getting a good electricity deal

problem context:

deregulation of the energy markets has left a lot to be desired in terms of getting a good deal.

in 2021 there was 31 active energy retailers.

& the price fluctuates up and down depending on the deals going.

if you stay on the same energy plan for a long period of time you could be paying a LOT more than other people that are savvy with market testing regularly.

possible approaches:

there are a number of approaches to getting the best deal

1) wait for telemarketers to call you with offers, and listen and engage to get OK offers. remember with these companies - they only have a selection and will sell you what they get the best commission for. Usually they don’t offer the best rate - but it’s worse listening to.

2) there are a lot of businesses that do Energy Comparisons. in my experience these are front’s for the Energy Comparison websites. Again commission based.

3) fortunately in Victoria - the Government has mandated that all retailers publish their standard rates in a particular formula - and they’re all listed based on a questionnaire on the https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/ website. This is a good way to explore various deals - and it usually offers good suggestions

the way I’d do it however if I was a person with a disability that struggles with life:

every one of the retailers has a disability, or customer service email. Go to https://www.perplexity.com and write the following prompt:

Can I find a comprehensive list of electricity retailers in Melbourne 
with their customer service contact details?

output

You will get a text output like this:

** You may want to do a follow up prompt to say: Are there any you missed. This is just due to limitations in the token length of the AI to get the most complete list.

Next action:

you want to convert that text into a string that can be pasted into Google Mail.

Use the following prompt:

Please extract all the emails in the following text and convert into a
string that can be pasted into Gmail as an email list:

INPUT:

Output

so this is now what you copy and paste to write emails to them all about your power plan

creating the email

on the energy compare website, they ask you the following questions:

1. have you lived at the address for the last 12 months. This question is asked to make sure the power plan being delivered to the property won’t be a new customer connection. It will be a port of an existing customer from one retailer to another.
2. they want to know your current retailer: I assume this is so the Government knows who you are with, and they want to present different results to the retailer you have now.
3. the want your postcode. this is so they can point you at the right distributor / retailer that covers a particular area. Not all retailers service all areas.
4. then you can provide an NMI - or fill out a questionnaire that includes the following questions:
1. do you currently receive an energy concession
2. do you have solar panels
3. how many live in your house
4. how many rooms
5. how many refrigerators do you have
6. do you have gas and what for - Electric ducted central heating, Split system air conditioning unit that you use as a heater, Electric under floor heating, Individual electric room heater(s) in regular use, Gas ducted central heating, Gas slab heating, Individual gas room heater(s) in regular use, Other heating
7. how do you cool your home and what for - Room air conditioner, Split system, Ducted reverse cycle (refrigerated) air conditioner, Ducted, evaporative cooler , Portable refrigerated, Portable evaporative, Other, None
8. do you have a clothes dryer?
9. what hot water system do you use? Room air conditioner, Split system, Ducted reverse cycle (refrigerated) air conditioner, Ducted, evaporative cooler, portable refrigerated, Portable evaporative, Other, None
5. They also want to know your tariff type: Single Rate, Time of Use.
6. and the average number of kw of electricity used in a day.

So you want to craft an email that includes the information relevant to you.

I will give an example for a person with a disability but you can craft it to suit your individual needs.

the system will output:

Now, just have a voice conversation with the produced letter to include all the items you need to update for your personal situation: E.g.

• Update the letter to include 10 fridges to replace X
• Update the letter to include the number of occupants Y as 10 etc.
• Keep prompting with voice - until the letter is complete.

Assembling your email

Then cut and paste the following into your email:

1. Your email list: [make sure to send this as a BCC email]

2. your email: (that you’ve updated)

Given the nature of the note written, I’d expect

• Acknowledgement of the email within 1 business day
• A full response addressing the customer's inquiry within 2-3 business days

What to do when you get the results:

• Create a new notion page, or text file page.
• Copy the contents of each and every return email you receive and include them on a single page.

Go to your AI, and upload the full set of emails in a single text string.

Result prompt:

Caveats:

If you are not comfortable with number based analysis, you may just want to provide the emails to a trusted friend or family member to work through the quotes for you. They’ll be impressed that you were able to get this far.

Final comments:

Power companies are not your friend.

Over time they will jack your rates up on a semi regular basis, and they assume 1/3 of customers will churn each year.

Once you do sign up to a new plan, make sure you watch it; and don’t be afraid to do a variation of the above email to look for new details on a semi regular basis.

At least every 12 months using this process or when a price reset notice comes through.

**BTW, I check my electricity prices each and every month on the energy compare site. Don’t be afraid to change. They acquire you and jack the rates up. Return the favour. Don’t be a stooge!

Cheers and enjoy cheaper electricity!

Tim Beevor.