Energy Supplier Negotiations: Tips and Techniques

Without an iota of doubt, it is clear that energy bills sap your monthly household budgets. For this basic reason, they can inflate or deflate your budget in a matter of seconds. Most of us feel that energy price rise is the main reason for higher energy bills but, this is just an overestimated assumption. One needs to dive deeper to find other reasons for the Godzilla sized energy bills. This will help you figure out the reasons which should be minimised in order to get cheaper energy bills.

Apart from saving energy by switching off appliances and using smart meters, there are some techniques that can grab you cheaper deals from the energy supplier itself. Let us glance through some time tested techniques which would help you get the cheapest energy deal from the supplier.

Tips and techniques to get cheaper deals from your energy supplier:

Enquire for the cheapest deals:

The two major reasons for the inflating energy bills are consumer’s lack of awareness as well as poor negotiation skills. Consumers should have enough information about all the tariffs offered by the energy suppliers so that they can switch to cheaper deals in the event of an energy price rise. For this, you should call up the customer care team to know about the cheapest deal available with the supplier. If the cheaper deal seems to work for you then the next move is to switch to the cheaper tariff, which would cut down your energy bills to a bare minimum.

Another thing which you should clarify with the customer care team is the exit fees. In case, you want to make a switch to a cheaper deal while you are in between a contract then they may charge an exit fee. Taking into account the exit fees, you should calculate the profit or loss in the event of switching. If you find the deal a profitable one and are satisfied by the services of the company then switch to the cheaper deal so that you can continue to enjoy the best service from the supplier. If not then you need to compare other suppliers to check the best alternative for your energy supplier.

Keep an eye on the monthly direct debit:

Monthly direct debit is one of the finest ways to make energy payments, provided you are charged fairly. As this method involves an estimated usage of energy and the customer is sent a bill on the basis of estimation, there are full chances of you being overcharged. To check if you are not paying unnecessarily, just make a call to the supplier and ask the customer service team about the details of direct payment. If you have a smart meter then you would know the exact usage but if not then better check with your supplier.

In case, the company is charging for an estimated usage then it’s better to stop using the method of direct debit. Instead pay your bills through other methods, where in you know the exact usage and hence, the exact charges. In addition, if you find that direct debit is increasing frequently then inform your supplier that you want to stop using direct debit and make a switch to another supplier. This would compel your supplier to stop increasing the direct debit amount leading to good savings on your part.

Check whether the supplier informs you about the end of the current tariff or not:

Normally, the bill contains a general statement about the tariffs available and does not give account specific information. It does not offer account specific advice as they lose out on their profits. Due to this, you keep facing higher energy bills, which may disturb your monthly budget to a large extent. It is the customer’s duty to seek advice from them and ask about tariffs in order to minimise their bills.

To combat this, ensure that your supplier is informing you about the end of contract a month or 45 days before. If not then ask them the reason for not informing you in advance, as it is a legality which should be followed by all suppliers.

If you do not get a satisfactory answer then inform them that you are not happy with their services and may look forward to switching. This will put pressure on them and they would end up offering you the cheapest deals as well as discounts.

See if you have any credit to be refunded?

Another thing that most energy customers ignore is the refund of credit. Most of them think that the credit would help them in paying for future bills but that does not make any savings. It is always a better idea to keep your money with yourself in order to pay as and when needed. The worst thing that happens with keeping credit is that when you want to switch you have to follow a long procedure to get your credit transferred to another supplier’s account. It is better to get an immediate refund so that your money remains with you as there is no point keeping it with your energy suppliers.

The above points will give a clear hint to your supplier that you are an aware customer who cannot be tricked or overcharged. Asking for your rights, checking alternative solutions from your suppliers or informing them to switch to another supplier would ensure that you get the cheapest deals as no supplier wants to lose customers to their competitors. All you have to do is to be aware and ask! You are sure to get good deals that enhance your savings.

If all this does not work out then shop around, choose an energy comparison site like FreePriceCompare.com to check if the idea of switching goes in your favour. You can compare energy prices to get you the cheapest energy deals. To know more, just check website https://freepricecompare.com/home-energy/ or call their meticulous team of energy comparison experts on 02034757476.

Written by

Shay Ramani

Founder and Managing Director at Free Price Compare

Expert in Cost Saving and Financial Solutions