thePeoplesPower - Community Interest Company

Recommendations For Energy Switching

December 2020

 

We set out to transform the UK energy market ... but after nearly 10 years it is now time for us to close down.  Lots of things in the energy market are much better, for example, the market is no longer dominated by the Big Six and fewer people are on horrendous rip off tariffs.   However we know that millions of people are still paying far more than they need to for their energy.

 

We hope that over the years we have saved you some money and helped you navigate the unnecessarily complex world of energy switching.  But now is the time for us to close down.  

 

Below are our recommendations (updated December 2020)

How to Get Cheaper Energy

The main reason we are closing is that we are rarely able to get the best energy offers anymore.  We also need a huge investment in updating our systems to be able to give you the best possible service ..... In particular we wanted to create fully automated service, so that people could sign up and then we  would deal with everything.  However, we do not have the funds to complete this work.

 

More than anything, we think that there is a service out there that offers all the key requirements to help you get a good deal on your energy:

We think the 6 points below are really important to help you get a good energy deal this year and for future years.  Moneysavingsexpert Cheap Energy Club appears to pass all these test now (December 2020).

The points below are not in order of importance

  • Its transparent that the switching service will get a commission for helping you to switch
  • Commission earned is declared and it is easy to find
  • Commission is shared with you
  • Frequently get the best deals on the market
  • Has an automated switching option
  • Recommendations can include companies where there is no commission earned

Frequently Asked Questions

What about all the other energy switching choices?

  • - we haven't seen anything better than our recommendation above.  Nearly all the other competitors make it hard to see where commission is earned and they are clearly very profitable - as evidenced by the huge number of adverts you see for alternative services.  Many organisations also see energy switching as a nice easy way to earn extra money.  If a company does not explicitly tell you they are earning a commission and offer to share it with you, they are not as good our recommendation above.
  • - thePeoplesPower has always made it clear that we received commissions and that we wanted to reduce your bills by sharing our commission with you.  Unfortunately this has meant that we have consistenly made very little profit to keep us going and pay expenses.

I have switched to you in error.

  • - No you haven't! We are not an energy supplier so you will not have switched to us.  thePeoplesPower has only helped recommend energy deals.  Its possible you switched to an energy supplier with a similar name.


I haven't received my cashback

  • - cashback is handled by our switching engine provider, energyhelpline, contact customerservices@energyhelpline.com send them the switch id you received when you did the switch via us, include your name and the date of your switch and they will honour the cashback promise.  Please note that it often takes 90 days before cashback is paid.


Complaints about pressure sales / door to door salespeople / failure to reply to emails about your energy supply

  • - These complaints have been sent to us in error 
  • We have not conducted any pressure sales, nor do we (or have we ever) used door to door salespeople.  These must relate to other energy suppliers with similar names.   We can't communicate with you about your supply as we do not supply energy.  These need to be addressed to the correct energy supplier.  If your energy supplier is refusing to communicate with you, we recommend contacting the energy ombudsman.


Are thePeoplesPower doing anything else interesting?

  • - After a very hard 2020 we are looking at a new venture, but can't say anything about it at present.  However our longstanding volunteer Kulbir, is offering Online Yoga Classes (which have been great at reducing our stress!). Find out more about online yoga classes