Energy Prices To Increase By 50%

I wanted to sign up for npower's cap only to find that it is available to their customers who use both electricity and gas. Is that discrimination - if living in an area where gas is not available?

I work for npower, it pays the bill i guess, but if you dont have mains gas then you can still go onto the capped prices as long as you pay by dd, hope this helps

looking at the npower website it says the price is fixed till 31/12/2010 - that's not 2 1/2 years as you say - how do I get 2 1/2 years or if it is only 18 months as the website says are there better deals?

Hi gregmct

It is on npower's site, although I couldn't work out how to switch to it online trough npower. I don't like to sound like a salesperson (the writing team at The Fool is independent, hence why we always give just the best advice and we tell you what really are the best products out there), but you can switch easily through The Fool's site by running a quick energy comparison. Just scan the list for Price FIX 2011. Then you can decide whether it's worth it in relation to other tariffs too.

Neil (the author)

Is the possibility of saving a few pounds worth the dreadful experience of having to deal with British Gas and N-power's customer service departments when something goes wrong with the switching or billing?

Sorry to add to my last message but I've just read an article about car sharing to save money on petrol - why not do the same with energy at home. Friends could take turns inviting each other to their houses on cold winters nights taking turns to limit the energy used in the empty house (you could turn it into a party). I know this may be impractical for some people, especially those with young children or the elderly but its worth thinking about - could be done Friday/Saturday and maybe the children could use it for a sleepover in each house. If we are being forced into pay huge any increases then maybe thinking out of the usual box might help.

gillianswain, that petition has no credibility. See, for instance, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Petition and http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/10/oregon-institute-of-science-and-malarkey/

Here's a quote: "The petition, despite being frequently cited by global warming critics as showing that thousands of scientists disagree with the consensus on global warming, contains almost no people with relevant expertise; and its vetting was so lax that it included fictional signatories such as Star Wars characters and a member of the Spice Girls."

In reply to this post, it is never a good idea to turn the gas off to your boiler as this could cause irrevocable & expensive damage to the equipment. If heating is not required you should switch the boiler over to the hot water only setting (where applicable). Turning your house thermostat down to 18 degrees will also be far more beneficial and is an effective cost saving measure. One to two degrees reduction in temperature equates to a 10 percent reduction in gas consumption. All central heating systems should also be run through once a month to prevent system failure. Most heating engineers would recommend this. Ensuring your boiler & central heating are properly maintained (by a CORGI registered engineer) will also save money as will the correct level of insulation. Grants for this are available from all the major energy supply companies to cover either part or the whole cost of the loft/cavity wall insulation according to individual circumstances. Also check with your energy supplier to ensure you are on the best tariff and that you are receiving the dual fuel discount. Energy suppliers have to offer a variety of different tariffs, but will oftem not actively promote these to existing customers. Customer retention departments are the best people to speak to as it is their job to keep your custom. If however you really want to save money, fit a wood burning stove, an on-grid solar panel system, and if it gets a little cold, try wrapping up.