably not aware of any potential changes to their emergency cover arrangements.
Changes are possible from 31st March 2006 when the current arrangements covering emergency cover fall away and the consultation document proposes four alternatives in terms of the licence condition. These are:
1. Make safe only
2. Make safe and carry out limited repairs at or downstream of the meter enabling supply to be restored. This could include work completed within 30 minutes and costing no more than £4.65
3. Make safe and carry out limited simple repairs that can reasonably be completed by the engineer or distribution team on site at the time of the original make safe visit
4. Make safe and complete a more extensive level of repairs (full service equivalent to current service and consistent with the IDNs own directly consumers)
Fortunately no changes are proposed with the call handling service provided by Transco to all consumers, but if anything other than option 4 is provided by the Independent Gas Transporter then the consumer's ultimate service could easily compromised.
Energylinx believes that the industry and consumers must push for option 4 to ensure that consumers are not prejudiced against in the same manner as they are with gas prices.
Energylinx receives numerous complaints from consumers due to the whole concept of Independent Gas Transporters, the majority are not aware when they purchased a property connected via an Independent Gas Transporter that their gas supply would be subject to an extra charge. Worse still is that the whole domestic gas market is not open to them as some low cost suppliers will not even supply gas to homes connected via an Independent Gas Transporter.
Changes to a new supplier are usually more complicated because if the householder has not yet received their first gas bill then it is almost impossible for them to find out what their MPRN is, unless they call a specialist service such as Energylinx.
Energylinx believes that legislation must be put in place to ensure that Estate Agents, Property Developers and house builders disclose to the house buyer that their future gas supplies will be subject to an extra charge. Even at todays average rate of £40 extra per annum this could easily amount to a few thousand pounds extra being borne by the householder for purchasing a property from a housebuilder who has used an Independent Gas Transporter to connect the gas mains.
Incidentally, the housebuilder will have saved a subtantial sum by using the Independent Gas Transporter in the first instance instead of using Transco, perhaps they should pay the extra costs for the lifetime of the homes they sell!
So whilst it is already a case of "buyer beware" in terms of extra cost, the public and the energy supply industry must ensure that OFGEM are lobbied to the effect that anything other than Option 4 above is just not acceptable.
If you are a householder connected via an Independent Gas Transporter why not write to:
Roger Morgan
Manager, Gas Connections Policy
Ofgem
9 Millbank
London
SW1P 3GE
email: roger.morgan@ofgem.gov.uk
While you are looking at this, why not check out whether or not you have the best deal for your gas and electricity.
Energylinx offers its services for free and will take care of all of aspects of the transfer for you.
These Energylinx calculators are unique in that they allow you to compare the prices of all energy suppliers.
Energylinx will arrange the whole transfer process for you, including notifying your existing supplier of any planned change and tracking the transfer to ensure that it occurs on time and accurately. Energylinx provides its services completely free of charge to the domestic consumer.
Posted by energylinx at 02:08 PM | TrackBack Technorati: Energy Prices
