A favourite line of UK
politicians in particular the Conservative and Liberal Democrat ones is that
you can change supplier to save on your energy bills. This is backed up by ‘experts’
on the BBC, ITV and other main stream media outlets who always state that it is
easy to change suppliers and should involve no charge. The latest of these ‘experts’
appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning (28.03.2014) and didn’t have a clue what
she was talking about when faced with this problem.
The latest of these ‘experts’
appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning (28.03.2014) and didn’t have a clue what
she was talking about when faced with this problem.
Due to the UK energy market
not being a real market there are
many people in my situation who cannot do this without incurring charges of
hundreds of pounds. I was also told that there is no guarantee I would actually
be able to get cheaper prices from another supplier anyway.
there are many people in my
situation who cannot do this without incurring charges of hundreds of pounds
This is due to the type of electric heating I have i.e. Scottish Power
Comfort Plus White Meter where Scottish Power decide how much heating I get,
although I can alter the settings additionally in each individual heater. Many
people have Scottish Power White Meter (or Economy 7 in other areas) but this
is different being operated using a time clock instead of the energy company,
and therefore does not incur the same problem when changing supplier.
In reality I can have any power
supplier I like as long as it is Scottish Power
Thus in reality I can have
any power supplier I like as long as it is Scottish Power. I wrote to my MP
about this and he told me I was making up my situation and of-course I could
change supplier with no resultant charges (although the paperwork I sent to him
from the 2 energy suppliers in question said different).
My MP told me I was making up my
situation and of-course I could change supplier with no resultant charges
My MP at that stage is now
Lord Martin of Springburn and sits in the UK House of Lords, so he was well
rewarded by being utterly incompetent at his job as speaker and MP too. I
thought naively that Labour was meant to be the political party that tried to
help, and also protect the most ill and most vulnerable. How wrong was I?
I have a long term illness which
means I must live on benefits of £100 per week.
I have a long term illness
which means I must live on benefits of £100 per week. How precisely am I meant
to adequately heat my home on that meagre figure when I cannot benefit from the
ability that I am told I have (but in reality I do not) of being able to shop
around amongst energy suppliers for the cheapest tariff and therefore lower
prices? My house is frequently cold from autumn right through to late spring
which does nothing for my illness.
