Many Austrian households underestimate the potential savings that can be made by switching electricity or gas suppliers. It is estimated that 75% of all Austrians have never switched their energy provider, and this is despite the fact that the Austrian energy market was liberalized back in 2001. For example, a family can often save 300 euros a year by switching electricity providers, and as much as 600 euros a year by switching gas providers. Actually easy earned money, if one considers how fast and simply one can change nowadays.
How does switching energy providers work?
A provider change can be made without much effort via a comparison portal, such as compera.at are carried out. Electricity and gas providers can be compared here, depending on the region. After entering an individual's electricity usage or household size and zip code, available electricity or gas rates are listed for the selected residence. In addition, the potential savings of each rate to the basic utility is shown.
By entering the details of his current rate, there is the possibility of individualizing the potential savings. Filter functions, such as the selection of a price guarantee or selection by green electricity, or. okogas also help to identify the individually suitable tariff.
Once you have found the right tariff, you can switch suppliers with just a few clicks. All you have to do is enter your personal data so that you can be supplied by the new supplier. Finally, only the bank details and the metering point number of the household must be entered. These can be found on the last bill from the electricity or gas supplier. If one does not have the meter point number straight to the hand, this is also no problem. On comparison portals such as compera, this can simply be submitted later if desired. This way, nothing stands in the way of switching suppliers and you don't have to worry about the rest.
The data is securely transferred to the future supplier, who will also take care of the cancellation of the old contract if desired. The supply of electricity (or gas) is guaranteed at all times during the changeover. So there is no need to worry about being left without electricity or gas in the short term.
When does a change of provider make sense??
A change of provider can be worthwhile in various situations. The most common and obvious reason is of course the possibility to save money. Here it makes quite sense to change the offerer annually, because usually river and gas offerers offer a new customer bonus, which makes the tariffs so correctly cheaply. However, a change of electricity or gas does not necessarily have to have financial reasons. For example, environmental enthusiasts often switch to green power or. Biogas tariffs. Comparison portals such as compera offer filters for this purpose, with which certified eco-tariffs can be displayed. You should also note that you do not necessarily have to wait for the end of the contract term before switching providers. On compera, for example, it is possible to cancel the contract up to six months before it ends.
In addition to a change of supplier, money can also be saved when moving into a new home, because there are often many tariffs that are considerably cheaper than the usually expensive offers of the basic supplier.
What to look out for when switching providers?
Of course, when comparing electricity providers, you should not only consider the respective prices, but also any price guarantees as well as the specific contract terms. Longer contract periods mean that it is not possible to react quickly to any offers from more favorable suppliers and that the supplier cannot be changed spontaneously. On the other hand, some electricity suppliers reward a longer contract commitment with particularly attractive conditions and bonuses. In this respect, you have to weigh up between the fixation of long-term price advantages and the flexibility of being able to change contracts with a short period of notice.
Price guarantees are contractually regulated insurances that protect the customer against potential price increases. These can also be set differently from the minimum contract period. Contracts that guarantee price stability for at least 12 months are recommended.
Other ways to save money
Of course, a change of supplier is not the only way to reduce energy costs. Additional money can also be saved by reducing energy consumption. The use of simple energy-saving tricks often proves to be very helpful in this respect. For example, it is worthwhile not to leave electrical appliances automatically in standby mode, but to disconnect them from the mains when they are no longer in use, or to reduce heating consumption by ventilating at regular intervals. This is how fresh air gets into the apartment without losing all the room heat. More tips on saving energy are available at compera.at.
In summary, it can be said that switching electricity or gas suppliers makes sense in most cases. In particular, the new customer bonus for switching providers each year offers great potential savings – so laziness gets punished. At the same time, switching with the help of comparison portals like compera.at easy and uncomplicated. Various filter and comparison functions help to find the right tariff, in addition, the complete switching process with the supplier is taken over. In addition to simply switching providers, however, money can also be saved through smart energy use.