SSE/Hydro£Hike+StandingMeterCharg HELP! Need to switch but to ?

[Colin]

_{We are also partly on the THTC tariff and are appalled that the rate has increased by a whopping 19.4% from this month.}

_{What justification is there for this?}

 

Capitalism 

[JustMe]

My main gripe about THTC other than being stuck with the Hydro as supplier is that it is hard if not impossible to find the current rates on their website.  Do not understand daveh's about being partly on THTC.  As I understand it you are either on the tariff with different prices for heating and general electricity usage or you are not.  Perhaps that is what he means.

 

I still say that the standing charge is effectively a charge for providing the service and it should be waived for every day that a power cut occurs.........and I had at least 4 last week.

[AM]

I've been on the THTC tariff for 16 years and don't think I've had anything from the Hydro to say it is ending although I did get a letter to say about the price increase. 

 

My THTC meter had to be replaced four months ago and I suspect if there were plans in the pipeline to change tariffs/meters etc they would have done so then.  I printed off my online bill last week as I needed to check it and have just read the back.  My tariff is 'Standard THTC', it gives the figures for standard units, THTC units and the standing charge (which I've always had to pay).  Under that there is a bit that says when you tariff ends and mine simply says 'no end date' so it looks as though nothing is about to alter soon.  

 

I would think that all bills have the same information on them so it might be worthwhile digging out your last one or checking it online to see what it said.

[daveh]

 "Do not understand daveh's about being partly on THTC.  As I understand it you are either on the tariff with different prices for heating and general electricity usage or you are not.  Perhaps that is what he means."

 

 

Sorry - we have the THTC tariff for the storage heaters and our hot water only with a general tariff for everything else. I am miffed by the current 19.4% uplift in the THTC rate which is a ridiculously high increase.

[JustMe]

Nope!........THTC is a complete tariff which covers both heating/hot water on the low rate and everything else on the higher rate.  Cost for the rest could well be different if you were on some other tariff.  19.4% sounds high and I would get it checked.  Only thing I can think of is that you were on a 1 or 2 year fixed price deal and now have to pay the current price.  Maybe you could follow the government persons idea and wear an extra sweater.  Maybe forget hot water and have cold showers as well. 

 

Seriously if you are worried contact the Hydro and as for an explanation........they could have done something wrong.

[JustMe]

Here http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/i-fear-high-energy-prices-could-see-depopulation-of-the-north.22645633 is something worth reading on the topic of the Hydro and THTC.

[unlinkedstudent]

DaveH, you are wrong.  If you look at the prices for all of their tariffs, the THTC (including the non-cheapo circuits such as cooker, ringmain for sockets, etc.) is different.  The THTC isn't usually online but when I moved to Shetland, they sent me a copy in the post and I compared all tariffs online at the time.  Hell, I might even have it somewhere.

[JustMe]

THTC differs from most of the "cheap heating" tariffs in that at least some of your heaters can be turned on by you as convector heaters whenever you want and the Hydro controls the times the storage heaters are switched on.  Meant to be variable times according to the weather.

[Biglad]

The tariffs for each different element are on the back of you're hydro bill! Don't quote me but the last time I looked it was roughly this:

 

Off peak: 8p/unit

Direct: 14p/unit

General: 18p/unit

[daveh]

I will look at the bills and the recent letter about the increase.

I will then post my findings here.

[daveh]

Apologies for the delay.

I have looked at our bill and we are, indeed, on a Standard THTC tariff here. 

This is split into the Heating Control Energy, covering our hot water and storage heaters, with the electricity being supplied at certain times each day.

 

The rest of the electricity used here is provided as Standard Energy.

 

The charges were and will be as follows (all excluding VAT):

The Heating Control Energy was being charged at 8.24p per unit and is being charged at 9.84p per unit from November 15th. This is a scandalous increase of 19.4%. How can this increase be justified?

The Standard Energy was being charged at 18.5p per unit and actually remains the same from November 15th.