How to get cheap gas and electricity online

With everyone feeling pinched from the economic crisis over the past few years, more and more people are turning to new ways to find the best gas and electricity prices. Using the Internet is a great starting point and this article details some of the most common places to find out about good deals and schemes.

Comparison websites

Comparison websites have sprung up all over the Internet and have served man y countries. Websites like Simply Switch and Money Saving Expert are excellent sites which give details about a large range of companies and their deals, and you can get more information with just a simple click of your mouse. The comparison engines will let you view deals by the date released, costs, company and other things, like the length of the contract term or the amount which you have to pay for installations and repairs.

Provider's websites

Checking the individual websites for the gas and electricity providers themselves is an excellent way of finding the most up-to-date information and being able to contact the people who have the most information. Many websites now have people online with whom you can chat to get your answers without having to wait for an email response, or having to wait in telephone queues (especially bad when the calls themselves cost a lot of money). You will also be privy to some of the best deals if you are an existing customer with the company and the cheapest electricity deals are often offered to existing gas buyers, or to those who already use the provider for electricity for their business.

Forums and discussion boards

Forums and discussion boards are very useful for finding out about the latest information about what has been tried and tested by members of the public. Keep an eye out on forums for people who have explained how they have secured cheap electricity from various electricity suppliers and they will usually give information about who to qualify for deals, the ease of installation, how they found the customer service and installation staff, etc. Forums like this are particularly useful if you are a business owner, as you can sometimes find grants and loans available for certain energy uses and people on these forums usually know about them first.