Energy Costs to Rise. (Again)

Surely generating electricity from gas is better than from coal. Do we need gas boilers and cookers at home nowadays?

But replacing gas boilers with heat pumps powered by gas-fired power stations is pretty pointless.  The efficiency of the heat pump only makes up for the inefficiency of a power station.

Simon Barker: 
 

AlanShaw: 
 

Tim.Rudge: 
I get the same service from 'Look After my Bill' which does not cost me a penny in annual fees. Check them out.
 

Tim, I found that those who do not charge, tend to be paid a commission from the supplier, and for me that doesn't sit right.

It's safe to assume that if company X isn't willing to offer a commission to the switching service, then you won't be switched to company X, however cheap they are.

I do not agree with what you have written Simon, but we are all free to express our own opinions.

Switchd Blog | What’s the difference between Free and Paid auto switchers?
 

It is not rocket science to do your own comparisons, as I do

dcbwhaley: 
 

It is not rocket science to do your own comparisons, as I do

That maybe true, but how many times per year would you do a comparison?

To benefit you would need to keep on top of it all the time.

Now £25 is just over my half hourly rate for working, so if I couldn't compare all within 30 minutes each year, I'd loose money, it is more profitable for me to pay somebody £25 per year to do it for me. 
 

If you sign up for a one year fixed rate contract the once a year is the answer to your question.

And if you do your comparison at a time when you are not planning to work it costs nothing.

At £50 an hour you must resent having to sleep and eat :-)

South of Scotland electricity say that wind and solar subsidies must stay otherwise they will go broke. Who is paying for the subsidies?

dcbwhaley: 
 

If you sign up for a one year fixed rate contract the once a year is the answer to your question.

I don't get that.  My initial question was 'So what is the best way to get the best rate?

By signing up to a ‘fixed rate’ isn't getting the best rate, if other companies were to drop their rate by a fraction, then I could be tied to the higher ‘fixed rate’  over and above the competitors for many months.

As for the ‘how do I sleep at night’ very comfortably actually.

When I started work back in 1970 I was paid £15.40 for a 40 hour week, 40p was taken from me for an N.I. Stamp.

OK, so 50 years later I've progressed up the ladder and I'm now earning a few bob, but not as much as some.

I personally think some electricians undersell themselves just to get the job, I will not budge from my rate, and I always have something to do, and I only work Monday to Friday, the weekend is ‘family time’.

This works for me.