06/01/2014

ScottishPower To Reduce Its Prices

ScottishPower has said it is to reduce its domestic gas and electricity prices from 31 January.

The announcement means that a typical dual fuel bill for household customers will fall by £54.

It is made up of a 3.3% reduction in standard tariffs for dual fuel customers (£42 per annum), plus a universal rebate to be paid to customers in line with the government timetable (£12 per annum). However, the reduction only partly off-sets a price increase of 8.6% which came into force in December 2013.

The company has said the reduction will not apply to most customers who are on fixed rate tariffs, but some 2.2 million households will benefit from the price cuts.

Commenting on the news, Neil Clitheroe, ScottishPower's CEO of Energy Retail and Generation, said: "Following the Government's recent announcement on reducing the impact of green and social levies on consumer energy bills, we will be passing these cost reductions on to customers this month.

"We are pleased that the Government has taken sensible measures to curb these rising costs.

"We recognise that we need to continue to work hard to reduce bills for our customers through offering competitive fixed priced products and comprehensive energy efficiency advice.

"As part of this ongoing commitment, we will try to avoid any further price rises in 2014 but this will depend on whether there are increases in wholesale energy prices or other costs outside of our control."

ScottishPower is the fifth of the 'Big Six' energy suppliers to announce a cut in its prices. British Gas and SSE have said their price cuts will apply to all their customers, whatever their tariff, while EDF, E.On and Scottish Power, have applied the price reductions only to those on standard, or variable, rates. Npower has said it is reviewing its prices.

(JP)

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