PocketGuy
16 Sep 2012
Law / Energy retail prices in Poland - supplier switching [2]
Hi all
Complete newbie here, so apologies if the post's in the wrong place.
Looking for a range of feedback on this, a kind of straw poll, if you will. Although we live in the UK, the other half has an apartment in Warsaw that we come back to throughout the year, and the retail energy market here interests me, especially as it's deregulated. However, I'm conscious of how very different the set up, culture,etc., is here, and not just from the UK...
I've been working with one of the 'Big Six' energy suppliers in the UK for some years . After deregulation, we hit a kind of 'Wild West' , where these firms used salespeople to sell 'cheaper' electricity & gas pricing to the public. Sometimes it was considerably cheaper, but as the market developed it was more often actually the same or more expensive. The mechanism was supposed to benefit the public, but all it primarily did was put commissions into the sales guys' pockets.
After much work, fines, developed online options, etc.,the market in the UK is beginning to stabilise, but the margin of saving is still rarely over 5% for a typical household, offering around £70 on a c. £1,400/year bill (domestic Electricity & Gas). Stimulating people to check and switch for this level of saving is not easy,even where this saving is clearly established. In the SME (small business) world, things are easier and more transparent, although this has its issues too (doesn't everything? :-) ).
I'm aware that switching is on the increase in Poland, but it seems fraught with difficulties and uncertainty. For those of you who live over here, what's your view/experience? Are there any switching websites? Would the average Pole/ex-Pat switch for a 5% saving, or guaranteed 2 or 3 year price, or would the incentive need to be higher/different? Any and all feedback and perspectives appreciated.
Thanks
Hi all
Complete newbie here, so apologies if the post's in the wrong place.
Looking for a range of feedback on this, a kind of straw poll, if you will. Although we live in the UK, the other half has an apartment in Warsaw that we come back to throughout the year, and the retail energy market here interests me, especially as it's deregulated. However, I'm conscious of how very different the set up, culture,etc., is here, and not just from the UK...
I've been working with one of the 'Big Six' energy suppliers in the UK for some years . After deregulation, we hit a kind of 'Wild West' , where these firms used salespeople to sell 'cheaper' electricity & gas pricing to the public. Sometimes it was considerably cheaper, but as the market developed it was more often actually the same or more expensive. The mechanism was supposed to benefit the public, but all it primarily did was put commissions into the sales guys' pockets.
After much work, fines, developed online options, etc.,the market in the UK is beginning to stabilise, but the margin of saving is still rarely over 5% for a typical household, offering around £70 on a c. £1,400/year bill (domestic Electricity & Gas). Stimulating people to check and switch for this level of saving is not easy,even where this saving is clearly established. In the SME (small business) world, things are easier and more transparent, although this has its issues too (doesn't everything? :-) ).
I'm aware that switching is on the increase in Poland, but it seems fraught with difficulties and uncertainty. For those of you who live over here, what's your view/experience? Are there any switching websites? Would the average Pole/ex-Pat switch for a 5% saving, or guaranteed 2 or 3 year price, or would the incentive need to be higher/different? Any and all feedback and perspectives appreciated.
Thanks