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Scottish and Southern Energy cuts prices by 9%
Jonathan Prynn6 Feb 2009
Scottish and Southern Energy today became the second power firm to cut prices for customers.
The company, which has nine million domestic customers, is cutting average electricity prices by nine per cent and gas prices by four per cent from 30 March.
The move, prompted by lower wholesale energy prices, follows a price cut by British Gas last week of 10 per cent on gas. SSE said the average “dual fuel” customer buying both gas and electricity from the firm would see their annual bill fall by £66 to £1,193.
But the scale of today's cut is small compared with the price hikes pushed through by the firm last year, when energy suppliers were forced to pass on rocketing wholesale costs.
Last August SSE lifted electricity prices by an average of 19.2 per cent. Gas bills soared 29.2 per cent.
The company said that while prices had eased, wholesale electricity and gas costs remained at “relatively high levels” — 46 per cent and 51 per cent respectively above those of January 2007.
The rest of the UK's “big six” energy suppliers — npower, E.ON, Scottish Power and EDF — are set to follow suit.
Reader views (2)
What a pitiful reduction. It is high time they are forced to give a significant reduction, say 20%
- P, London, 06/02/2009 10:22
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Nice of them to wait 'till April to cut prices
- Pete, Essex, 06/02/2009 09:52
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