An Energy Tariff For The Rich And Poor

Most gas and electricity providers offer complicated and confusing tariffs, but one stands out by charging the same fair prices to everyone, even those on pre-payment meters.

Sometimes I learn about something that a big bad company has done wrong and wonder, briefly, whether I should "name and shame." It's tempting because bashing one of the big boys might make my commentary more exciting. Usually I don't do it though, because in the areas we cover at The Fool, the major players are usually as bad as each other.

What's worse, bashing a big company for the hell of it could cause people to make poor financial decisions.

If I write the name of a company that's done wrong and then readers avoid the company on that basis, that would be negligent on my part. If all the companies are doing the same tricks, which they usually are, and I single one out, it makes it seem worse than the rest. Then many Fools would avoid the company and could lose out at the times when it's offering the best deal.

However, although it's mostly a level playing field of poor service, the odd company does shine by being marginally, and consistently, better than the rest. Occasionally, for example, one company will regularly be commended for its customer service or for unusually benign small print.

In this instance, I'm thinking of a utilities company that is actually liked by many people. It's called EBICo. It's the only not-for profit gas and electricity supplier, which is one reason why it's liked.

What I really like about it is that its product is simple. All the other companies have varied and complicated tariffs. I'm convinced that this is to confuse people, just as it is with mortgages and all sorts of other financial products.

EBICo's gas and electricity tariffs have just one tier and no standing charge, so what you'll pay is much easier to work out. What's more, the price is the same for all users, regardless of your method of payment. This is particularly good for pre-payment meter users, who usually lose out horribly. EBICo's tariff is suitable for poorer people, but richer customers can often do well with them too.

Strangely, EBICO's tariff is often hard to find on most utilities comparison websites. Furthermore, the only utilities comparison tool that actually lets you switch to EBICo is run by Xelector. It's the very same tool that we have on our site, as we compare all gas and electricity tariffs and let you switch through us to whichever one you want. No filthy tricks here!

> See what EBICo's prices are like in your area: compare utilities prices now.