Accessibility options

Second energy firm cuts prices

Date: 6/2/2009 14:45:29

Search: Energy firm prices

Scottish and Southern Energy is the second energy firm to cut prices for customers.

The company, which has nine million domestic customers, is cutting average electricity prices by 9% and gas prices by 4% from March 30.

The move - prompted by lower wholesale energy prices - follows a price cut by British Gas last week.

SSE said the average 'dual fuel' customer taking both gas and electricity from the firm would see their annual bill fall by £66 to £1,193.

But the scale of the cut is small compared to the price hikes pushed through by the firm last year as energy suppliers were forced to pass on rocketing wholesale costs.

Last August SSE lifted electricity prices by 19.2% on average, while gas bills soared 29.2%.

The company said that while prices had recently eased, wholesale electricity and gas costs remained at "relatively high levels" - 46% and 51% respectively above the levels seen in January 2007.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, SSE's energy supply director, said: "We know our customers want to understand what their energy is likely to cost in the future and that's what lies behind the announcement. The UK now relies on energy imports and wholesale prices for electricity and gas are still at historically high levels."

Advertisement starts


Advertisement

Advertisement ends

The rest of the UK's "big six" energy suppliers - npower, E.ON, Scottish Power and EDF - are now set to follow suit following the moves by SSE and British Gas.

British Gas is cutting the price of its standard tariff by 10% for 75% of its customers from February 19, saving them an estimated £79 a year on the average household gas bill.

2012 © Press Association

Advertisement starts



Advertisement ends

Advertisement starts


Advertisement

Advertisement ends

  • Harry hails Everest war veterans
    Harry hails Everest war veterans
    The charity Walking with the Wounded launched the ambitious project today to put five war-wounded men on the mountain's summit as Harry agreed to be the expedition's patron. The royal even clambered into an altitude chamber at an event staged in c
  • Ancient Egypt in Edinburgh
    Ancient Egypt in Edinburgh
    Henrietta Lidchi, keeper of world cultures at the museum, says people have allways been fascinated by mummies and visitors will be guided through rituals of death and the afterlife in ancient Egypt, with painted coffins and embalming equipment on display.
  • Robshaw: Focus is on us
    Robshaw: Focus is on us
    England captain Chris Robshaw believes the team should focus on their own game rather than worry about the opposition.
  • Tulisa goes solo
    Tulisa goes solo
    Tulisa discusses her debut solo album and rooting for Adele at the Grammy Awards as she attends a pre-Grammy party held by Belvedere vodka and RED.
arrow
Harry hails Everest war veterans
The charity Walking with the Wounded launched the ambitious project today to put five war-wounded men on the mountain's summit as Harry agreed to be the expedition's patron. The royal even clambered into an altitude chamber at an event staged in c

5 day forecastMy local weather

Cloudy
London
min: -2º
max:3º
 
 

Daily Pictures



Advertisement starts



Advertisement ends

Page Footer


Access keys


You will need to use different key combinations in order to use access keys depending on your internet browser, find out which on our accessibility page.
  • (0) Navigate to Accessibility page.
  • (1) Navigate to Home page.
  • (2) Navigate to My email.
  • (3) Navigate to My Account.
  • (4) Navigate to Site Map page.
  • (5) Navigate to Contact us page.
  • (6) Navigate to Members channel.
  • (7) Navigate to Services channel.
  • (8) Navigate to News & Info channel.
  • (9) Navigate to Entertainment channel.
  • ([) Skip down to the Primary navigation block.
  • (]) Skip down to the more links within this section block.
  • (=) Bypass all navigation and jump to the content.
  • (x) Text only version of this page.