Cheapest tariff/switching + Scottish Power

catoutthebag

Hello everyone

I moved into my 1 bed apartment one and a half years ago.

I'm not a massive user of gas and electric.

My providers SP kept me on the same monthly debit as the previous guy £25 pcm who was rarely there.

I kept giving my readings, but they didn't advise me that I was getting into debit and to adjust my debit.

So, basically I got into deficit, I kicked off, they gave me a partial refund and now I've been paying £35 pcm for the last few months

I've received a letter and statement saying my tarrif is coming to an end

I've never switched before, so can come analyse the figures below and let me know if the usage is high/low/average for one person and how I can switch supplier or tarrif please? Preferably switch as SP are poor customer service.

I believe the figure are Apr 2015-2016

Electric
Previous 12 months usage 595.32kwh
Previous 12 months total cost £130.24

Last period: 248.90
This period: 595.32

Projection for next 12 months £148.97

Gas
Previous 12 months usage 8189.04kwh
Previous 12 months total cost £298.46

Last period: 4740.61
This period: 8189.04

Projection for next 12 months £334.36

I don't understand.

Thanks you

CashStrapped

Somthing seems a bit odd about the figures you have.

The projection on bills made by energy companies can often be incorrect.

To compare tariffs you are looking at the KWH (the measurement of energy you have used) usage for gas and electric.

National Average figures are around 12500kwh for gas and 3500kwh for electric.

As you can see, you are just below average in your gas use (8189kwh) but your electricity use (595.32kwh) looks suspiciously low.

Have you made a mistake withthe number when posting on here?

The best thing to do is to go through your bills and look for two readings (ensure they are not estimates) roughly 1 year apart. Subtract the oldest one from the most recent one and you have your annual KWH use. This way you can be sure they are more or less correct.

Ignore any cost projections your energy supplier gives you. They are probably based being on their most expensive tariff.

Go to www.cheapenergyclub.com on this site. Register and fill in the information about your current tariff and the KWH figures you have calculated. Look at the results, choose the cheapest or your preferred supplier and switch!

Remember, ignore any DD figures. It is the annual cost you need to look at. A DD is just a guess by your energy company of what they think you will pay.

Also remember that when switching in winter, your DD may be quite high initially as you winter bills will be high. You have not had time to build up a summer buffer of credit.

dogshome

The figures given seem to be taken from the suppliers annual statement - The consumption figures for the ' Last Period' appear to be roughly only half of those for 'This Period' because they only cover 6 months

The Elec.- The annual use of only 596 KWh is astoundingly low (1.7 a day), and needs to be verified by examening all the individual bills
If it checks out OK, you should Switch to Ebico who's unit consumption charge will be high but they don't have a Standing Charge, and at the moment around half of your present bill goes in the daily Standing Charge.

The Gas - Against your Elec cost your Gas consumption is high at 8190 KWh, which is enough for a small family home, but as you have had your 'Tariff Ending" letter, there is nothing to stop you Switching to a cheaper supplier such as Zog

PS second thoughts - The low Elect consumption suggests that there maybe something awry with either SP's figures or the meter itself - Is this meter within your flat, or is it in a Service Room along with all the other meters?

ASavvyBuyer

If your figures for use of Electric & Gas are correct; they are on the low side. Therefore, it is worth looking at separate suppliers for Electric & Gas, as dual fuel tariffs are not usually the best option now.
As others have said, get accurate figures for a years use from your bills (not estimates) and put them into some energy comparison sites; but choose to just look at Electric only and Gas only, as well as dual fuel so that you can see what is the best tariff for you. Also, select All, not just the ones that the comparison sites get a commission for switching you.
If your electricity use is really that low, it is likely Ebico will work out a lot cheaper. For Gas, it is likely that Zog will give you the best deal. We get our Gas through Zog and find their customer service excellent.

catoutthebag

Hi, the figures I gave were on my letter.

To give my general 'bills'

- I do 3 washer loads a week
- have a long, hot shower
- I wash up dishes by hand
- I havs energy saving bulbs
- I rarely have tv, radio, laptop on, I do most internet and music stuff on my phone
- the router is the only thing I can think of being on all the time.. fridge freezer too
-im out the flat a lot
- everything is off at the mains
- sometimes use cooker/oven, but mainly microwave
- fridge freezer and washer are new so I guess efficient

Hope that helps.

Shall I switch?

catoutthebag

The metres are in the communal hall, each flat has their flat number on it, I always take it from the same one (marked by my number).

CashStrapped

The list of what you use is not really helpful. We need your actual/confirmed meter reading numbers to help you. Ignore any estimated readings.

The figures you gave above (for electricity), look odd. Hence we need to double check your annual KWH calculations. Check the number you gave in the opening post.

You need to

1) Check your old bills and write down all the Actual/confirmed meter readings you have (ignore estimated ones). Include the dates they were recoded.

2) Post them (the meter readings and dates) here

3) We will help work out your annual KWH use for gas and electric.

4) You then compare and get the best deal, specifically for your use.

The only accurate way to compare is with KWH figures.

dogshome

Meters being assigned to the wrong flat is quite common when the meters are housed in a Service Area - Take nothing at face value.

1)Check that the Meter No. listed on the bill really is the same as that on the meter, even if it is, go to 2

2)With everything in the flat turned off look at the meter - It should not be recording any movement
Whilst you stand by the stationary the meter, have friend in the flat with a mobile phone Switch the kettle On/Off to your order - The meter should be active exactly in sequence with your On/Off commands - If it isn't, it's not the one supplying your flat, so report that to SP a.s.a.p

catoutthebag

Hi sorry for the delay, lots going on.

I dug out the graph on SP site.

Below are figures, total and average per day.

My tarrif runs out Wednesday, so I need to act quick.

Please can anyone advise my best options please

Gas

Dec 15, 882.82 (28.48/day)
Jan 16, 882.82, 28.48
Feb, 1186.3, 40.91
Mar 988.97, 31.9
Apr 576.8, 19.23
May 596.02, 19.23
June 476.36, 15.88
Jul 388.46, 12.53
Aug 307.12, 9.91
Sep 288.78, 9.63
Oct 298.41, 9.63

Elec

Dec 48.12, 1.55
Jan 48.12, 1.55
Feb 76.19, 2.63
Mar 68.07, 2.2
Apr 45.63, 1.52
May 47.15, 1.52
June 54.07, 1.8
Jul 64.59, 2.08
Aug 52.54, 1.69
Sep 49.6, 1.65
Oct 51.25, 1.65

catoutthebag

CashStrapped wrote: »

The list of what you use is not really helpful. We need your actual/confirmed meter reading numbers to help you. Ignore any estimated readings.

The figures you gave above (for electricity), look odd. Hence we need to double check your annual KWH calculations. Check the number you gave in the opening post.

You need to

1) Check your old bills and write down all the Actual/confirmed meter readings you have (ignore estimated ones). Include the dates they were recoded.

2) Post them (the meter readings and dates) here

3) We will help work out your annual KWH use for gas and electric.

4) You then compare and get the best deal, specifically for your use.

The only accurate way to compare is with KWH figures.

Hopefully the above is done.

How do I switch , will my gas electric be cut off Wednesday?!

D_M_E

1. Your power will not be cut off - the supplier will just put you on their most expensive tariff.

2. Did you do the kettle test as advised by dogshome above in order to make sure the meter labelled with your flat number actually is yours?

3. Did you check, as suggested above, that the meter serial numbers match on the bill and the meter?

4. Given the usage you describe, your consumption should be more like around 1500Kwh for electric - the gas seems fine.

You need to check all the above before switching.