Scottish Power – an overview

Scottish Power was established in Glasgow over 100 years ago and has been at the heart of energy distribution in the city ever since. In 2007 the company joined the Iberdrola Group which is one of the key players in the field of renewable energy, and is now the 5th largest energy company in the world. Its sister company Scottish Power Renewables is the biggest developer of onshore wind-farms in the UK and the Iberdrola Group is recognised as the world leader in wind energy.

Scottish Power offer two main deals on price as well as a green tariff which (surprisingly for a company devoted to wind energy) is not always available! With their Guaranteed deals, you get peace of mind knowing that you are protected from future price rises for a certain period of time. You can choose a fixed tariff, which means you pay a fixed price until 2014 - Platinum Fixed being the cheaper option. This deal also includes HomeComfort Standard Care for your boiler until January 2014. Or you could opt for Fixed Price energy which gives you a guaranteed fixed price right up until 2015 – great if you’re trying to budget monthly outgoings at the moment.

With the Capped Price options you benefit in two ways. Firstly you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your fuel prices won’t go above a certain capped amount until 2014. The other advantage of opting for capped over fixed is that if fuel prices do fall, then your bills will fall too. The disadvantage is that capped prices may be higher than the prices on the standard tariff at the time of purchase. Because of this, it’s best to have a think about whether you want the cheapest option now, or the safety of paying a steady price for the next few years.

The discounted options with Scottish Power are a bit more limited than some of the other main energy suppliers. Currently they offer the Online Fixed Saver deal which, as the name would suggest, is only available when you buy online. This deal offers you a 5% discount on the standard monthly Direct Debit prices and a further discount if you get both gas and electricity. There is a cancellation charge, however, so be sure you don’t negate your savings by switching half way through the contract! The main advantages of online energy (other than the prices) are the fuss-free account management options. You get paperless bills and you can input meter readings, make payments, track your energy consumption and update details online without having to pick up the phone. You can also let the company know if you’re moving by updating your account information. uSwitch customers have voted Socttish Power’s online energy service ‘Best Online Service’ 5 times in a row, so they must be getting something right!

Like most of the ‘Big 6’ energy providers in the country, Scottish Power also offer a boiler maintenance service. There are two options: HomeComfort Standard Care and HomeComfort Premium Care. The benefits include an annual boiler service and maintenance check, unlimited call outs if you have an emergency, a 24 hour emergency call centre, and helpful energy efficiency advice which could help you reduce your bill and use your boiler more efficiently. The Premium option includes all the benefits of the standard package plus for 11p extra per day they will take care of your radiators too.