Tag: Suppliers – Together Energy

Next steps for customers

There are certain actions that they can undertake to minimize risks at the moment. In this article, we touch opon how Together Energy was pushed out of business as well as what steps to take.

Together Energy has gone bust: What should customers do?

At the moment the best thing to do is to wait until British Gas contact you. They will give the rates that you will be subjected. You can also discuss potential other options that they might have for you.

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British Gas average annual total tariff costs

Here break down the average annual total costs of each of British Gas's most popular tariffs. These costs are assuming the household has a standard meter and are listed as dual fuel bundles, but each gas and electricity tariff is available for individual purchase as well!

Below you can find the cost information associated with these tariffs.

British Gas Variable Rate Tariffs

British Gas just has one variable rate tariff, the standard variable rate tariff. For this contract, the rates mirror the wholesale prices for Electricity and Gas. THe contract will see more volatility in your rates but gives you more flexibility as you do not have a contract or exit fees.

The costs associated with this tariff can be seen here:

Fixed Rate and Economy 7 rates

British Gas also offers several options for fixed rates, prepayment rates and also Economy 7 rates. You can find an overview here to see fixed rates, prepayment energy rates and economy 7 rates of British gas.

Can I switch suppliers right now?

You are always free to switch suppliers. However, the current circumstances in the energy market do not make it the best time to switch. The chances of finding lower rates are slim.

Do I have to stay with British Gas?

You do not have to stay, however, ever-rising gas and electricity prices make switching less attractive. It would be difficult to find a deal that will save money. Also British Gas is one of the more stable suppliers at the moment, you can be pretty sure that they will remain in business for the foreseeable future.

What happens if I was in the process of switching suppliers when Together Energy went bust?

It should not influence your switching process. Everything should be handled automatically normally.

What were the tariffs at Together Energy?

Together energy offered several different types of plans. Below we have an overview of the plans that were available, also with prices.

Average Annual Total Costs for each tariff plan

Below you can see the average annual total cost of all tariff plans offered by Together Energy at the moment. These average annual total costs are based on a number of factors such as your location, your energy use or even time of the day at which you use energy.
The below electricity rates are set to accommodate standard and smart meters, but Together Energy also offers electricity for homes that use an Economy 7 meter with their E7 tariff deals. You can view Together Energy's E7 deals as well as the specific unit rates and standard charges associated with their other tariff deals on our Together Energy Tariff page.
The costs are broken down on the below table:

Together Energy claims that its 2 and 3-year fixed deals are the cheapest in the UK. It also promises to provide customers with clear, easy to understand bills and a high level of customer service.

Who is Together Energy?

Founded in 2016, Together Energy originally only served customers in Scotland. In 2017, the company expanded its operations and is now available to energy customers across the country.
Based in Dunbartonshire, Together Energy says it hires 90% of its staff from Scotland’s poorest 10% of postcodes. The company believes that hiring staff from more deprived areas allows Together Energy to better understand the challenges involved in managing household finances. The company claims to have a caring approach and to put affordability at the heart of its culture.
Together Energy offers a choice of 12, 25 and 36-month fixed tariffs as well as a standard variable deal. Together Energy offers Economy 7 tariffs.

Is Together Energy's customer service any good?

On its website and in its promotional materials, Together Energy places a significant emphasis on customer service. However, reviews for Together Energy are generally fairly critical. In a recent customer satisfaction survey, Together Energy came 35th out of 35, scoring an average of just two out of five stars for services across the board.

Bill accuracy

Some of the main complaints from customers related to billing. A lot of households supplied by Together Energy seemed to feel that their bills were less than accurate, even when regular meter readings were provided. This isn’t a great result for a company that’s supposed to pride itself on low-cost tariffs and affordability.

Issue resolution

More often than not, customers get in touch with their energy provider in order to resolve an issue. Whether they’re trying to rectify an incorrect bill, change their account details or switch tariffs, customers need to know that their issue will be dealt with, and resolved, quickly and efficiently.
Unfortunately, this seems to be another area where Together Energy falls short. One online review for the company read:
"They ignore emails and when one speaks to them on the phone they don’t do what they say they will."

Another said:
I have had ongoing issues for six months that are still not resolved. Most of the times I've called I've been told I would be called back within an hour and I've never once received a call back. Issues with them have caused unnecessary stress."
According to Ofgem’s complaints data, issue resolution at Together Energy has got significantly worse since the start of 2019. Between January and March 2019, the company resolved 23% of complaints the same or next working day. However, between April and June of that year, just 4% of complaints were resolved within 48 hours.
Complaints data shows that Together Energy is one of the most complained about small suppliers. Between January and March 2019, the supplier received 192 complaints per 10,000 customers. That’s compared to just 6 for So Energy, another smaller energy company. Between July and September 2019, things were even worse with a whopping 396 complaints per 10,000 customers.

Response time

A company’s response time represents how long it takes for that company to pick up the phone or answer an email when you try to get in touch. According to recent data, Together Energy takes around five minutes to answer calls. While this may not sound too bad, a lot of energy companies managed to pick up the phone a lot quicker, with the best able to answer calls in less than 20 seconds.
When it comes to email response times, Together Energy is around average. In general, it will take about a day to get a reply. This means emailing is a good option if your query isn’t urgent.

Affordability

As Together Energy bills itself as a low cost energy provider, it’s important to consider the affordability of the company’s tariffs when looking at Together Energy reviews.
A lot of the company’s customers seem to feel like they’re being overcharged by the supplier. Inaccurate bills mean that a lot of households supplied by Together Energy aren’t paying the right amount. This can make their tariffs a lot less affordable.
What’s more, the longest Together Energy fixed rate deals have an exit fee of £50 per fuel. This means you’ll be left £100 out of pocket if you’re a dual fuel customer leaving their contract early.
The tables below show the unit prices and standing charges of Together Energy tariffs by region:

Twelve-month fixed rate tariff:

25-month fixed rate tariff:

Next steps for customers

There are certain actions that they can undertake to minimize risks at the moment. In this article, we touch opon how Together Energy was pushed out of business as well as what steps to take.

Together Energy has gone bust: What should customers do?

At the moment the best thing to do is to wait until British Gas contact you. They will give the rates that you will be subjected. You can also discuss potential other options that they might have for you.

I’m a Together Energy customer: Will my energy supply be interrupted?

No, the UK energy market is regulated in such a way that your home will not be cut off from the network. Ofgem automatically transfers all customers of a bust supplier to a replacement supplier, which for Together Energy will be British Gas.

What happened to Together Energy?

Together Energy was unable to continue operations due to the huge costs of wholesale energy in the UK. The Energy price cap limited the prices they could charge and therefore Together Energy wereincurring losses on every consumer. They officially were unable to continue with this trend on the 1st of January, 2021.

Should I continue to pay Together Energy?

If you get any bills from Together Energy, you should still pay them. Together Energy will still be responsible for your energy until the switching procedure to British Gas has been finished. British Gas will then provide guidelines regarding debts and credit at the previous supplier.

I had credit on my Together Energy account. Will I be refunded?

British Gas will handle credit outstanding with Together Energy. This often comes down to them taking on all the outstanding credit and debt of the company.

I was in debt with Together Energy. Should I pay it?

British Gas will cooperate with Together energy on the debt outstanding. Probably they will take on existing debt at Together Energy and pay the money to them. If this happens your debt will remain the same but you would have to repay British Gas rather than Together Energy

Will my bills go up at British Gas?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is likely to be yes. Energy companies feel the consequences of the energy crisis, and since the Energy Price Cap has risen substantially, energy tariffs will increase significantly. Also, in the case of a supplier going bust, Ofgem will settle you on a deemed contract with the new supplier. For these type of contracts clients do not have a choice in what plan they will be part of. However, you might be able to discuss other options with British Gas directly.

Will I be able to keep the same contract?

No you will be set on a deemed contract at British Gas. British Gas will be in touch when procedure is completed, they will inform you with the specifics of your new deal.

When will British Gas contact me?

It is unknown when they will specifically contact you. But prepare to wait for at least a few weeks. If it has been longer than that and you still have not heard anything., we advise you to reach out to British Gas´ customer service to make sure everything went alright.

British Gas tariffs

Being the largest supplier of energy, British gas offers a wide range of plans and tariffs.

British Gas average annual total tariff costs

Here break down the average annual total costs of each of British Gas's most popular tariffs. These costs are assuming the household has a standard meter and are listed as dual fuel bundles, but each gas and electricity tariff is available for individual purchase as well!

Below you can find the cost information associated with these tariffs.

British Gas Variable Rate Tariffs

British Gas currently offers only one variable rate tariff, which happens to be their standard variable rate tariff. What this means, as mentioned above, is that the rate prices of this tariff can increase or decrease on a near-daily basis to match the ongoing costs of energy within the UK. While there is less stability with this variable rate tariff because prices can increase or decrease often, it does have no contract or exit fees, so customers are free to switch their tariff plan whenever they wish without any penalty.

The costs associated with this tariff can be seen here:

British Gas Fixed Rate Tariffs

British Gas currently offers 4 separate fixed rate tariff plans that are each different in unique ways in order to meet the needs of as many different types of customers as possible.

The pricing on these tariffs can be seen here:

British Gas Prepaid Tariffs

In addition to their variable and fixed rate tariff plans, British Gas also offers a prepaid tariff plan that allows you to ¨top-up¨ your meter with as much energy as you would like to pay. The unit rates for this tariff plan, much like the variable rate tariff, are not locked and as a result the costs of this tariff may increase or decrease to reflect the costs of energy in the UK going up or down.

Costs associated with this tariff plan can be seen here:

British Gas Economy 7 Tariffs

Also referred to as double electricity by some, British Gas offers several E7 tariff plans to accommodate customers that have economy 7 meters in their homes.

As mentioned previously, these tariffs have two separate unit rates, one for peak hours of consumption and another for off-peak.

Pricing on these tariffs can be seen here:

Fixed Rate and Economy 7 rates

British Gas also offers several options for fixed rates, prepayment rates and also Economy 7 rates. You can find an overview here to see fixed rates, prepayment energy rates and economy 7 rates of British gas.

Can I switch suppliers right now?

You are always free to switch suppliers. However, the current circumstances in the energy market do not make it the best time to switch. The chances of finding lower rates are slim.

Do I have to stay with British Gas?

You do not have to stay, however, ever-rising gas and electricity prices make switching less attractive. It would be difficult to find a deal that will save money. Also British Gas is one of the more stable suppliers at the moment, you can be pretty sure that they will remain in business for the foreseeable future.

What happens if I was in the process of switching suppliers when Together Energy went bust?

It should not influence your switching process. Everything should be handled automatically normally.

Who were Together Energy?

There is a plethora of energy suppliers in the UK. Apart from the Big Six, there are also numerous smaller providers. These suppliers try and offer something a little bit different to the large corporations, and one of the companies that tried to do that was Together Energy.

How were they founded

Together Energy was a relatively new supplier, founded in 2016.The company claims that it is working hard to make energy more affordable, fair and sustainable and says that it believes fuel poverty should be a thing of the past.

They also focused on providing excelelnt presonalized good customer service. Their employees were not trained with scripts but prepared to solve individual cases with an empathetic mindset. Despite not having the financial backing of some other providers, Together Energy was starting to make a name for itself.

Who owned Together Energy?

The company was founded in 2016 and was run by CEO Paul Richards.

The company was on the right track of growing its business, but could not avert their closure following the 2021 energy crisis.

 

Together Energy was especially focused on providing employment for those who needed it the most. They claimed that 90 percent of their employees were from the poorest 10 pernt postcodes in Scotland.

What types of tariffs did Together Energy offer?

Together Energy offered a total of nine dual fuel tariff packages, each of which could have been separated to purchased as a single fuel tariff if desired. Of their nine tariff packages, Together Energy offers 2 variable rate tariffs and 7 fixed rate tariffs.

Their fixed rate tariffs were designed to lock down a specific rate to customers for extended periods of time ranging from 12 month contracts all the way up to 36 month contracts. They did this to ensure that customers' rates did not go up or down even when the cost of energy throughout the UK rose or fell. This means that even if gas and electricity would have gotten more expensive, your rate would not have changed.

Together Energy also offered two variable rate energy tariffs, these tariff plans came with no contract and no exit fee, so customers were free to leave or switch to another tariff plan whenever they wanted. However, because the rates were not agreed upon with a contract they would go up and down to mirror the cost of energy in the UK rising or falling.