Is NPower being disingenuous?

trebor27

I have *JUST* switched to an NPower fixed rate deal.

One thing I noticed in the letter after switching is that they vary the threshold for the cheaper gas/electric tariff based on the time of year.

So for example, using "fictitious" numbers as I don't have the letter to hand:
In the summer months after your first “10” units of gas/electric you move onto the cheaper rate.
However in the winter months this threshold changes so only after the fist 100 units do you move onto the cheaper tariff.

This basically has the effect that your gas and electricity cost more in the winter than they do in the summer! (I.e. When you use the most, it costs you the most! Funny that!!!!)

Now if I was a cynical person I might believe that the sole reason they do this is that they inform the price comparison sites that over a year the "threshold" level is actually at 55 units. (I.e. A “normalised” or averaged version of 10 unit threshold for 6 months and a 100 unit threshold for 6 months.)

This might then make themselves look cheaper over the course of a year, where in actual fact they would not necessarily be. I've not seen any evidence that Scottish power, my prior utility company, do this variable "threshold".

Is this normal for other utilities?

Cheers
Rob

trebor27

So here are the figures off of NPowers website, right now.... (Not necessarily the same tariff I am on)

Electricity details
first 728kWh per year..16.947p per kWh
additional kWh...........13.409p per kWh
Gas details
first 4572kWh per year..7.616p per kWh
additional kWh.............2.789p per kWh

That seems straight forward, and I suspect is the data used for price comparison purposes!
But clcik on the "small print and legals link" and you find:
Months...........................Max units charged at primary rate PCM
Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb.............882
March..............................272
April, Oct..........................271
May, June, July, Aug, Sept...46
Annual total......................4572

Keep in mid you may use let's say (finger waving excercise) 75% of your gas/electric over the winter months? :mad:

Cheers
Rob