Strange as it may seem many companies providing electricity in the UK are not actually UK electricity suppliers. For example EDF is a French company offering competitive rates. With the Euro high against the pound I wonder if it is really going to be cheaper?
One of the reasons I chose the company I have used for the last 7 years was because I was told it would only cost me £60 per month, but in fact that was a gross under-estimate of the amount of electricity actually used. The other reason was that the company said they were dedicated to building renewable energy and I could subscribe a little more to help them develop these sites.
I really wanted to encourage the development of renewable sources of energy for the future of our planet. I also reasoned that when oil ran out these companies would be able to offer electricity from renewable sources at a reduced cost. Ha was I wrong?
I have since discovered that all electricity suppliers have to bear the cost of increased oil/coal/gas prices and nuclear energy just the same as the other companies. So that it makes a nonsense out of the idea that we can provide green energy at a reasonable cost to the nation.
There are many other suppliers which are not UK suppliers, but are in fact foreign companies with a base in the UK. If you want specifically UK electricity suppliers then some of the companies I know that are actually UK grown companies are:-
- Atlantic electric and gas
- npower
- Scottish and southern energy
- SPARK
- Utility
Whoever your company of choice is, whether it’s UK electricity suppliers or foreign owned, one of the things to be aware of is that when you pay by Direct Debit the energy suppliers take the amount you expect to spend each year and then add about another half year costs before dividing the amount by 12 to get a monthly figure.
The aim is to build up a reserve amount of money over time, so in fact you are paying in advance for your electricity and gas. So although they quote attractive rates for paying by Direct Debit, it is because you are providing the suppliers with a free loan on a permanent basis. When you pay quarterly bills you always pay for what you have consumed in arrears. When you pay for oil it is always paid on delivery.
We are one of the windiest countries on earth we are surrounded by sea with some of the greatest movement of water between high and low tide and photo voltaic cells are now becoming a real alternative to fossil fuels. We have an inventive and creative population that is the envy of the industrial world.
Why would we need to buy power from other countries when UK electricity suppliers have the resources to produce as much power as we want providing we gathered all our knowledge together and focused our minds on the challenge?
If all consumers are vigilant and are prepared to change suppliers for cheaper ones then companies will be forced to competitively review their prices. As long as we keep using electricity price comparison and moving around going for cheaper providers we as consumers will be able have an impact on the suppliers and energy prices.
