£80 a month debit indefinitely with scottish power...what are my options?

Richie-from-the-Boro

Either you control it or it [the accounting system] controls you. I'm E7 and in this last year I used a mixed total of :

- 9,000 kWh
- area 15
- @ about an E7 split of 50/50% over the whole year
- my day rate was xx.xxp and the night rate was x.xxp
- the standing charge was xx.xx

If you are on a quarterly meter read you deserve what you get, and subsidise the rest of us. If you are not paying monthly direct debit you deserve what you get, and subsidise the rest of us. If you are not personally reading you meter and logging the numbers into your e-account you deserve what you get, and subsidise the rest of us. If you are not on the cheapest tariff available you deserve what you get, and subsidise the rest of us. I bask in 22°C day and night in the winter - I use 9,000 kWh a year - in area 15 - @ about an E7 split of 50/50% and can instantly tell the best and cheapest option for me - you should do the same cashmonger, its not difficult, best of luck my friend.

cashmonger

Ok finally found the actual readings from 4th july 2013 to 4th July 2014. All elec; no gas.

2013: 23842
2014: 28581

4739.

The fixed online energy price for scottishpower I can switch to is 52 per month and the lowest alternative ukpower site came up with was 49 a month so might as well stick with SP I guess .

My mum told me though that prices are going down at the mo for energy so if I was on fixed I might miss out on a bargain is that something worth considering? If so what tarrif should I go with?

System

You are never tied to a fixed contract. Some fixed tariffs have exit fees others do not. I am switching to a tariff with no exit fee. The switch goes through tomorrow. I could, if I wished, switch to another supplier on Friday.

CashStrapped

Thats great! The scottish power tariff has no exit fees, so if prices drop futher you can look at what is on offer later in the year and switch without paying a small penalty.


I would just point out for the last time that you need to stop focusing on the DD figure. You need to look and compare the actual tariff rates and projected yearly cost.

Scottish power could try and chage that DD amount at anytime. In fact, they try to put it up every time I give a meter reading, and I am in credit.

When you compare tariffs always look at the projected yearly cost based on your past KWH usage only.

So for the Scottish Power tariff it may be £592 compared to Eon which would cost £574.

This yearly cost is a much more accurate way of comparing rather than a DD figure given to you by your energy company.

They can make that DD figure whatever they want. So you can't always compare with it.

Do you understand?

cashmonger

Yes I get that the dd is just estimated and not based on usage. I already knew that in general but was confused by the fixed rate stuff for a time but now see it is only the unit price that is fixed and the monthly figure is just an estimate of projected usage. correct?

tripled

That's right. So the cost of boiling your kettle is fixed, but if you boil it more often you use more energy and have to pay for the extra boils.

leelee28leelee

please can anybody help me?
ive called scottish power customer services 4 times in 3 weeks but they are completely useless with solving the problem of my continuesly rising gas price!
January cost me a massive £165 for just gas and now im putting a minimum of £50 a week on. Im on a low income at the moment because of having surgery and im having to cut down on food and tbh i only use the heating for 30 mins in the morning and an hour or 2 in the evening! ive had to reduse the levels and amount of baths/showers that myself and my children are having.
scottish power have accepted that there is an issue but not telling me what. im just thobbed off with the comment that its being investigated and have to wait up to 30 working days for any reply!
not sure how im going to afford the gas until the do sort this out?

polymaff

cashmonger wrote: »

Yes I get that the dd is just estimated and not based on usage. I already knew that in general but was confused by the fixed rate stuff for a time but now see it is only the unit price that is fixed and the monthly figure is just an estimate of projected usage. correct?

Not quite. "Prices" are fixed - not just the unit prices but the standing charges, probably the discounts and exit fees, too. The only (pre-VAT) variable is then YOU and how much you choose to use

polymaff

leelee28leelee wrote: »

please can anybody help me?
ive called scottish power customer services 4 times in 3 weeks but they are completely useless with solving the problem of my continuesly rising gas price!
January cost me a massive £165 for just gas and now im putting a minimum of £50 a week on. Im on a low income at the moment because of having surgery and im having to cut down on food and tbh i only use the heating for 30 mins in the morning and an hour or 2 in the evening! ive had to reduse the levels and amount of baths/showers that myself and my children are having.
scottish power have accepted that there is an issue but not telling me what. im just thobbed off with the comment that its being investigated and have to wait up to 30 working days for any reply!
not sure how im going to afford the gas until the do sort this out?

I suggest that you relaunch this as a fresh thread. You'll get more responses. You may want to reshape the question, too.

If your point is that you're finding it difficult to make ends meet, given your present circumstances, you might want to focus on getting help in those circumstances - and drop Scottish Power out of the posting.

If you think that the meter is over-reading, that is an entirely different issue - and one that SP should take up.

Robin9

cashmonger - have you started the switching process ?