The energy industry is highly regulated by independent bodies and so you can rest assured that gas suppliers meet the standards that you expect as a valued customer. OFGEM, (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets) is the official regulatory body that will issue the licences to gas and electricity suppliers, the office is tasked with protecting the consumer by preventing the formation of industry monopolies, promoting healthy competition between the gas suppliers prices as well as regulating the social and environmental impacts of the companies.
More support for the consumer is provided by Energywatch, the independent watchdog for electricity and gas suppliers. They can offer free and impartial advice to customers whether it is assistance in understanding bill pricing, handling complaints that customers can’t resolve directly with suppliers or providing performance statistics to consumers looking to change suppliers.
How to Switch Energy Suppliers
Since 1999 domestic customers have been allowed to switch to any of the regulated energy suppliers and there has never been a better time to look into the possibility of changing. The process of switching is very quick and simple and there is the potential for some big savings on your bill. Full and comprehensive information about the gas suppliers that operate in your area is readily available allowing you to make an informed decision. A really good place to start is with a little analysis of your current provider, the terms and conditions of your agreement with them, the price you are currently paying and a rough average of the amount of gas you use. You can get most of this information from a couple of recent bills from your gas supplier.
The company that supplies your gas and to whom you pay your bills will not be the same company that is responsible for emergency service or the installation and maintenance of the pipelines. Therefore when you change gas supplier you do not require any changes to the pipes and there will not be any interruption to your supply. In many cases your new supplier will also contact your current supplier to co-ordinate the change over, saving you even more time and hassle. In general you can expect the process of changing gas suppliers to take four to six weeks in all.
As previously mentioned, the industry is monitored and regulated however it is still important to check the small print and the terms and policies of potential gas suppliers. Policies and services will vary and the authorities will assist you with complaints if a gas supplier has failed to work under the codes of practice but can do little to help if it is an oversight on the part of a consumer that has not looked through the details of the agreement thoroughly.
