BT customers will have to pay up to 10% more for phone calls on their landline.

The telecoms giant, which has 12.5 million phone customers, said it would also increase its monthly line rental by 50p from the beginning of October.

The cost of connecting a call will go up from 9.9p to 10.9p, while the daytime rate rises from 5.9p to 6.4p.

BT said it estimated the impact of the changes would amount to 1p a day because its average customer makes only 80 seconds of daytime calls each day and more than half subscribe to inclusive packages.

Customers could also save money by signing up to 12-month line rental contracts upfront, according to the company.

The firm warned customers that from October, they will have to pay a landline rental charge of £13.29 a month, or £12.04 if they receive their bills by e-mail.

After October 1, the standard cost of a landline will be £159.48 – or £131.88 for people who pay the full sum upfront.

A BT spokesman said It was necessary for the company to review prices to cover costs and emerge from recession in “good shape”.

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved.

Are you currently supplied by the Utility Warehouse Discount Club?

Do you feel like you already have a great deal with the Utility Warehouse?

Do you feel like you could be getting a better deal?

Pink Utilities Ltd are offering you a challenge

Let us review your utility bill for free and see how much we can save you off your electricity bill. If we cannot save you money on your electricity then we’ll give you £50.00.

It’s that simple.

To get started following the simple steps on our process page.

With Christmas now a distant memory most peoples thoughts are turning to saving money on their home utilities. So now is a good time to look at your utility bill and see how much money you could be saving every year.

In our opionion the best way to save money is to pay by direct debit as currently most providers charge slightly extra for paying your bill each month at a bank or via cheque. Also you can save more money by improving the energy efficiency of your home. This could help you decrease your bills substantially.

Switching utility supplier is extremely easy to do and if you have never switched your gas or electricity supplier before there are some great deals to be had. Not only that but you could save up to £425 of your dual fuel bill. Over half of all consumers have now switched supplier, with 4 million changing supplier in 2006.

To find the best deal and reduce your gas and electricity bill visit our free and impartial switching site. Gas and electricity price comparison the Pink Utilities way.

Visit our utility price comparison website today – http://www.pinkutilities.com

Annual Fix Version 3 from EDF Energy is a fixed price gas and electricity tariff where customers can benefit from fixed unit rates until at least 30th June 2010. Each year thereafter you will be given the opportunity by EDF Energy to fix your gas and electricity unit rates for another year.

Annual Fix Version 3 is also available from Sainsbury’s Energy at exactly the same prices and features.

Annual Fix Version 3 was launched on the 22nd June 2009 and replaced the existing Annual Fix Version 2 tariff.

Annual Fix Version 3 is available as a dual fuel tariff for those customers with gas and electricity and also as an electricity only tariff.

EDF Energy offer an Electricity Bill Saver discount with this tariff which means that customers living in the Seeboard, SWEB and London regions and who do not have mains gas can benefit from an extra discount.

Customers can pay their gas and electricity bills for Annual Fix Version 3 by monthly direct debit only.

Early termination fees do apply with Annual Fix Version 3 which means that if you change supplier before 30 September 2010, you may be charged a cancellation fee. The cancellation fees are £25 for electricity and £25 for gas (a total of £50 for customers with both gas and electricity accounts). You should note that no fee is payable at the yearly renewal date if you elect not remain on the Annual Fix Version 3 tariff within 14 days of receiving the renewal notice.

Annual Fix Version 3 is available as an offline energy account where your gas and electricity bills are posted to you.

Pink Utilities allows domestic energy customers to compare the gas and electricity prices of Annual Fix Version 3 against all other energy tariffs to see if it is the best tariff for your home.

You can either call Pink Utilities for free on 0800 083 3729 or click on one of the links below:

If you wish to compare gas and electricity prices click here

If you wish to compare electricity only prices click here

Millions of energy customers have been signed up to “unfair” fixed-rate tariffs that do not reflect current prices, a consumer website has warned.

Energyhelpline.com, which compares prices, says customers on certain deals could be losing out on more than £500 a year, as consumer energy prices fall.

It says many customers are locked into contracts they have to pay penalties to get out of.

But providers argue fixed-term deals offer customers “peace of mind”.

Some of the biggest names in energy are cutting prices but Energyhelpline warned that some people were unwittingly paying more than they should for their bills.

“There are millions of people in lock-in tariffs today,’ said Energyhelpline’s co-founder Mark Todd.

“It can be really unfair because many of them don’t reflect the market rate and some are up to £532 a year more expensive than the current market conditions.

“It can also be very confusing to get out of them and they can include big cancellation penalties, up to £100.”

Pressure

Over the past year consumer energy prices have fallen by around 8%, but many customers on fixed-price deals have not benefited from the cuts.

Public pressure on energy companies to reduce household bills means prices could carry on falling in the short term.

With many customers unsure as to whether the savings they could make outweigh the costs of switching over, the advice from consumer groups is to shop around if people are in two minds about the deal they are on.

“If people are worried about being on fixed-price deals, there’s nothing to stop them leaving,” says Audrey Gallacher, from Consumer Focus.
Energy consumer David Meadows from Ringwood
Energy consumer David Meadows has been on a fixed tariff since 2007

“They may be exposing themselves to a termination charge and therefore they should do their sums, do a price comparison, look at how much they can potentially save and look to offset that against any potential termination fee.”

British Gas is among the companies to offer fixed-price deals.

In a statement, it said: “We offer long-term contracts because, like mortgage customers, many energy users want the peace of mind that fixed products offer.

“Customers can at any time choose to exit their deal before maturity upon payment of an administration fee, which is clearly explained to customers when their contract starts.”

British Gas customer David Meadows, of Ringwood, Hampshire, who has been locked into a contract since 2007, believes energy firms should be more understanding about the dilemmas consumers face.

“It appears to me that the energy companies could make this a little bit more comfortable for people by reducing the cancellation charges considerably,” he said.

“Perhaps £20 would be sufficient to make people concentrate on the decision when they go into the tariff.”

Energy watchdog Ofgem is looking into the practice of fixed-tariff contracts and is due to report on the issue later this month.

If you wish to compare gas and electricity prices click here

If you wish to compare electricity only prices click here

Annual Fix Version 3 from EDF Energy

Feb 01

Energy company Npower is to cut domestic gas bills by 7% from 26 March, following price cuts by other suppliers.

The company has become the fourth of the “big six” energy suppliers to announce a reduction in prices.

Customers will see an average fall of £50 on their annual bill as a result of the change, the company said.

Wholesale gas prices have fallen over the last year, prompting the latest flurry of cuts in domestic bills.

“We always aim to offer competitive prices to our customers and we have lowered our gas prices although our profits halved in 2009,” said Kevin Miles, chief executive of Npower Retail.

Changes

The company is also making changes to its discount structure for those customers who pay by direct debit.

The days of cut throat price competition seem a distant memory Audrey Gallacher, Consumer Focus

For dual-fuel customers, the discount remains at £100 after 12 months using the payment system. But for gas-only customers, the discount rises from £20 to £50, and for electricity-only customers the discount doubles to £40.

The announcement came after British Gas dropped its gas prices by an average of 7% at the start of February.

This was followed by Scottish and Southern Energy, which will cut its standard household gas prices by an average 4% at the end of March.

On Monday, E.On said it would reduce its prices by 6% for domestic customers, also at the end of March.

Among the “big six” suppliers, only EDF Energy and Scottish Power have yet to make any announcement about gas prices.

Gas providers have come under pressure to cut bills after the prices they pay on the wholesale markets fell recently. However, some are unhappy with the similarity of pricing.

“The days of cut-throat price competition seem a distant memory. All suppliers now cut by almost identical margins within days of each other,” said Audrey Gallacher, energy e-

xpert at watchdog Consumer Focus.

“There are no sprinters in this race, all we have are long distance trudgers desperate to stay in the safety of the pack.

“These are very different companies, with different buying strategies but the response is the same. All signs of competition are absent in this sector. We need to revive the market and a Competition Commission referral seems the best option.”

If you wish to compare gas and electricity prices click here

If you wish to compare electricity only prices click here

The war price custs is well and truely underway with E.On being the next supplier to cut their prices for gas only. Unlink British Gas, E.On have decided not to implement the reduction until 31 March 2010.

E.On states that the annual household bill for those paying by direct debit with drop by £42 as a result.

British Gas and Scottish & Southern have already cut their standard household prices by an average of 7% and 4% respectively.

Judging by this news E.On would be offering the cheapest standard tariff for gas users.

The cheapest average dual fuel bill for gas and electricity is currently British Gas.

Find out how much you could save. Get a gas and electricity comparison by visiting our website www.gaselectriccomparison.co.uk