Energy prices in Northern Ireland have risen significantly over the last year, with increases of around 10-20% from most suppliers for electricity and natural gas. This means it’s a good time to review your energy supply and make sure you are receiving the best possible prices. All electricity consumers in Northern Ireland, and natural gas consumers in Greater Belfast may be able to switch supplier. With the right information and advice, switching can be a quick and hassle free experience. Switching your energy supplier could not only save you money but you may also receive a better service. Alternatively you could check arrangements with your current supplier to see if you’re able to save money without switching.
Switching your Electricity Supplier!
There are five electricity suppliers to choose from and it’s worth comparing the options to make sure you’re on the best rate.
If you’ve changed supplier in the last year or two then it would be best to check your existing contract terms in case you are tied in for a period of time, but normally if that’s not the case and you don’t have outstanding debt, then switching is easy. A quick way to identify savings would be to compare suppliers using a service such as the one offered by The Consumer Council at http://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/comparison_tool/begin . Other comparison websites are available and we would always advise our customers to check any prices quoted directly with suppliers, just in case there have been any recent changes. To switch you normally need to give your details and a meter reading from your home and your new supplier will look after the rest.
You could also consider changing the way in which you pay for your electricity by changing to either a keypad meter (where you top up electricity using a card) or a Credit meter (where you receive bills). If you’re choosing to receive bills you can sometimes receive cheaper rates by choosing to pay via direct debit and you could also consider paperless billing.
The Consumer Council have a guide to support those interested in switching suppliers, which is available at http://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-07/Switch%20On%20Electricity%20and%20Gas%20Guide%20June%202018.pdf
Switching your Natural Gas Supplier!
At present in Greater Belfast (which includes areas such as Belfast, Lisburn, Larne, Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey, Bangor, Holywood, Newtownards and Comber), domestic natural gas is available from two suppliers, and in the “Ten Towns” area of Northern Ireland only one supplier is available, although this market is also set to open to increased competition. Natural Gas is also becoming more widely available in Northern Ireland, with Gas networks currently being developed in parts of Co. Fermanagh, Co. Tyrone and Co. Down.
Like your electricity supply, you can often choose how you want to pay for your natural gas, either by a regular bill or by using a top up card.
If you live in the Greater Belfast area then you can again use the Consumer Council’s online comparison tool to check prices, at http://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/comparison_tool/begin, with more information available at http://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-07/Switch%20On%20Electricity%20and%20Gas%20Guide%20June%202018.pdf
What about Heating Oil?
Around 68% of homes in Northern Ireland use heating oil and many people are familiar with phoning a few suppliers to get the best possible price. As well as making those regular phone calls there are a few ways to compare prices online. The Consumer Council contacts heating oil suppliers across different areas of Northern Ireland each week and publishes information on their website http://www.consumercouncil.org.uk . Other comparison websites are available, some of which allow you to purchase your heating oil online and benefit from grouped orders of heating oil deliveries in your area.
The most expensive way to buy heating oil is in drums or from the pump at a garage forecourt and so these methods should only be used in the event of an emergency. Unlike electricity and natural gas, it can be more difficult to budget for heating oil, especially if you are trying to get a delivery of over 200litres. One option to help with this is to consider joining an oil buying club if there is one in your area, and if not you could consider setting up an oil buying club!
To find out if there is an oil buying club already established in your area which you could join, contact Bryson Energy on 0800 1422 865.
More information on all of the above can be found in our energy saving guide – Save Energy, Money and the Environment, available to download at https://www.choice-housing.org/energy
Landlord and Communal Energy Costs
Many of our housing schemes will have landlord or communal energy costs, which cover communal heating or lighting and power in common areas. These costs tend to be passed on to our customers through service charges and so we recognise the importance of ensuring that costs are reduced as much as possible. To help reduce these costs we actively manage our energy use by continually investing in energy efficiency improvements for our housing schemes, such as heating upgrades and low energy lighting.
Each year Choice hold procurement exercises to ensure the cost of energy we purchase is as low as possible. Unfortunately, like all domestic and commercial customers in Northern Ireland, we cannot avoid rising energy costs, but our contractual arrangements help us to manage these costs to ensure the impact upon our tenants is minimised.
Electricity – We are pleased to be able to announce significant savings against average market prices through our new electricity contract, with more information available on our website today. When compared to average market prices we estimate that our new contract achieves a saving of at least 9%, which equates to almost £80,000 over the next year.
Natural Gas – In June we entered into new contracts with natural gas suppliers, fixing our prices for two years. Savings over this period are estimated to be around 3.5% against average market prices, which equates to a cost saving of around £44,000 over two years. Since we announced these new contracts, market prices have already increased and so greater savings may now be delivered.
Heating Oil – It is more challenging to procure heating oil as this is not regulated in Northern Ireland, and prices fluctuate every week. Last year Choice renewed our participation in a UK procurement framework and in 2017/18 we estimated that savings of around 5% had been achieved against market prices for heating oil, delivering a saving of around £4,000.
Choice Housing are unique in Northern Ireland, with an Energy and Sustainable Development Strategy in place and an energy management team who manage this strategy and our targets. We have targets in place to reduce the amount of energy we use and also procure our energy contracts to deliver savings for our customers. Our energy management team also validate our energy invoices throughout the year to ensure they are accurate.
Further information on our new electricity contract and energy management is available on our website at https://www.choice-housing.org/energy
