Energy Scandal: Third Of Homes Stung For £153 By Energy Companies – Take Revenge, Switch!

Npower SignOnline v18

More than 11m households have been told they owe an average of £153 more than they should because of discrepancies between estimated bills and ‘real’ bills from their energy suppliers*. Energy companies have been voted the most likely to get their bills wrong, even ahead of HM Revenue & Customs*. Incorrect bills have gone as high as £400, so be sure you are being charged properly – send accurate readings regularly.

You could be waiting up to two months on average to get that money back too, so take some action now if you are being badly treated by your supplier. Switching providers could not only help you get the right bill, it can save you even more, up to £240 on average, so what are you waiting for? Just make sure you get that overcharge sorted out before you leave your current supplier.

Pros: As an example, someone living in Manchester, paying by direct debit and spending £250 a quarter on gas and electricity on EDF’s Standard tariff £197.84 a year by switching to the Npower SignOnline v 18 tariff. Once you have been with Npower for 12 months and paid continuously by direct debit, you will receive a discount on your bill. The account is managed online.

Cons: You have to manage the account online, which means you need to have an email address in place to do this, although this will not be a problem for most people. You will have to have your bills sent to you online, and you will need to provide meter readings when requested. If you leave the tariff before June 30, 2011 you have to pay a £20 ‘break’ fee for each type of fuel you get through the contract.

Any exclusions? Anyone without an email address.

Alternatives: EDF Energy Online S@ver Version 6. This is also an online account, but would save you £192.41 a year over the standard EDF tariff. Until June 30, 2011 it will guarantee to be at least 2% lower than EDF’s standard tariff. You would have to pay a £25 fee for each type of fuel you have if you leave before this date.

Further reference: Switch energy suppliers Related: Latest utilities news

*source: uSwitch.com