Change power supplier? What if you can’t without incurring a charge for several hundred pounds?

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.