Beware comparison sites

A question about : Beware comparison sites

I've just had a new quote from OVO to fix my electricity price for another year. The price based on last years consumption is Ј30 per month cheaper.
Instead of immediately accepting I've been on to a couple of price comparison sites to see if there is a better deal. Both suggested I could save an additional Ј283 per year by switching to Flow Energy. However when I did the math and compared the standing charges and price per unit against my actual usage last year the saving by switching was just Ј19 per year
This is not a one off when I did the same last year I got similar results.
So my advice is to check the tariff details against you actual usage and don't rely on the claims that some sites make.

Best answers:

• Hi. Welcome to the forum. This is a well known problem with comparison sites. OFGEM requires Licence Holders (energy suppliers) to use this methodology but not comparison sites.
  Put simply, if your tariff finishes in a month's time then the calculation is based on 1 month on your existing tariff plus 11 months on Ovo's standard variable tariff. If the spend is artificially inflated by Ј200 then so will be the potential savings.
  Your advice to others is spot on.