At Home
Energy & Fuel
Living Costs
09 October 2024

Electricity prices to rise in 2025

Jersey Electricity will be increasing their prices by 7.5% from the start of next year. The tariff increase – which will add around £2 per week to the average domestic electricity bill of £1,400 per year – will come into effect from 1 January 2025. The company say that the increase – which is above the current 5% rate of inflation – is ‘in response to the wholesale energy market which, although showing signs of easing, remains much higher than historic norms’. Jersey Electricity CEO Chris Ambler said: “We remain acutely aware of the rising costs of everyday essentials and the pressures on household budgets. “We encourage any customers with concerns about their electricity bills to contact our Customer Care team. While we understand increases in electricity prices are unwelcome, we have worked hard to shelter customers wherever possible, including continuing to challenge ourselves to drive further efficiencies.” Mr Ambler added: “After the increase comes into effect in January 2025, Jersey’s electricity prices will remain substantially lower than UK prices, which will be around 50% higher than Jersey’s. The Isle of Man and Guernsey’s electricity prices will also be more than 30% higher than Jersey prices from January next year. “Turmoil in the international energy markets and the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have contributed to high and volatile wholesale energy prices across Europe and much of the world in recent years. Against this backdrop, we are starting to see signs of a more stable energy environment emerge, albeit with higher levels than historically has been the case. Our strategy of importing clean renewable electricity from France has helped to maintain relatively stable electricity prices, whilst making necessary investment and future-proofing the Island’s electricity network.” At the start of 2024, electricity prices rose by 12%. Check out our energy saving tips
Consumer Tips
Energy & Fuel
24 September 2024

Energy saving tips

The colder months are on their way and service cost rises imminent in 2025, so now is the time to think about how to make some energy-saving changes. With the help of Jersey Electricity and Island Energy, we’ve compiled a long list of energy saving tips which may help counteract some of the increased costs of running your home.   Heating Turn your room thermostat down by 1 degree Set your heating to come on at the right times Bleed radiators to prevent cold spots Close your curtains and blinds at night Use draft excluders – make your own! Put draft-proofing strips around window and door frames Use blankets and layers of clothes to keep warm   Hot Water Turn your immersion cylinder to 60 degrees Take a quick shower instead of a bath (uses 5 times less water) Take one minute off your shower time Use a washing up bowl rather than leaving the hot tap running Lag your hot water cylinder   Electricity Turn lights off when you are not in the room Don’t leave appliances on standby – turn off at plug, including TV’s and game consoles Unplug phones, tablets and laptops once fully charged Use a kettle to boil the amount of water needed for cooking or hot drinks Change lightbulbs to energy saving LED ones Fill washing machines and dishwashers to capacity and reduce the temperature to 30°C Limit use of tumble dryer by putting clothes on washing line or leaving to air Dust down fridges and radiators for best efficiency and heat flow We have tips on saving laundry costs on our website: Cut your laundry costs this autumn (ConsumerCouncil.je)   Cooking Cook several items at the same time (a set of steamer pans uses less water) An air fryer can be cheaper than putting the oven on especially if you’re cooking smaller amounts Use a microwave when possible Make toast in a toaster rather than under the grill Cover your pots and pans to reduce steam and use less energy Freeze spare or bulk cooked food (once cooled down) Consider turning your stove/hob off a couple of minutes before food is fully cooked as the heat from the pan will continue to cook your food   Options which cost money but will help Insulate your loft Only purchase energy efficient appliances (A++, A+, A) Consider replacing old boilers with a more energy efficient one Consider buying a smart heating control which put you in control of heating   Help with Bills If you are struggling to pay your energy bills, please contact the relevant company’s support lines (see below) who may be able to offer a flexible payment plan to help you.     Jersey Electricity The JEC have a free downloadable app called ‘My JE’ which can be found via the App Store or Google Play. They are also lots of energy saving tips on their website Saving energy in your home - Jersey Electricity (jec.co.uk) Their contact details are:Telephone: 01534 505460Email: jec@jec.co.uk   Extra support for customers - Jersey Electricity (jec.co.uk) Island Energy Island Energy offer a tailored payment plan to help with bills and give free energy advice and safety checks. Their contact details are:Telephone: 01534 755500Contact form:  Priority care (islandenergy.je)
Energy & Fuel
Living Costs
11 March 2024

400 households register their disappointment – it’s your last chance to complete our gas form

Islanders wanting to register their disappointment in the £11.56 ‘goodwill gesture’ offered following last year’s gas outage have until next Friday to complete our online survey. To date, around 400 households have registered with us to express their dissatisfaction in the offer made by Island Energy following the outage in October 2023 – which in some cases left consumers without energy for up to two weeks. Households have now been offered a £11.56 ‘goodwill gesture’ to make up for the disruption – however, numerous customers have told us that this goes nowhere near covering the true expense they experienced. We’re now working with a local lawyer to try and help consumers recover some of the losses they incurred. We’ve been running an online survey, which has now been completed by around 400 households affected by the outage, which occurred on 7 October when a technical fault by Island Energy left around 4,000 Islanders without gas. Had the energy provider been regulated – like in the UK – it would have had to pay £60 for every day a customer went without gas beyond the first 24 hours. Comments from those who’ve completed our online form so far include: “The way they’ve treated us is totally disgusting – we’ve been a lloyal customer for over 30 years and the £11.36 is insulting.” “That offer is insulting. Thankfully the outage was not during a cold period. The fact that the company has no legal obligation to reimburse customers for the outage should not absolve them from a moral responsibility.” “The Consumers are NOT idiots and shouldn't be treated as such! The offer is a total insult.” Before announcing the ‘goodwill gesture’, Island Energy increased the price of gas by 12%, which is about £13.80 for an average family house (in Guernsey it was increased by 8%). Advocate Philip Sinel, Senior Partner at Sinels and Co, has now agreed to work with us and act for Island Energy customers. He said: “Sinels is happy to act on behalf of those consumers affected by last year’s gas outage as, in our view, there has been a clear breach of contract. Losses have occurred, and as a result, the supplier should be liable for those in our view, and we will do our best to recover those losses for consumers.” If you’d like to be included in the action being taken by the Jersey Consumer Council and Sinels, please register below by completing our short online form by Friday, 22 March. You can also email contact@consumercouncil.je to request a paper form. Please ensure that when you fill in the form you include an email address and your Island Energy customer number: REGISTER HERE Our Chairman Carl Walker said: “It’s clear that many Islanders were both inconvenienced, as well as financially affected by the gas outage. Consumers couldn’t heat their homes, cook meals, or even wash in hot water. An offer of £11.56 is nothing short of an insult to its customers by Island Energy.’
At Home
Energy & Fuel
12 February 2024

Legal backing for gas outage claims help

A local lawyer has agreed to act for those Island Energy customers who were affected by October’s gas outage. Advocate Philip Sinel, Senior Partner at Sinels and Co, believes there has been a “clear breach of contract” between the gas provider and its customers, and that consumers have suffered losses or incurred extra costs as a result of having no gas supply to their homes – up to 14 days or more in some cases. He said: “Sinels is happy to act on behalf of those consumers affected by last year’s gas outage as, in our view, there has been a clear breach of contract. Losses have occurred, and as a result, the supplier should be liable for those in our view, and we will do our best to recover those losses for consumers.” More than 250 Island Energy customers who are unhappy with the £11.56 ‘goodwill gesture’ offered by Island Energy have so far registered with us. If you would like to be included in the action being taken by the Jersey Consumer Council and Sinels, please register below by completing this short online form. Please ensure that when you fill in this form you include an email and your Island Energy customer number: REGISTER HERE On 7 October a technical fault by Island Energy left around 4,000 Islanders without gas. This lasted for days - and in some cases up to 14 days - before the gas was returned to them. Had the energy provider been regulated – like in the UK - it would have had to pay £60 for every day a customer went without gas beyond the first 24 hours. Since then, Island Energy have increased the prices of gas by 12%, which is about £13.80 for an average family house. Whilst in Guernsey they raised the price by 8%. On 25 January, we were given word that Island Energy were giving customers a gesture of goodwill by refunding the standing charge for October, worth £11.56. Telephone: 01534 61161 Email: contact@consumercouncil.je
At Home
Energy & Fuel
09 February 2024

Island Energy gas outage survey

Please make sure you give us your email and Island Energy customer number as they will be needed for those wanting to be involved in any claim that we might secure. COMPLETE THE GAS SURVEY   Any Island Energy customers who are unhappy or dissatisfied with the £11.56 ‘goodwill gesture’ offered to households following the outage in October last year are being asked to get in touch with the Jersey Consumer Council. The Council is looking at what options it has available to try to secure the compensation Island Energy customers deserve or at least a refund of the costs many consumers incurred during the gas outage in October last year. To start that process, those impacted are being asked to complete a short online survey on consumercouncil.je to enable the Council to assess to what extent individual households were impacted. Chairman Carl Walker said: ‘We already know of Islanders who went without hot water, could not cook hot meals at home and could turn on their heating during the outage, so taking three months to come up with an offer of £11.56 is nothing short of an insult to its customers by Island Energy. “We will now work on behalf of all those affected to try and secure a better deal for them – and everything and anything is on the table at this stage. Once we know how many Islanders we will be representing, we shall choose the best course of action and do our very best.” On 7 October a technical fault by Island Energy left around 4,000 Islanders without gas. This lasted for days - and in some cases up to 14 days - before the gas was returned to them. Had the energy provider been regulated – like in the UK - it would have had to pay £60 for every day a customer went without gas beyond the first 24 hours. Since then, Island Energy have increased the prices of gas by 12%, which is about £13.80 for an average family house. Whilst in Guernsey they raised the price by 8%. On 25 January, we were given word that Island Energy were giving customers a gesture of goodwill by refunding the standing charge for October, worth £11.56. Dissatisfied Island Energy customers are asked to click on the link below and complete the survey as honestly as possible. If they know of any neighbours or relatives who do not have access to the internet but who were also affected by the outage, please visit those individuals or call them and complete the survey with them or on their behalf, so that we can get a fair picture of the situation.
Energy & Fuel
Money
25 January 2024

Fuel prices on the decrease

There’s some good news for Islanders when it comes to Jersey forecourts. Fuel prices have consistently lowered during January overall.   In the image we see our cheapest five fuel stations compared to January 2023. Let’s hope it continues. We’re updating our Price Comparison site, so you won’t find up-to-date prices there at the moment. Look out for our new site coming soon…