23 January 2007
Burns' Night is fast approaching and while millions of people will be proud of the illustrious poet, the same cannot be said of some of the nation's energy suppliers.
According to the energy regulator Ofgem, Scottish consumers are less likely to switch their energy provider from a Scotland based one to an English or Welsh one than consumers in the rest of Great Britain, with 67% of them choosing to stick with their current provider.
This loyalty would be well placed if the Scottish public were receiving a value-for-money service from their energy provider, but statistics show that Scottish Gas is on average £111 more expensive than other traditional Scottish providers.
ScottishPower and Scottish and Southern Energy on the other hand are far better for consumers, with both suppliers rating highly for customer service and competitive rates.
Despite this, Geoff Slaughter, product manager at uSwitch.com, warns Scots not to become complacent and stated that the 1.8 million households who were not with the most competitive provider could save up to £325 a year by switching.
"Furthermore Scottish and Southern Energy customers who currently pay by cash or cheque could reduce their bills further by paying by direct debit or moving their account online," he advised.
Mr Slaughter went on to reveal that Scottish Gas has announced its intention to lower its prices in the spring and that with other suppliers likely to follow suit, consumers should vote with their feet and shop around to get the best deal.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
Content for the uSwitch.com market news service is provided by a third party, Adfero Ltd. Whilst uSwitch.com makes reasonable efforts to check the reliability of this content, uSwitch.com does not guarantee the accuracy thereof or endorse the views or opinions given by Adfero Ltd, unless expressly stated otherwise.