Scottish Power annual review

parcival

I bet Scottish Power like people to be in credit.

I myself will only pay for what I actually use. I'll keep my money in my bank account rather than in Scottish Powers!!!

Scottish_Power

Hi parcival

You are not the only one who thinks like this. A lot of customers think it is a bad thing to be in credit with their energy supplier as they would rather have this money in their own bank. I myself am an energy user and also pay for the gas and electricity that I use by monthly Direct Debit. I would much rather I have a credit balance on my account at the end of the summer months which can then be put towards the higher winter consumption. By doing this my payments should remain consistent throughout the year.

For Direct Debit customers, we actually give money back if you have sufficient credit on your account at your annual review stage (see link below).

http://www.scottishpower.co.uk/Home_Energy/Payment_Methods/Direct_Debit/Credit_balance_refund/

If you look at your gas and electricity consumption annually and you use £1200, for example, customer surveys have found that people would rather pay £100.00 per month for 12 months than pay £125.00 for 6 months (colder months) and then £75.00 for the other 6 months (warmer months).

If you know how much gas and electricity you use over the year (in kWhs) and how much this comes to based on your current tariffs, then you should have a good idea how much your average monthly payments should be. If your annual review is in March for example, the credit balance on your account in September is irrelevant as this is only 6 months into your 12 month period and you have the coldest 6 months still to come until your next annual review.

If you have been making payments which not only cover your consumption but also create a credit balance on your account then you have the choice to reclaim all the credit back at your annual review date and then have your payments reviewed to match more closely the gas and electricity you are using.

I hope that the information I have provided is useful. If you have any questions please let me know and I will do my very best to answer these for you.

Kind Regards

Colin @ ScottishPower

johnswife

Hi Colin,

Slightly different topic but how do I know the best tariff for me?

I am on Capped energy Sept 2010 and did my meter reading yesterday.

20/12/09 - 10/3/10 electric & Gas = £908


should I ring them to look for a better tariff as on the compare sites it looks like i should switch.
thanks

linda

Fairzo

Colin, thanks for your comments. At the review I was £392 in credit and, following an email request, have been told that I will be receiving cheques soon. Monthly direct debit will also be reduced by £30.

Re the Direct Debit Bonus Scheme -

And, for every full £33 you are in credit above £100 we’ll give you back £1* as part of our new Direct Debit Bonus Scheme.

*You get £1 for every full multiple of £33 above the minimum credit level of £100. So you’d get £1 if the credit balance was £133, £2 if it was £166 and so on, up to a maximum payout of £12 at £496.

when is this applied as I can't see anything on my online bill or account to suggest that this has been added to my balance?

Scottish_Power

Hi Fairzo

Thanks for your query. The credit is applied to your account shortly after your annual review, provided the account has been billed to accurate meter readings.

If you want me to investigate your Direct Debit bonus payment for you then send me your details and I'll confirm the situation for you.

Kind Regards

Colin @ ScottishPower

Scottish_Power

Hi johnswife

The best advice I can give you is to contact us and discuss your current level of consumption and what options are available to you.

As your on a Capped tariff, you will have a cancellation charge if you decide to change supplier or change tariff before the expiry date. We do offer cheaper non capped tariffs therefore you may save more than the cancellation charge even if you change. When you call make sure that you have a record of your current meter readings so that any figures we provide to you are based on accurate consumption.

Let me know if you require any further assistance.

Kind Regards

Colin @ ScottishPower

johnswife

Hi, Only just read your reply thank you.

I rang them this morning and the lady changed me to Saver 8 but she did not mention a cancellation charge.

foolishboy

Nice to see a bonafide SP rep on here!

I've just had an email telling me my monthly is going from £67 to £114 next month after a heavy winter bill. Fair enough it was WAY over what my DD covers but seeing as I've only been a customer for 1 quarter it's hardly indicative of my annual usage, once weather breaks it'll drop through the floor and over the year I'm quite sure it'll average out.

Have replied to the email as instructed so fingers crossed

Cheers,
FB

Scottish_Power

Hi foolishboy

This can happen if we do not have historic consumption figures for the property and you transfer to us just before the winter. The system will calculate an average consumption based on the meter readings received over the winter period (still taking into account that you will use less gas and elec during the warmer months). As we do not have exact annual consumption figures for you this can be out slightly and I'm sure that we will be able to reduce this for you. Make sure that you update accurate meter readings as often as you can during the first 12 months. This helps the billing system calculate what you use and how much your Direct Debit payments should be.

Let me know if you need any further assistance.

Kind Regards

Colin @ ScottishPower