Scottish Power are one of the largest energy providers in the UK, powering 5 million homes and businesses. Its been owned by Spanish utility company Iberdrola since 2006.
Wondering if this is the right energy provider for you? Have a look at the reviews and tariffs below.
Scottish Power Reviews
- Trustpilot: 0.3 out of 10, based on 1,465 reviews, rated ‘Bad’ overall.
- Which?: Overall customer score of 50% based on 844 customers. On average, customers rate them 3/5 for customer service and bill clarity. They score just 2/5 for helping to save energy and value for money.
- Review Centre: 1.2 out of 5, based on 391 reviews.
- Citizens Advice: 3.1 out of 5, (total number of reviewers not available). Scottish Power came 14th in the Citizens Advice ranking of 23 energy companies. They score an average of 5 stars for ease of switching, but just 2 stars for dealing with complaints.
Scottish Power feature their Reevoo reviews on their website homepage (87% would recommend them apparently), but no other review sources.
Scottish Power Electricity, Gas & Dual Fuel Tariffs
The tariffs below are based on gas and electric for a semi-detached home for 3-4 people at a specific postcode with national average usage. For a more specific tariff, you can enter your own details at scottishpower.co.uk.
Getting an initial quote with Scottish Power is really quick, because they only ask for a few pieces of information. If you want a more specific quote, however, you can fill in more info about your boiler type and usage.
Help Beat Cancer Fix and Save
- Gas – £58.80 monthly, £705.61 annually, (39.45p per day standing charge, 3.37p per kWh).
- Electricity – £68.94 monthly, £827.23 annually, (39.45p per day standing charge, 14.75p per kWh).
- Total annual cost – £1,532.84.
- Projected monthly cost – £127.74.
- Fixed for 2 years.
- No exit fee.
- £5 per fuel per month donation to Cancer Research UK.
Online Super Saver
- Gas – £53.17 monthly, £637.99 annually, (19.18p per day standing charge, 3.41p per kWh).
- Electricity – £61.1o monthly, £733.14 annually, (19.18p per day standing charge, 14.32p per kWh).
- Total annual cost – £1,371.13.
- Projected monthly cost – £114.27.
- Fixed until 31 Dec 2018.
- £100 exit fee.
Fixed Price Energy
- Gas – £62.75 monthly, £753.05 annually, (29.03p per day standing charge, 3.88p per kWh).
- Electricity – £70.77 monthly, £849.28 annually, (29.03p per day standing charge, 16.04p per kWh).
- Total annual cost – £1,602.33.
- Projected monthly cost – £133.52.
- Fixed price contract
- No exit fees.
- Boiler Care Plus included.
PowerUp
- Prepayment scheme which allows you to buy energy upfront and monitor it from an app.
- Day Pay – £121.72 monthly, £1460.60 annually.
- 1 month package – £118.57 monthly, £1442.86 annually.
- 3 month package – £115.00 monthly, £1380.02 annually.
- 6 month package – £111.45 monthly, £1337.34 annually.
- No exit fees.
- Not available on comparison sites.
Note the tariffs listed above were correct at the time of writing (10 November 2017), although as noted, prices will vary by post code and subject to change at any time.
Scottish Power Business Energy
Business Fixed
- Fixed contract for 1-3 years.
- Energy efficiency advice (partnership with The Carbon Trust).
Standard Fixed
- Fixed for 1 year.
- Can move to a different Scottish Power product with no exit fees.
- Need to give 30 days notice before you leave.
Standard Variable
- Price can go up or down (Scottish Power advise that these are usually higher than fixed tariffs).
- Can move to a different Scottish Power product with no exit fees.
Deemed
- Default product if you take over a premises already powered by Scottish Power.
- Price can go up or down (Scottish Power advise that these are usually higher than fixed tariffs).
- Can move to a different Scottish Power product with no exit fees.
For a full profile see: Scottish Power Business Electricity & Gas Tariffs & Rates
Scottish Power Background
Despite their name, Scottish Power don’t just operate in Scotland, they provide energy for 5 million homes and businesses throughout the UK.
Like many of ‘The Big Six’, Scottish Power has evolved through various name-changes and mergers. Established in 1901 as one of the first electric companies in the UK, Scottish Power was then called Clyde Valley Electrical Power. Now, they’re owned by Spanish utility company Iberdrola, and say their focus is on advertising the most competitive prices they can, and introducing new services such as remote solutions.
They’ve got a few controversies in their history.
In 2007, regulator Ofgem encouraged Scottish Power customers to switch to cheaper providers after they refused to reduce tariff prices. They were also banned from accepting new customers in 2015 because their customer service problems were deemed “long-standing and serious”.
Scottish Power Smart Meter
Like the rest of ‘The Big Six’, Scottish Power are rolling out smart meters gradually. According to Money Saving Expert, customers can expect them in summer 2018, which is slower than their ‘Big Six’ competitors. If you’re eligible (the rules are a bit vague, but you can get all the info on the Smart Energy GB site) you should be able to book an installation soon.
Scottish Power send their customers an installation checklist before the engineer is due to arrive, because it involves turning off your power and gas for about an hour.
Smart meters mean you don’t have to manually submit meter readings anymore and your bill will be more accurate. You can also monitor your usage on the screen throughout the day and reduce consumption in real-time.
Your electricity usage will be reported every few seconds, and your gas usage every half an hour. The government have set a deadline for energy companies to provide all eligible customers with smart meters free of charge by 2020.
Other Scottish Power Meters
On the Scottish Power help page, there are some handy video guides to reading electricity and gas meters, both digital and dial.
When you’ve read your meter, you can submit the readings through the YourEnergy app, using your online account, or over the phone.
If you’re not able to get a smart meter just yet, sending regular meter readings is the best way to keep your bill accurate. Prepayment customers don’t need to do this because their readings are sent automatically when topped up.
Scottish Power Bills
There are 42 different bill-related questions on Scottish Power’s FAQs, so there’s quite a few to go through. The questions cover how your bill is calculated, how you can pay it, and what the different terminology means.
Hopefully, this would answer any question a customer might have, but for more specific problems there’s a contact phone number.
Scottish Power Warm Home Discount
Scottish Power was part of the 2017/18 Warm Home Discount scheme, which gives vulnerable people £140 towards their energy bills. They do not have any information about how to apply for the 2018/19 on their website at the current time.
Scottish Power App
The Scottish Power app is called YourEnergy and it’s available for Apple and Android users. Using the app, you can change your tariff, set up a Direct Debit, view energy usage and find emergency information quickly.
503 iPhone users give YourEnergy 2 stars on average, with many having problems logging in and getting their correct energy usage to display. 1,634 Android users give it 2.8 stars on average – the majority aren’t impressed either.
Switching To Scottish Power
Making the switch to Scottish Power takes about 3 weeks in total. First, you’ll get your tariff information and an estimated start date through the post. Your online account will be set up too, so you should be able to log in quite quickly.
After about 5 working days, Scottish Power will request your first meter reading, you can submit this online or over the phone. It’s really important these are accurate, because they’re used to set up your account. Your existing provider will also send you your final bill around this time – it’s a good idea to pay this as soon as possible to speed up the switching process.
Scottish Power will update you on the progress by email or through the post.
Moving Home With Scottish Power
Customers moving house need to let Scottish Power know at least 2 working days before the moving date. They also need to provide meter readings, old and new addresses,, and the name of who’s moving into your home (if you have that information).
As tariffs vary from region to region, and depending on what kind of home you live in and how your boiler functions, you might find the prices go up or down if you move to a different area and stick with Scottish Power.
Scottish Power Fuel Mix
Coal – 0% (8.5% UK average)
Gas – 52% (44.1%)
Nuclear – 0% (21.0%)
Hydro – 4% (24% renewable UK average)
Wind – 44%
Scottish Power Feed-in Tariff
Scottish Power is a mandatory Feed-in Tariff (FIT) licensee. This means you can receive your FIT payments from them (as long as your system is MCS certified) if you are an Scottish Power customer or your current energy supplier is not a FIT licensee. You can learn more on their website.
Scottish Power In the News
ScottishPower renewables the star turn in Iberdrola results
8 Nov 2017, The Scotsman
Scottish Power’s owner, Iberdrola, reported that the energy company’s profits have increased from £157 million to £211.6 million in Q3 compared to last year. They attribute their earnings in part to investing in renewable sources and offshore wind farms.
Scottish Power sheds more customers as consumers switch to cheaper plans
7 Nov 2017, Financial Times
Scottish Power “ended the quarter with 5.22 million customers versus 5.34 million at the same point a year ago”. September 2017 showed 46% more people (year on year) switched from a major provider to smaller, cheaper energy companies.
More than 3,500 homes without power after Storm Ophelia damage
17 Oct 2017, Daily Post
Storm Ophelia cut power for customers in North Wales and the North West of England, so Scottish Power sent helicopters “to help engineers find damaged cables in a big to restore electricity to those affected”.
Scottish Power Complaints
96% of Scottish Power’s Trustpilot reviews are ‘Bad’. Many people cite problems which began when they first signed up or initiated a switch, including issues with online accounts and disappointing customer service.
Customers on Review Centre paint an equally negative picture, highlighting fairly similar problems to Trustpilot users.
Which? is slightly more specific in its verdict, showing that “nearly a sixth of Scottish Power customers think it’s poor value”.
According to Scottish Power’s own complaint performance, around 70% of complaints are solved the same or next working day.
Contact Phone Numbers & Email
Phone: 0800 027 0072 (Mon to Fri 8am-10pm, Sat 8:30am-6pm)
Email: [email protected]
Scottish Power Energy Address
ScottishPower Customer Services, 320 St Vincent St. Glasgow, G2 5AD.
Website: https://www.scottishpower.co.uk
Scottish Power Energy Summary
‘The Big Six’ regularly raise prices, which is something all their future customers should be aware of before switching. According to The Telegraph’s 2017 rankings, Scottish Power take 4th place. They’re not the worst, but they’re certainly not the best.
The range of fuels and energy sources used are worth weighing up. There’s far less reliance on nuclear and oil than many others (EDF in particular way above average amounts of nuclear energy), and more reliance on renewable sources and natural gas. You can find out more about Scottish Power’s power stations and wind farms if you’re interested in where your energy could come from.
Pros:
- Fuel mix uses more renewable than average, particularly from wind farms.
- The help section is very informative and detailed.
- Tariff fixed for 2 years for domestic customers, 3 years for business customers.
- Option of buying your energy upfront.
Cons:
- The PowerUp prepayment scheme is quite complicated and the savings are difficult to compare.
- No smart meters until next summer, which is slower than some of their rivals.
- Not as many tariff choices as their rivals (just 3 fixed available).
- Fourth biggest increase in prices in 2017 according to the Telegraph.