British Gas was the monopoly provider of gas supplies in the UK until 1996. When competition was introduced to the market, it was thought that gas prices would come down for the ordinary consumer.

ever, many people don’t switch from their current gas supplier, as they perceive switching provider will be problematic.

This is despite the fact that changing your electricity or gas supplier can save you money – which is particularly helpful during difficult economic times.

Also, it’s not complicated to switch your provider. Rather than tracking down all the suppliers that operate in your area and get in touch with them to see if they can lower your costs, you can use a price comparison site.

You may even be able to switch gas supplier on the site itself. Of course, there are other considerations to take into account in addition to price when choosing a gas supplier.

You can look at their customer service rating – some comparison sites allow you to review suppliers you have used, so you can see how other users have rated each supplier before you move.

Another thing to consider is the different payment plans that the suppliers offer. You may be able to save money straight away by converting to an Internet plan. If you are happy to manage your account and receive all your bills online, this could cut down on administration fees.

If you are on a low income, you may be eligible for a social payment plan. Energy companies have to provide these payment plans, which are designed to help people in the most vulnerable positions to pay their bills.

For sheer simplicity, you may select a fixed plan. This means the price of each unit of energy is fixed for a certain period of time. Alternatively, a capped plan means that the price of each unit won’t rise over a set length of time. However, if gas prices come down your energy bills could lower.

Different suppliers will also provide their own standard pricing plans. Your choice of supplier will inevitably be determined by the plans that are available – and the one that suits you best.

That is why price comparison sites will always ask you for your current payment plan and the one you would prefer. You will be able to compare the different tariffs quickly and easily to see which will save you the most. You can make great cost cutting by changing your gas supplier.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm and is filed under Helping People, Internet Shopping Resources, Online Lifestyle Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.