Dual-fuel supply contracts
Some suppliers offer both gas and electricity – this is called ‘dual-fuel’ supply. There are obvious potential advantages of convenience for you if you take a dual supply. Sometimes there may also be discounts for taking a dual supply. But check whether you will actually get a discount or other advantages – eg, you may have to deal with separate arms of the same company for your gas and electricity, which might feel little different from being supplied by two different companies. Apart from convenience, there are no other automatic benefits of having a dual supply, and you should check the terms of your contract in the same way as for any other fuel contract. Of course, dual-fuel supply contracts have to comply with both sets of provisions for gas and electricity.
If you are paying one company a single amount for both your gas and electricity, be aware of how your payment is treated. Normally, the charges for gas and electricity should be separately specified in a bill. If you make only one payment towards the cost of both gas and electricity and do not specify which fuel you are paying for, the supplier can decide which to put the payment towards. For example, if you owe £10 for gas and another £10 for electricity and then pay £10 to the supplier, the supplier can choose whether to put this towards paying off your gas bill or your electricity bill. On the other hand, if you say clearly before you pay that you are paying the £10 specifically for, say, gas, the supplier is normally bound by your decision. If you have a dispute over this, contact your supplier in the first instance, or contact the Citizens Advice consumer service. Discounts that are available on dual-fuel supply contracts should normally be applied directly to a unit rate or a standing charge in clear monetary terms.1Condition 1.2 SLC