I hit my dreaded 60th birthday in August.........Arrggghhh.......still I consoled myself that I'd qualify for the concessionary rate for my Premier club season ticket. WRONG, it appears I have to wait an extra 5 years AND pay even more than I did l last year. Oh woe is me.......

Marc Green mentioned the success (or lack of) of the Bull Power initiative for supply of domestic energy, after having a look at the comparisons I'm shown that new suppliers can save me £180. That's a big chunk of my new season tickets sorted. Worth a look for nothing.

I'm pretty unsure of changing again to be honest. I've done it five or six times now and not noticed any difference. They always tell you that you'll save £xxx , but when you re-check after three or four months you find the company you changed from is now cheaper than the one you've changed to [on an 18 month min contract, natch..] waste of effort and saves the hassle not to bother to be honest. Big Tory con trick to put privatised companies [not you and me]in the money, for my two pennorth..

I know what you mean, this time I was more interested in the price per unit (kWh), and that was less. Maybe looking through rose tinted glasses but at least I feel better having done it.

I've changed suppliers quite a few times. It's not easy to check if it will save you money, but not that hard either.

You need to know how many kWh you use in a year and you need to know the standing charge. Then a spreadsheet, or calculator and back of a fag packet, will tell you the totals.

I have been with the cheapest suppliers for several years now, and so I have saved a bit of money, but only by being on the horse which for the time being is slightly trailing the pack. Over time they just switch positions, that's all, and customer inertia probably means the trailing horse keeps many of its customers when it surges towards the pacemakers. Over time, taken as a whole, energy supply is one of the greatest rip-offs and cons ever perpetrated on us as it just merrily careers upwards, impervious to wage or price inflation.

What would work is if EVERYBODY switched to the cheapest provider, so no other supplier suddenly had any customers at all. But obviously they count on this not happening, and on customers either not bothering to look, or thinking the savings aren't worth the inconvenience.

I think Britiish Gas have been trying to get rid of all their customers. I havent changed often but recently went through exactly the process as described by FA with annual usage kwh rates standing charges etc and decided to change from BG. Before I did I called them and told them the kwh price I was being offered, and did they want to at least match it? No we don't, goodbye was the answer, which I couldnt believe as everyone knows that the cheapest sales are to existing customers. A week or two ago, a phone call from BG trying to sell me energy, resulting in me telling them they were several months too late.