The winter months have come and gone, and finally the icy grip of Mother Nature is loosening up. Most businesses dealing with high electricity bills usually experience relief this time of year.
No more high electricity bills!
Unfortunately, if you’ve thought ahead, you may quickly realise that you have just a few lower bills to pay before it’s time to start using the air conditioning unit, or the humidifier, or one of any large appliances that sucks up energy.
Does comparing electricity rates really help you to make the change and save money for your business? If it does, what are some tips that might help you make it happen?
Overpaying
The truth is that the vast majority of homes and offices in the UK are vastly overpaying for energy bills. It seems like the numbers just keep going up while the available income just keeps going down. But changing energy companies is a hassle, right? And there’s no way that changing can truly give you savings that are worth having, right?
Wrong.
Changing energy companies is actually extremely affordable, and it’s nowhere near as complicated as you may think. So how do you do it?
The first thing that you do is to find a comparison site. There are a number of sites that allow you to compare electricity rates in the UK. Find one and make sure that it has the right information for where you live. You’ll be required to enter the area you reside in and the site should show you, fairly quickly, if they have comparison numbers for the different energy providers in your area.
You may also have to write in how you pay because there are different discounts available depending on how you pay your energy bill. If you use direct debit, you’ll be saving the most money. If you don’t use direct debit, you’ll find that changing will instantly save you a fair amount of money.
Customer Service
Another thing you need to look at before you switch energy companies is the customer service ratings. Yes, saving money is important, but if you decide to switch to a company that has horrible customer service skills, you may find yourself so frustrated that you’d happily pay more just to get away from that company.
So, always make sure that you read the reviews of any energy company, especially the newer ones that have formed in the last handful of years. They often start with a very low tariff at the outset, and people rush to use their services. Then, later, it’s discovered that they couldn’t handle the number of customers they have, and their customer service, or lack thereof, shows.
Takeaway
There are a lot of things to think about when you’re looking to change energy providers, but remember that you should never change when you’re in the fixed rate portion of your contract with your energy company. The fixed rate is almost always the lowest you’ll get.
Start looking at new opportunities at least a few months before your fixed rate tariff is due to end.