Martin Lewis: Don’t doff your cap but do switch supplier

I can reveal that on 1 October, it is almost certain the energy price cap rate, for all but those on prepay meters, will drop by roughly £80/year. This means 11 million households on these tariffs will get cheaper deals. Yet that worries me. It risks giving people a false sense of security that they’re getting a good price – when nothing could be further from the truth.

Based on your energy usage, the price per unit may be going down, but its still exorbitant. Picture: Harry Kerr/BIPs/Getty Images)

In January, the regulator Ofgem, launched the first price cap on standard tariffs – after the Government had pushed it into doing so.

All the big six firms (EDF, British Gas, SSE, Eon, Npower and Scottish Power) follow it exactly, in other words the price cap price is their price – effectively we have regulated pricing.

The January cap was set at £1,137/yr, which lasted till 31 March, when it jumped hugely to the current £1,254/yr. The price is set to be reviewed now every six months. The next change is on 1 October, when it is predicted to be £1,171; less than now, but still 3 per cent higher than the first cap.

The price cap isn’t really a price cap

While it’s called a price cap, it isn’t the max anyone will pay – it’s just what the cap would be for someone who uses a typical amount of gas and electricity. If you use more energy your cap is higher; use less, your cap is lower.

The cap actually varies by region and effectively it’s the rate per unit which is capped, not the price.

Why it’s going to drop

While Ofgem won’t publish the rate of the new cap until 7 August. It has published the formula which dictates it, which is based on the average wholesale prices over six months and that period is almost over.

Using that, analysts at Cornwall Insight have predicted it’ll get £83/yr cheaper for someone on typical use – so leaving a bit of wriggle room it’s pretty safe to say it’ll drop somewhere between £75 and £90 when it is announced.

A fair price isn’t a good one

While the price cap is set to be a ‘fair’ price that doesn’t make it a good one. If you haven’t switched in over a year, you’re likely on your supplier’s standard ‘price-capped’ tariff and that roughly means that you are OVERPAYING by around £300/year.

While the current price cap is £1,254/yr and it will drop to roughly £1,171, for the same usage the cheapest deals are around £900/year. So the price cap is about as effective protection as a mosquito net would be from a crocodile.

Of course for those who never switch, it is a help. Yet the mere fact that you’re reading this shows you’ve got an interesting in doing better than that, and therefore you can…

Step 1: Find out how much you’re overpaying in just 5 minutes. It really isn’t difficult to find your cheapest energy deal. Yet it should be an annual task – it’s not a ‘do it once and it’s done’ job.

Just fill in your details in my www.cheapenergyclub.com which also gives you £25 (dual fuel if it can switch you) making it cheaper than going direct. Or use any www.ofgem.gov.uk approved comparison site.

It only takes minutes to find the cheapest. It’s best if you have your bills to hand to do this, but even if not, most comparison sites will estimate for you. The sin of inaction is great than the sin of inaccuracy.

Yet there are a few things you should be aware of…

n Your savings will be slightly overestimated. If you’re on a standard tariff, price comparisons have to base your savings on the published current price. So they can’t factor in the likely future price cap reduction – meaning your savings will likely be a little overestimated.

n Beware comparison sites hiding deals - comparison sites can only show you tariffs that pay them, which means you may not see all the deals (for the sake of transparency my Cheap Energy Club defaults to all deals).

n Switching isn’t usually a big deal – it’s the same pipes, gas, meter, safety – you don’t lose supply – the only difference is price and customer service. Those who aren’t online can call up some comparison sites too (or ask friends to help).

Step 2. When it comes to energy, the very cheapest isn’t necessarily best. I know this sounds the complete opposite to what I’ve just been saying, but go with me. Your cheapest tariff depends on where you live, but generally the very cheapest providers are new firms with possibly little financial backing (hence 9 going bust within the last year).

So for ease and safety, scroll down the list (or use filters) to find names you know or providers with better customer service. The difference in price isn’t likely to be much at all, but there are so many small providers, so you may need to scroll down a couple of pages.

Plus there are now many 100% renewable electricity providers. While these used to be at a premium, now many good service firms offer these at near the cheapest prices. So if you want to go green keep an eye out.

Big names also let you LOCK IN for a year at super-cheap rates – but only if you ask.

All of the big six energy providers currently have far cheaper deals than the £1,254/yr price capped current tariffs. Eg SSE has a 1 year fix (new customers can ask for it) at just £970 – so same gas, electricity, safety and customer service but £280/yr cheaper (£200 once the cap drops).

So if you really don’t want to switch, then some comparison sites let you filter so you can see the cheapest tariffs from your existing company.

Martin Lewis is the Founder and Chair of MoneySavingExpert.com. To join the 13 million people who get his free Money Tips weekly email, go to www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip