Save Money With British Gas's Hidden Tariff!
British Gas has kept a cheaper tariff hidden, but both new and existing customers can use it. We reveal how you can get it.
One of my colleagues, with his jester's hat firmly on, said to me recently: 'I don't want Texan gas or French gas! I want proper British gas!' Strangely, he slipped into a southern American accent to make that xenophobic jest. Nevertheless, his satirical statement may ring true to many Fools. It certainly might explain why many people remain loyal to British Gas.Staying with British Gas doesn't mean you have to continue to pay those high prices though. Two weeks ago, we revealed that customers who have never switched gas and electricity provider can stay with British Gas but still move to a much cheaper tariff.In fact, Xelector, which powers our independent utilities comparison centre, has told me that 20% of British Gas customers who searched for a better deal over the past five months stayed with British Gas, but switched to its cheaper tariff.It's easy for both new and existing customers to switch to this tariff, called 'Click Energy Paperless Billing'. You just have to compare gas and electricity quotes at our centre and select British Gas's cheapest tariff. Unfortunately, British Gas is the only company at the moment that routinely allows existing customers to switch to a cheaper standard tariff -- even if they don't publicise that fact. Still, that's about 10million people who could benefit, according to OFGEM (figures from February 2006).You could save a lot of money by sticking with British Gas and just switching to a better tariff, but it still means that you're tying yourself to a provider that isn't currently offering a top deal. Many people do not realise that it is easy to switch providers. I've now had four different providers and I'm about to switch again. I've had no administrative problems and the transition has always been without interruption to my gas and electricity supply. What's more, our Fool community (which loves to rat on companies providing a bad service) has not reported any such switching problems on our Utilities discussion board.Whilst I'm considering consumer behaviour, it seems that people are wary of green tariffs. We are avoiding them. I don't know if people think that they are unreliable or expensive, or whether they think that the small print will oblige them to plant some trees. Certainly it's not always about price. To take British Gas as an example, its two cheapest tariffs are 'Click Energy' and 'Green Click Energy'. The tariffs are identical: you pay the same for both. Consequently they appear next to each other in our independent comparison tables. Yet virtually everyone chooses the 'brown' tariff, not the green one. Interesting!Finally, a rumour -- and it's British Gas again. An industry insider told me that he believes British Gas will improve on its Click Energy tariffs in the next three or four weeks, so if you feel you must stick with proper British Gas, you may prefer to wait and see before changing tariff.> Learn more by reading Stick With British Gas For Cheaper Energy!> Save more on utilities! Read Are Gas And Electricity Comparisons Accurate? and Three Tips For Cheaper Utility Bills.> Compare gas and electricity prices.