There are more than half a dozen of major gas suppliers in UK like British Gas, E.ON, EDF Energy etc and equal no. of smaller ventures like Green Energy and EBI Co. Although gas prices have been rocketing high for quite some time, few of the top retailers have really brought their tariff down. Below is a list of some of UK’s most important players in gas retailing and their new revised tariff rates:

Company

Sub Brands/Tariff Names

In effect from

Ave. main tariff CHANGE (1)

Gas

Major Companies’ and their Tariffs

British Gas

Scottish Gas, Nwy Prydain

(19/02/09) 07/05/09

(-10%)

E.ON

Staywarm ( not included in price cuts)

(31/03/09) 03/07/09

-3.3%

npower

Juice

31/03/09

0%

Scottish power

Manweb

31/03/09

-7.5%

EDF Energy

London Energy, SEEBOARD SWEB Energy

31/03/09

0%

Scottish & Southern Energy

Atlantic, SWALEC, Scottish Hydro

30/03/09

-4%

Smaller Companies’ and their Tariffs

EBI Co

Equi-Power, Equi-Gas

30/03/09

-2.5%

Utilita

03/09/08

+49.8%

Utility Warehouse

01/04/09

-2.3%

Excepting a few gas suppliers like Utilita and Ecotricity, all other companies have brought down their charges. Utilita eventually turns out to be the biggest choker with an increase of almost 50% in gas prices . People can opt for better deals by switching suppliers while being simultaneously well aware that fuel prices do have seasonal fluctuations. Some websites provide great comparison tools which can help one to decide on a particular retailer. Some switching agencies also give cash-back offers which might just help in saving a few extra pounds. Agencies like Energyhelpline*, Energylinx*, UKPower* give a cash-back offer of £ 15 per switch. There are also many others who come up with different offers from time to time. Although the home gas prices are low, it has been claimed that the low-carbon transition plan by the government which was launched earlier this month, could have a significant effect on business gas bills.

Whatever be the current charges over gas consumption ,one cannot afford to waste energy as conservation is also a form of savings. Avoiding overheating or overcooking of food and water are just some of the small measures which would help in saving energy and minimize heedless wastage. British Gas can be commended as a gas supplier for opening a new skills centre in Wales which will train people in how to install energy-saving technologies. Hope others will also follow suite.

Gas for domestic or business use is bought wholesale by the array of suppliers operating within the UK market and then distributed to households or commercial premises via these suppliers. Gas bills are calculated on the basis of how many units of energy are consumed, usually alongside a standing charge. Gas meters measure the volume of gas used in cubic feet or cubic metres and the gas companies convert this into kilowatt hours.

Among the wide range of energy suppliers there is an equally wide range of gas prices, which are organised through an array of pricing plans. These plans provide a different set of benefits to different consumers, depending on the energy needs of the business or household.

Most suppliers offer standard or default plans but there are a range of specialist structures with their own system for determining gas prices, such as green plans, which are designed to mitigate climate change; fixed plans, which freeze the price of a unit of energy for a certain period; capped plans, where gas prices won’t rise for a set period but can be reduced if prices fall; online plans, which allow households to sign up via the internet and manage their accounts online; business energy plans tailor-made for commercial gas and electricity consumption; and social plans, which are equal to an energy provider’s cheapest deal and which they are obliged to provide to help the poorest households pay their bills.

Since 1999 all UK consumers of gas and electricity consumers have the right to switch their supply to any of the regulated gas providers in the market, allowing households to move on if their gas supply becomes unacceptably expensive or service standards fall below an acceptable level. Many customers have saved up to £425 a year by simply switching supplier.

The process of switching supplier is less complicated than people think and is completely free when using some price comparison websites. All gas suppliers use the same supply lines, wires and meters and when a customer informs them that they wish to switch to them, they are obliged to contact the old supplier themselves and arrange the transfer. If the switch goes according to plan, then the only difference that the customer will notice should be a new supplier’s name and logo on the bill – and cheaper  gas.

Here are some best ways that you can implement to save money:

1. Firstly,your appliances must be kept clean and tidy.Regular cleaning helps keeping your appliances in good shape and thereby performing better and also consuming lesser energy.

2. Any qualified service technician should be called in for an annual check up.This helps in reducing the operating costs of the appliance by around 20%,extending the life of the appliance,also improving its safety and the air quality.

3. While using the air conditioners,always set your thermostat at the comfort temperature level permanently.By doing this,you will surely save on your electric bills because less energy is taken by the air conditioning unit to cool air 4 to 5 degrees than it does to cool air 8 to 10 degrees.

4. Items that are more than 10 years old should be replaced because old items don’t function with their optimum efficiency.Replacement of such items will cut down your electricity bills to half the usual.

5. During a power outage,switch off the appliance.And when the power returns,turn the appliance on only after allowing sometime to pass.

6. Don’t over-stuff your refrigerator with bottles and other plastic containers.This will result in overworking the condenser due to lack of free air circulation.

Also,do not keep your refrigerator door open for too long as this will lead to the break out of cool air.

7. Make it a point to buy appliances with the “energy saving” label.Since such appliances consume lower energy,your electricity bill is automatically reduced to a great extent.

8. The use of energy saving lights(light bulbs) is a fairly wise option to save money on electricity bills.This is because these energy saving bulbs last up to almost 12 times longer than the usual ones.And also consume less energy.

9. The usage of energy saving facilities like the energy saving windows and the energy saving appliances at home lessens the relative consumption of energy at home,letting you save your money on the electricity bill.

For example,the “double-glazed” window can be used instead of an ordinary window.

10. Using insulators at home will prevent the warm or cool air out.

Saving electricity will indeed save more money.