Canceling Scottish Power DD.. Good Idea? 🤔

LittleBill

Hello all .. 

Has been an age since I’ve posted on here and I see it’s still the definitive forum 💪🏼

My query is I’m wondering if it’s possible to cancel my Scottish Power DD and ‘pay as I go’ on a month by month basis?

Background info :

Bought my house on September 30th last year in a new area and ‘inherited’ SP (I was with SSE previously)  I read all the ML advice on here at the time and just snuck under the 1st of October wire and got on the Standard Tariff.  I started on £65 p/m and it’s now £205. I also inherited an v old boiler and the massive gas usage that went with it 😭 I thankfully have just managed to replace with an A rated boiler and my consumption should be much lower.  I read my meter today and submitted the gas reading (I have an electric SM) and it produced a 69 day bill of £200 g&e owing. In 4 days this will be wiped out by my £205 so I’m pretty much keeping pace.  

My issue is : They’ve ‘recommended’ £368 p/m which I can’t afford and I’m worried they’ll change it automatically and take loads more than I need to pay (or owe) regardless of my new efficient boiler!

Can’t get thru to SP on the phone, but want to know can I cancel my DD and just pay each month what I actually use, without losing my Standard Tariff status?

Do you have to have a DD?  SP T&Cs don’t say 

Thanks in advance

LittleBill 🤍

GingerTim

You are better moving to a variable direct debit if this is what you want to do - you will clear each month's usage while retaining rhe DD discount. Simply settling the bill each month will cost about 5-7% more than by DD.

All this comes with the proviso that winter bills will be high and summer ones low, so budgeting is a must.

Do you have readings for the last twelve months? Some helpful person will no doubt be able to advise on what the DD should be. Bear in mind that prices will go up a lot in October, and rhen again in January.

LittleBill

Thank you 🙏🏼 

I did I think I would be getting a discount (which I obvs don’t want to lose) but I couldn’t find what it was online 

Do you have any idea if I can alter it to a Variable DD myself online GT?

Trying to get thru to SP on the phone is like trying to speak to Elvis 😐

GingerTim

I'm not sure, hopefully a BG customer will be able to advise. I changed to variable direct debit earlier in the year with EDF via a live chat.

LittleBill

GingerTim said:

…All this comes with the proviso that winter bills will be high and summer ones low, so budgeting is a must.

Do you have readings for the last twelve months? Some helpful person will no doubt be able to advise on what the DD should be. Bear in mind that prices will go up a lot in October, and rhen again in January…

I’ve got the few readings I’ve taken and I’ve had an electric SM since Feb .. (I couldn’t get a gas one as the boiler was so sad it couldn’t be switched off to fit one 😦)

Ive read the meter today to try to judge how much better the consumption is from .. my previous was diabolical 

Hedgepigs

You will be getting the £400 government credit as a minimum. As I understand it, from what I've read, Scottish Power will take your full DD and then refund £66 (or whatever you are due) into your bank account each month it is running, which will help.

If they are only recommending, if you are going to struggle with the cost I'd keep your payment as is for now until the rebate kicks in. However if your usage remains the same as last year, the figure they have quoted sounds about right based on a current monthly cost of £205. If you go to variable DD to pay for exactly what you use, as your balance is £0, bare in mind the monthly cost will be much higher over the winter than £368, as it is not being offset against the cheaper summer months.

LittleBill

Hedgepigs said:

If they are only recommending, if you are going to struggle with the cost I'd keep your payment as is for now until the rebate kicks in. However if your usage remains the same as last year, the figure they have quoted sounds about right based on a current monthly cost of £205. If you go to variable DD to pay for exactly what you use, as your balance is £0, bare in mind the monthly cost will be much higher over the winter than £368, as it is not being offset against the cheaper summer months.

I’ve worked it on a spreadsheet and yes : on my current usage with the diabolical boiler it was about right, hence my payment and bill balancing each other out virtually at 11 months 

Pretty good at budgeting and yes I will get £400 payment plus an additional for being on WFTC & CTC .. which will be an enormous help!  I know when they altered it last time, they refused to lower it again and they’ll effectively give it with one hand and take it away with another! 😧 

I suspect our new usage will mimic our conservative electricity usage and be between low & medium as I’m also investing in extra ‘fabric first’ insulation to make the house as thrifty as poss.  My hope was really to ride out the initial price hike / winter months with the help of the COL payments and then reassess our usage in the spring .. rather than overpay SP on the premise that we still have the diabolical boiler 🤷🏼

LB