How to compare Scottishpower Twinheat tariff alternatives?

lardconcepts

No mains gas here in Wales, so we've got a heat pump for space heating and immersion for water. Both run exclusively on the off-peak parts of Scottishpower's Twinheat tariff (4 hours night, 3 hours afternoon) and accounts for just under 70% of electricity usage leading to an average £80/month total electricity bill for all heating and water for the family, which I'm reasonably happy with for an old detached house.

I'd like to try and switch but I can't find ANY comparison site aware of the twinheat tariff. Is it something exclusive to this one company? Or does anyone else do a similar tariff? If so, can someone suggest the tariff names so I can google them? Thanks!

Flt._Lt._Biggles

lardconcepts wrote: »

No mains gas here in Wales, so we've got a heat pump for space heating and immersion for water. Both run exclusively on the off-peak parts of Scottishpower's Twinheat tariff (4 hours night, 3 hours afternoon) and accounts for just under 70% of electricity usage leading to an average £80/month total electricity bill for all heating and water for the family, which I'm reasonably happy with for an old detached house.

I'd like to try and switch but I can't find ANY comparison site aware of the twinheat tariff. Is it something exclusive to this one company? Or does anyone else do a similar tariff? If so, can someone suggest the tariff names so I can google them? Thanks!

Yes. That is why it's not on comparison sites.

Others may suggest similar products supplied by some of the other suppliers, but that is all they are; similar, not the same.
And most other suppliers don't accept new customers on those tariffs anyway (although a couple do)

scones

Twinheat is exclusive to Scottish Power. They inherited the tariff when they took over Manweb and it remains available only in the former Manweb area (North Wales and Merseyside).

I think some of the other established electricity suppliers (SSE, Npower, etc.) still offer similar tariffs, but these are normally confined to their own "home" areas.

In all likelihood, Scottish Power is probably your only option if you need the split 4 hour / 3 hour off peak periods.

You could investigate switching to a straightforward Economy 7 or Economy 10 setup which is supported by more suppliers, but the off peak hours may not suit you so well. You would probably also have to pay Scottish Power to reconfigure your existing off peak timer or teleswitch, or replace it with a standard Economy 7 / Economy 10 one. You should also check whether or not it's possible to switch back to Twinheat if you change your mind - it's pretty well buried in their tariff sheets and I don't think they're encouraging new customers.

We have had Twinheat for about 20 years, right from the early days when it was known as "Menter" and the off peak times alternated week by week! It is much better than Economy 7 for keeping the house warm all day long. It is not cheap, but if we switched back to Economy 7 we'd probably spend just as much money on top-up heating in the evenings.

NorskMann

If TwinHeat was no longer working for you, I'd recommend an E7 Meter, as this is likely to give you the broadest opportunity to move to a supplier that may be more competitive that SP's TwinHeat Tariff.

Do you mind me asking the rates or is that being too Nosy for TwinHeat (per KWH)?

scones

Monthly Direct Debit - Standard Tariff
Twinheat = 18.545p peak, 8.121p off-peak + 27.39p/day standing charge
For comparison, normal Economy 7 is 17.142p and 7.208p with the same standing charge

Monthly Direct Debit - "Help Beat Cancer" Fixed Price Energy June 2018
Twinheat = 18.603p peak, 8.178p off-peak + 20.55p/day standing charge
Again, for comparison, normal Economy 7 is 15.178p and 6.492p with the same standing charge

Quite a difference, but still worth it for some households due to reduced need for top-up heat in the evenings, and the more useful off-peak periods.

Cardew

scones wrote: »

Monthly Direct Debit - Standard Tariff
Twinheat = 18.545p peak, 8.121p off-peak + 27.39p/day standing charge
For comparison, normal Economy 7 is 17.142p and 7.208p with the same standing charge

Monthly Direct Debit - "Help Beat Cancer" Fixed Price Energy June 2018
Twinheat = 18.603p peak, 8.178p off-peak + 20.55p/day standing charge
Again, for comparison, normal Economy 7 is 15.178p and 6.492p with the same standing charge

Quite a difference, but still worth it for some households due to reduced need for top-up heat in the evenings, and the more useful off-peak periods.

There are 'normal'(24/7) tariffs available now costing under 10p/kWh; that must surely be a better bet than Twinheat or E7

scones

Cardew wrote: »

There are 'normal'(24/7) tariffs available now costing under 10p/kWh; that must surely be a better bet than Twinheat or E7

May well be the case for many. However, 86% of our consumption over the last year was at off peak rates, so our 'average' kWh price is still below 10p.