Are you also struggling with high energy costs?
You can save money by changing your tariff – now and especially when the electricity price cap no longer applies in June 2024.
We’ll show you how to find the right tariff for your household and what pitfalls you should watch out for.
Our “How To” will help you navigate the tariff jungle step by step.
Let’s go!
1. Get information from your last energy bill!
To compare prices, you should note three pieces of information from your last invoice – ideally from the annual statement:
Danger!
The total of your bill consists of the energy price, network tariff and taxes and duties. From this invoice you only need the energy price (consisting of the fixed basic price and the work price, which is billed according to kWh).
- die specific name of your tariff
- Your Energy consumption in kWh
2. Clarify whether you can change at all!
In order to easily switch to a cheaper tariff, you must first clarify whether you are still bound to your current contract.
What should be done then?
- The contractual obligation is valid.
Contact your own provider! Perhaps he offers preferential conditions from which you can benefit despite being tied to the contract. It’s best to take a look at the supplier’s current website beforehand and then ask whether you can switch to cheaper conditions as a gesture of goodwill. However, you cannot switch to another provider if you are still committed to the contract.For Wien Energie “Optima Relaxed” customers
Are you a customer of Wien Energie and have you taken advantage of the promotion to switch to the “Optima Relaxed” tariff from 7/2023 to 9/2023? Then – unless you chose the “unbound” contract option – you are now bound to the contract and can only change after 12 months.
- You are no longer bound by a contract
You can start your search for a cheaper tariff!
3. Does switching pay off?
Gas: Get out of old, expensive contracts!
In particular, customers who had to sign new gas contracts in the second half of 2022 are faced with such high costs that a new tariff is definitely worth it!
Electricity: From July 2024, the electricity price brake will no longer apply!
The electricity price brake applies until June 2024. So your electricity costs won’t change dramatically as a result of a tariff change until then – unless you have very high consumption (over 2,900 kWh) or a very high tariff (more than 40 cents per kWh). Until this instrument expires, you are basically just optimizing the sales tax that you pay for your electricity contract – because this is paid on the full energy price and not just the supported part. You can find more information about the electricity price brake here.
But be careful: As soon as the electricity price brake no longer takes effect in July 2024, a cheaper tariff will be hugely profitable. Many suppliers are currently offering favorable conditions for new customers or discounts for existing contracts. Changing in advance makes perfect sense, even if you don’t feel it right away!
Wait until prices get cheaper?
The AK also doesn’t have a crystal ball to predict price developments. However, it is generally assumed that prices will remain roughly the same next year as they are today because no further massive price drops are expected.
Another reason not to wait until July 2024
The electricity price brake is financed with tax money. So in the end we pay the difference on a higher tariff ourselves – directly to the energy companies. If all Austrians who can optimize their contracts, we would save a lot of tax money – which can then be used for other good purposes.
4. Start your search with the E-Control tariff calculator!
Is there a cheaper tariff than your current one? To find out, you can use an online comparison platform. We definitely recommend this E-Control tariff calculator. There you can search for cheap gas and electricity tariffs.
Danger!
Only the E-Control tariff calculator is guaranteed to be independent and neutral! Other comparison portals receive commissions for transactions and do not always show all offers on the market!
In order to use the comparison tool from the regulatory authority E-Control, you should enter the following information:
- Postal code, so that the correct network operator can be assigned to you
- consumption: It’s best to use your last annual statement. You can also use the calculator’s consumption estimate – but this is rather high.
- Current supplier and tariff: In order to be able to show you your possible savings during your search, E-Control uses a comparison value. Depending on the network area, the default comparison value is always the tariff that most households use. However, if you have a contract other than this “standard tariff” from the specified supplier or even a different supplier, it is worth selecting it from the list and also specifying your contract.
Danger!
Some suppliers have different conditions depending on the period in which you concluded the contract.
If you can remember, no problem: choose your time period.
Don’t you remember when you signed the contract? Then try around with the tool until it spits out the current energy price from your last bill – provided you haven’t switched to a different tariff since then
5. Interpret the results correctly!
Should you take the tariff that the tariff calculator spits out first? Rather not…
Keep an eye out for “float tariffs”!
Attention: Many of the cheapest tariffs are “floater” or “flex tariffs”. They are directly linked to stock market prices. The developments at the wholesale market are therefore reflected 1:1 in your energy bill. That’s good when wholesale prices go down – but pretty bad when they go up!
This is how you can recognize floater tariffs at first glance!
In the E-Control calculator, all flexible tariffs are marked with a pink symbol that represents a stock market price. In addition, the right column for these tariffs says: “Savings / additional costs uncertain”.
You should think carefully about whether you want to take a flexible tariff.
- Basically, only consumers who always keep an eye on price developments should do this. Then, in the worst case scenario, you can pull the ripcord and quickly get out of the contract.
- There is also a residual risk for professionals: At the point at which a float tariff increases sharply, the conditions of the new, fixed offers could also be at a high level. So it’s quite possible that you won’t be able to find a cheap alternative tariff.
Consider whether a contractual commitment would pay off
Some tariffs offer a price guarantee with a 12-month commitment. These offers ensure that you don’t experience any unpleasant price surprises over the course of the year. Of course, they also mean that you can only switch to another tariff after a year.
There are also contracts without commitment, but they are always a little more expensive than the commitment offers.
What various discounts mean
Many suppliers offer free energy days or triple-digit discounts. These discounts are only deducted from the annual billing. This does not change your partial payment contributions.
Can I reduce my installment payments myself?
Yes, you can reduce the partial payment amounts in your supplier’s customer portal. However, you should proceed with a sense of proportion. If you cut them too much, you may end up with a large additional payment on your annual bill, which may not be fully covered by the discounts. It is best to do the calculations carefully beforehand.
If you want to minimize your running costs, you should choose the tariff with the cheapest energy prices (price per kWh).
But be careful: you will only feel the relief when the electricity price brake no longer takes effect from July 2024!
How to recognize what is really cheap
We would like to give you two tips for the E-Control tariff calculator:
- Use the tariff calculator to compare the offers with and without discounts.
- Take a look at the offers in a 2-year comparison. This will show you how much the contract costs in the first year without the flat discounts. This comparison is even worthwhile for guidance if you want to switch after the commitment period has expired anyway.
6. Change the tariff directly via the tariff calculator!
Once you have decided on a tariff, the change is quick: simply select the tariff in the tariff calculator and conclude the contract with a new supplier. The supplier and network operator will take care of everything else for you!
7. Be prepared to do this exercise every year…
The times when you had your energy supplier for life are over. It is best to compare electricity and gas contracts again and again like cell phone tariffs or bank conditions. You pay far more for energy than for your cell phone, so pay particular attention to your money!
The best time to compare is just before your commitment period expires. You will then quickly see what a change will bring you. This way you can really save yourself money.
2023-11-29 15:53:03
#find #deal #electricity #gas
