News
LPG Announcement
Historically, the UK LPG Industry (the suppliers of bulk gas to your home) has been made up of four major companies covering the whole of Great Britain, and a minority of smaller independent businesses operating in local areas. Here, they have been able to give their customers individual attention, a better quality of service and more competitive prices. Until now, this has remained as a fundamentally static system with very few transfers of customers between suppliers.
Generally speaking, customers of the four major companies have been tied into fixed contracts which have made the transition towards the independent companies quite difficult, and only a few of the more determined consumers have gone through the arduous process of removing storage tanks and changing to a new supplier. This has resulted in a stagnation of the supply chain and a lack of competitiveness amongst the larger companies.
Over the last 6 years, the Office of Fair Trading has been scrutinising the operations of the LPG industry and come to the conclusion that there is little choice and few opportunities for the domestic user to change supplier. They have identified that a large part of the domestic market is essentially trapped within the operations of the four major suppliers and have concluded that at least 20% of their market share should be allowed an opportunity to change to other suppliers in order to give the consumer more choice and better value for money.
Consequently, an order has been laid down in statute which prescribes how LPG consumers can now make changes from one supplier to another in a simple straightforward way, without having to go though an awkward process of tank removal and re-installation.
The legislation protects all the rights of the consumers and creates a straightforward method for the switchover from one supplier to another in a simple process of having to only exchange information between the two suppliers and you the customer.
If you would like to take the benefit of this new scheme, we will be happy to start the process working for you. It takes a maximum of 42 working days from the first notification, and the existing suppliers are duty bound to respond within a specified format, which takes out all of the uncomfortable negotiating which some people feel can be difficult.
There are various links to web pages which explain this legislation in full detail. If you would like to know more about the latest changes and how it affects your gas supply, please take a look at the Industry Association and Government web sites on our links page which give all the technical information. Otherwise please feel free to contact our office and speak to someone in person who will be able to discuss these regulations with you.
We would like to assure you of our strictest attention at all times and we are looking forward to being of service should you decide to change your existing supplier.
