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mprolf

I have just recently moved into a property (1 Bedroom Flat) and not sure what to do with my energy. My electricity is supplied by Scottish Power on a prepaid meter and my gas is monthly direct debit supplied by So energy I have been in contact with So energy and have been quoted £75 a month on a variable tariff. I'm not sure what to do, any help and advice would be helpful.

Gerry1

The first thing you MUST do today is to register with SP and So, and provide them with meter readings.  That also means you'll qualify for the £66 government payment on 1 December.

Don't use any prepaid card or key that you were given: it may have the last user's debt on it, so get your own card or key.  If it's a smart meter you can ask them to switch it remotely to DD.

You'll probably have no choice but to stay on the standard variable tariff, which is as good as it gets at the moment.  The fixed DD is just their guess that your annual gas consumption will be £900; don't make the mistake of thinking that any lower figure from another provider means that they will be cheaper, at the moment they're virtually all the same.  Think of it like a kitty in a jam jar: it's not All You Can Eat, if you use more than expected then your 'fixed' DD will increase.

Once you have registered you are then free to choose alternative suppliers.  Scottish Power gets very bad reviews !

Take monthly readings and keep them for your records, and then you'll know how much it's costing you.  If you have smart meters, make sure the actual readings appear on the bills, not estimates.

You may prefer to opt for Variable Monthly Direct Debit so that you'll know exactly what it's costing you and there won't be any surprises later on with your DD suddenly being increased.  However, VMDD does mean higher bills in winter and lower ones in summer. Enjoy your new flat !

MikeyPGT

You probably won't be able to get through to Scottish Power, but don't even try!  It must be the worst company in the world to deal with - from setting me up with 3 different accounts (all with the wrong supply address), over-crediting my 'smart' meter with £180, taking over 8 weeks to not replace the 'smart' meter or even following it up and now I find that SP is showing 3 different amounts for my electricity use for November (two different ones on the app and a third on the meter!). Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

t0rt0ise

MikeyPGT said:

You probably won't be able to get through to Scottish Power, but don't even try!  It must be the worst company in the world to deal with - from setting me up with 3 different accounts (all with the wrong supply address), over-crediting my 'smart' meter with £180, taking over 8 weeks to not replace the 'smart' meter or even following it up and now I find that SP is showing 3 different amounts for my electricity use for November (two different ones on the app and a third on the meter!). Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

OP, you have to get in touch with Scottish Power to open an account, so ignore this advice to not try. Once you've set up an account you can move to a different supplier if you wish.

grumbler

mprolf said:

...quoted £75 a month on a variable tariff.

I am no expert, but this makes no sense to me.

I guess this is just an estimation of the DD, that will be adjusted according to the actual usage.