Contrary to popular belief, getting the best deal is not simply a question of haggling for the lowest price, if it were that easy, CEC would not be in business. As a company, we maintain an active presence in the market place and monitor wholesale price trends on a day-by-day basis to help us assess where prices are going.

Customers have a vast choice of suppliers for both electricity and gas, with some trying to build market share and others happy to rely on customer inertia to maintain a higher profit margin. With this balance continually changing, our presence in the market allows us to determine which suppliers are offering the best deals at any point in time.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the market rising or falling?
• Should we go for an early deal or delay until the last minute?
• Is the current market unsustainable and set for a fall, or is it too cheap and due for a hike?
• Should you go for a long-term deal to freeze-in low prices, or should it be short term, in anticipation of a market tumble.
• Which suppliers are reliable? Even the more established suppliers have a notorious record for billing inaccuracy.
• Terms and conditions vary enormously, with time bombs hidden in contracts, allowing prices to be revised mid-term.

The argument has never been stronger for energy purchasing to be outsourced to experts who can structure the right deal for the current and future market.