Fixed tariffs for gas and electric

[WillSmithsRightHook]

…does that mean we won’t be charged extra on top. Does fixed rate actually mean that, so we can have heating on etc without extra charges…

@WillSmithsRightHook

I’m fixed with Scottish Power now £108 a month for gas and electric 2 years in a 2 bed flat…is this bad? We weren’t sure what to do at the time, we’d downsized from a 3 bed house…god knows how much they are paying

Nobody can answer that unless you tell us the rate it's fixed at. If for example we are with the same energy provider on the same fixed KWpH our bill will still vary if I have it on all day and you don't.

@WillSmithsRightHook

I’m fixed with Scottish Power now £108 a month for gas and electric 2 years in a 2 bed flat…is this bad? We weren’t sure what to do at the time, we’d downsized from a 3 bed house…god knows how much they are paying

Sounds pretty good to me if your usage stays on track.

When did you sign your fix? Sounds like you got one of the last really good deals.

Apparently Scottish power said it will be ok…😳😬 dp went to take pictures but couldn’t work it out and it’s presenting as 000?

Think of it like petrol.
You pay a price per litre at the petrol station but the number of miles you do will depend how long it lasts.
Does that help?

We moved here in December 2021

@WillSmithsRightHook

We moved here in December 2021

Yes that was before it went bonkers. That’s probably a good deal. Is the tariff called something like “Help Beat Cancer…,.….fix February 2024”?

If you log into Scottish Power you’ll see your (long) full tariff name.

They’ll have quoted on average use though, because they don’t have a history of your usage at that property.

So your best bet, especially as you’re struggling to work out usage, is to go REALLY carefully with energy consumption until you get the hang of what you’re being billed.

It will be an “average direct debit” tariff spread equally across the year.

Yes, we appreciate that! Thank you!

I’m type 1 diabetic I have to have a fridge working for that

I need it for that

Have you looked at the actual meter not the plug in unit? How did you give your move in meter readings?

To clarify, I meant any historic fix taken out before this year will be better than variable rate, thinking of the OP’s specific circumstances. No new one will be.

If you log in to the energy account online there has to be a tariff rate card available. That will give you unit and standing charge prices. You need that, the DD amount tells you nothing really.

@Thoosa - I'm on that tariff.

I bought a flat in September, which only had electric heating & had gas installed in November.

By the time the accounts were merged & set up, it took till December.

Bizarrely, if I set up a direct debit I can't stay in the tariff, so I pay Montjuïc by card.
And I still pay a lot more for daytime electricity.

But I'm still assuming it's a better deal than anything else.

@HumourReplacementTherapy

Think of it like petrol. You pay a price per litre at the petrol station but the number of miles you do will depend how long it lasts. Does that help?

Brilliant!

Scottish have dozens of similarly named tariffs but anything taken out before Christmas is probably still at a sane price. Good timing! Weird about paying by card, though.

Yep, it’s happened now they are claiming that we owe them hundreds of pounds I top of what we owe

@WillSmithsRightHook

Apparently Scottish power said it will be ok…😳😬 dp went to take pictures but couldn’t work it out and it’s presenting as 000?

Never trust the energy supplier. Always compare unit costs and daily standing charges and do your own calculations.

Some time in the past few months, Scottish Power were selling 'fixed' plans without asking anything about usage and setting a direct debit that looked good but it said in the small print that they would increase adjust it when they'd seen your usage.

£108 pm is meaningless without unit costs, standing charges and what you use. It could be enough if it's a competitive tariff and you're fairly careful with heating and hot water.

However, it could be woefully inadequate if it's an expensive tariff or you have the heating on full whack 24/7, leave the immersion heater on, have loads of long showers or deep baths and wash and tumble dry loads of washing.

However, did you really think you could use as much as you liked for a fixed price? That's rarely on offer for G&E in the UK at least for normal housing.

I wish schools would drop French and teach some basic home budgeting instead. Paying a set amount monthly doesn't mean it's an all-you-can-eat-buffet but is a rough guide to cover what your annual usage might be divided by 12. If you're extravagant with your gas and electric and use more then they'll come to you for the shortfall. We're on a fixed rate with EDF until May 24 but we still have to be careful with how much we use, it just means the rate per unit won't increase in that period.

@WillSmithsRightHook

Yep, it’s happened now they are claiming that we owe them hundreds of pounds I top of what we owe

I'm not understanding your posts. When you say you inherited the smart meter, of course you did because the meter is installed in the house and measures usage. But how can you have inherited their tariff?