Moved into new home need advice

elmiee

Hello everyone,

Me and my partner have just moved into our new home and had both previous been living in places where we haven’t had to have gas/electric bills so aren’t switching but looking to set up our electric and gas and have both nearly had a heart attack and have zero clue!!

We know the last tenants were with Scottish Power and on the website we got a quote of £430 a month?! It says it’s a fixed contract so does that mean it defiantly is £430 a month? They didn’t ask for any meter readings etc and we both have no clue how much gas/electric we would actually use as are both new to this.

just after some advice and if what we’re looking at is right etc before we go setting something up or calling them etc! 

Thanks :-)

dunstonh

It says it’s a fixed contract so does that mean it defiantly is £430 a month?

No.

Fixed price contracts fix the unit price.  They are not an "all you can eat" energy deal.   
i.e. the more you use, the more you will pay.        

You won't know if the previous tenant was paying a sensible amount or catching up on arrears.  You could ask Scottish Power for the figure they recommend.  They cant tell you the kWh the previous tenant used but they will recommend a figure to get you going. 

After that, you are best doing monthly readings of your meter and log them in a book or spreadsheet. Do this for at least a year and you will then know what your energy use is in kWh.

Remember that you use around 10-15% of your annual energy in the warmer months and 85-90% in the cold months.  So, you must not base your payment on your summer/autumn use

[Deleted User]

Fixed contract means fixed cost for each unit of energy. If you use more, you will pay more.

Fixed direct debit means estimate annual total spread out over 12 months.  If your estimate changes, they will change the direct debit amount.

Robin9

You MUST get in touch with SP and give them meter readings. Switching to another supplier is very difficult - perhaps EDF.

Within SP you do have options whether to go for the fix as offered or stay on the SVT.  Lots of threads on this matter.

What estimated annual consumptions did you use ?  SP will have some historic data.

macman

There are no fixes cheaper than SVT under the price cap. Ring them back and supply reads now, or you could be paying for someone else's usage.

EssexHebridean

Start from now taking regular meter readings for yourselves - weekly ideally, on the same day of the week. Once a month) pass those readings to your supplier too - that way both they are you will start to get a grasp far more quickly of how your use will pan out, and from your own perspective, you'll be able to calculate the "real" cost of the energy you're using so you know whether that is affordable for you, or whether something needs to give elsewhere in your budget. 

This is frightening for pretty much everyone at the moment, but must be even worse for someone like yourself who is addressing this issue for the first time. You will find these forums invaluable for help and support in all sorts of areas though, so stick around!