Scottish Power Launches ‘PowerUp’

Scottish Power, one of this country’s most popular suppliers of gas and electricity to homes is changing the way we purchase energy forever! This week, Scottish Power is releasing ‘PowerUp’, a brand new app from the company, which is going to make purchasing your energy easier. I have to admit, I am quite excited about the app. As a long serving customer of Scottish Power, many times I have been in credit. It’s not a problem and I always get the money back, but by having more control over the costs will help me budget better and save some money.

Imagine you’re filling your car up with petrol, you can put in as little or as much as you want. Sottish Power have used this simple way of purchasing, to build the PowerUp app, which allows its customers to purchase ‘days’ of gas and electricity, as well as monitoring usage and spending. It’s similar to taking your gas/electric key to the shop and topping up, just a whole lot more convenient!

PowerUp will allow customers to buy fuel in packages from one day to a month, up to 180 days upfront at a set price. The app will show energy consumption, allowing customers to understand their total spend, in relation to what they use and how much they pay on a daily basis. I do wonder how much it costs me when my wife uses the tumble dryer several times a week! There will be no ‘standing charges’ for customers paying via PowerUp, so if no energy is used on a given day, no charges will be applied.

Neil Clitheroe, Global Retail Director said: “PowerUp ultimately allows people to take full control of their energy spend and we believe it will encourage customers to be more conscious of their energy usage.”

“Energy bills can be complicated, with customer research showing that 6 in 10 people don’t fully understand how their bill is calculated. So, we’re putting customer needs first and making energy simple.”

“Currently most people either pay a flat amount each month by direct debit or receive a quarterly bill in arrears. Either way there is very little connection between actual energy usage and how much a customer pays. This has left many customers feeling disengaged from their energy usage and indeed their energy supplier.”

“But filling up a car at the petrol station is different. When we top up, we don’t tend to think about the 40 litres of unleaded in the tank – instead we think about the £50 that it has cost and how long it will last. Yet we all know that if we travel a bit further or faster than usual, that it will last a bit less than usual. Our fuel gauge then keeps us right in terms of when we next need to top up. People are far more engaged with efficiently managing their petrol consumption, and we think that will work for gas and electricity at home.”

PowerUp: buy, track, save. How it works:

 Customers can buy days of gas and electricity via the mobile app – from one to 180 days.

• ‘Days’ are based on a personalised forecast of how much energy an individual customer requires. ScottishPower uses detailed consumption history to calculate daily usage based on the time of the year.
• There is no ‘standing charge’ for customers paying via PowerUp.
• Customers can track how much energy they use, to see when they next need to PowerUp. Customers can view past and forecast consumption to help them better understand their energy spend.
• Existing customer can sign up via the Scottish Power website.
• The PowerUp app will be available for download soon for iOS and Android.

The PowerUp prices, based on GB averages for OFGEM typical Dual Fuel consumption, are:

* Based on daily average consumption for OFGEM typical annual consumption of 12,500kWh gas and 3,100kWh electricity, based on available PowerUp package prices at launch. Includes VAT.

** Based on launch package prices for the full 12-month term. Package prices subject to change. Includes VAT.

I’m very much looking forward to trying this out and have already signed up. If you would like to sign up, visit the Scottish Power website and enter your interest.