ScottishPower: tariffs, service and company profile

ScottishPower is one of the UK's big six household energy suppliers, headquartered in Glasgow and owned by the Spanish utility Iberdrola since 2007¹. It accounts for 8% of the UK's domestic electricity market and occupies the sixth and final spot in the big energy suppliers list³. It has been supplying homes and businesses across the UK since the early 1990s, and was founded in 1990².

For a household, the practical questions are what the tariffs cost, what happens when you leave, how the company performs on service, and where the electricity comes from. ScottishPower's own green tariffs are backed by electricity it says is generated by its own UK windfarms, while its published fuel mix still shows a large fossil fuel share⁴. Its customer service record is mixed: an official survey put overall satisfaction at 76% in January 2026, while Citizens Advice scored it 2.94 out of 5 overall for January to March 2026⁶.

Company profile: Spanish ownership, Glasgow headquarters and market position

ScottishPower is a subsidiary of the Spanish utility company Iberdrola, a relationship that has held since 2007². Despite the name, the company is Spanish-owned¹. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, and its registered office address is 320 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5AD². It was founded in 1990 and has been supplying homes and businesses across the UK since the early 1990s¹.

The licensed supply entity is ScottishPower Energy Retail Ltd, which holds the encompassing licences for the group's domestic supply⁵. On scale, ScottishPower accounts for 8% of the UK's domestic electricity market and sits in the sixth and final place in the UK's big energy suppliers list³. That places it at the smaller end of the big six rather than among the largest suppliers by customer numbers.

The company states that it has been working in the best interests of its customers for 30 years⁴. It is also a mandatory Feed-in Tariff licensee, meaning it administers legacy FIT payments for eligible generators, with a separate contact address for that work⁵. For households weighing what the ownership structure means, the practical points are that the parent is a large European utility, the UK retail operation is a licensed supplier in its own right, and the brand's Scottish identity is a matter of history and headquarters rather than of ownership. The wider question of who controls which supplier is covered in who owns which UK energy supplier, and ScottishPower's place among the largest suppliers is set out in UK energy supplier market share.

Domestic tariffs and billing: unit rates, dual fuel and switching without exit fees

ScottishPower sells domestic gas and electricity, including dual fuel arrangements, and its billing is documented in detail for customers reading a bill³. The company states that customers can move between its tariffs at any time without paying exit fees³. That is a notable term: it means a household already supplied by ScottishPower can change tariff internally without a penalty, which is a different question from leaving the supplier altogether.

On price, no settled unit rate for ScottishPower's domestic tariffs is published here. Two figures for a flexi dual fuel unit rate appear, 2.328 pence per kWh and 3.705 pence per kWh, and the two figures disagree; both are recorded here rather than one being chosen¹⁰. Standard variable pricing has moved with the price cap: ScottishPower's standard variable price and the cap both stood at £1,477 for April to July 2026, and the standard variable price moved to £1,663 against a cap of £1,664 for July to October 2026¹⁰. Those are cap-linked annual figures for a typical household, not a quote for any individual home.

Billing depends on readings. Where a smart meter is fitted, readings are sent automatically, though ScottishPower notes there may be times when it cannot communicate with the meter and has to rely on an estimate¹¹. Direct Debits are reviewed regularly to make sure the amount reflects the cost of the energy being used¹². For households comparing what a switch would involve, the mechanics are set out in switching energy supplier and the cost questions in does it cost anything to switch energy supplier.

Green electricity: windfarm generation, fuel mix and the net zero commitment

ScottishPower states that it only generates renewable electricity and that all its domestic green tariffs are backed by 100% green electricity made by its windfarms in the UK⁴. Independent guidance repeats the sourcing claim: ScottishPower sources all its renewable electricity from its own windfarms, and its tariffs are backed by 100% green electricity from 1,157 wind turbines¹³.

The published fuel mix tells a more complicated story, and the figures differ between documents. One independent source gives ScottishPower a fuel mix of 13% coal, 84% fossil fuel and 7% renewable⁷. Another gives a renewable share of 29%, gas at 59%, and a zero carbon figure of 11% (4%) for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025².

The distinction that matters for a household is between a tariff being backed by renewable generation and the company's overall supply mix. A green tariff backed by own windfarm output is a contractual and accounting arrangement; the electricity physically delivered to a home comes through the shared grid, and the supplier's total mix includes fossil generation. ScottishPower's commitment to ensuring eligible customers receive the Warm Home Discount sits alongside its environmental claims⁴. What a green tariff does and does not guarantee is examined in green energy tariffs and the disclosure rules in fuel mix disclosure.

Customer service and complaints: ratings, the three-stage process and guaranteed standards

The service picture is genuinely mixed, and the sources measure different things. An official survey for January 2026 found 72% of ScottishPower customers satisfied or very satisfied, and overall satisfaction of 76% satisfied or very satisfied⁶. Citizens Advice scored the supplier 2.94 out of 5 overall for January to March 2026, with 1.5 out of 5 for fewer complaints received and 5 out of 5 for customer commitments⁷. A consumer survey published in January 2026 recorded a customer score of 62% and 4 out of 15 for complaints management¹⁵.

ScottishPower's own complaints process follows a three-stage approach, last updated on 26 September 2025¹⁷. Complaints can be made by email at contactus@scottishpower.com or by post to ScottishPower Customer Services, 320 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5AD¹⁷. Pay monthly phone lines run Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and are closed at weekends⁷. The company's published complaints performance for Q2 2026 records 56,030 complaints received and 55,487 resolved, with 60% resolved same or next working day and 82% within 8 weeks¹⁸.

Two ratings for contact waiting time appear, 2.8 out of 5 and 4.0 out of 5, and the two figures disagree; both are recorded here⁷. On the supplier's own account, an energy efficiency advice tool produced increased customer satisfaction with the installation process and an improvement in its REC Energy Efficiency Advice Customer Survey scores¹⁹. The route beyond the supplier, including the Ombudsman, is set out in complaining about an energy supplier and the ratings landscape in energy supplier customer service ratings.

Paying your bill: payment methods, instalment plans and help if you struggle

ScottishPower offers advice and support with paying energy bills and devising payment plans, plus a Hardship Fund designed to help reduce or clear arrears for those customers most in need²⁰. The Hardship Fund is applied for on the fund's own website²¹. The company also states that it ensures eligible customers receive the Warm Home Discount to help with winter energy costs⁴.

The Warm Home Discount rules differ by nation, and this matters for ScottishPower customers. In Scotland, households on means-tested benefits other than Pension Credit must apply through their energy supplier from October, with extra eligibility criteria and varying application windows²². Pension Credit is a qualifying benefit under the scheme rules²³. Eligible energy customers should receive the discount by 31 March 2026, and only customers on a low income in Scotland need to apply through their supplier²⁴. In England and Wales the scheme operates on a different basis²⁵. Warmer Homes Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government and offers funding and support to eligible households struggling to stay warm and keep on top of energy bills²⁵.

The Priority Services Register is a free service provided by suppliers, and ScottishPower states its specialist services carry no additional cost¹¹. It is for anyone who could benefit from additional support, including those with a disability, a chronic illness or a change to personal circumstances¹¹. Support for vulnerable customers more broadly is covered in supplier support for vulnerable customers and the discount scheme in the Warm Home Discount.

Moving home or switching supplier: final bills, meter readings and account closure

ScottishPower asks to be told about a move-in as close to the move-in date as possible, and needs the new address, the date the householder becomes legally responsible for the property, meter readings if available, and bank details if paying by Direct Debit²⁶. On moving out it needs the date of moving out, final meter readings and the new address details²⁶. Where the tenant pays for energy, the tenant notifies the move; where the landlord pays, the landlord contacts ScottishPower instead²⁶.

The final bill process has clear timings. ScottishPower creates and sends the final bill within 6 weeks of the energy switching to the new supplier⁹. Where final readings need amending, the company needs to agree this with the new supplier and asks for a further 28 days²⁷. Direct Debit customers have the final bill value taken as a Direct Debit 14 days after the bill is issued, and the Direct Debit is cancelled once the final bill is settled²⁷. Customers paying by Direct Debit are asked not to cancel it when leaving, because payments due are collected before the account is finalised⁹.

If a move-out reading is missed, ScottishPower may use the new occupier's opening readings to close the account, and otherwise uses an estimate for the final bill²⁶. Final meter readings should be taken on the day the tenant moves out and can be submitted through the ScottishPower App, online, or by calling the 24-hour automated meter reading service on 0800 027 8000²⁸. A switch can be blocked where there is an outstanding debt on the ScottishPower account, and the new supplier can reapply once the debt is reduced or paid off⁹. The wider mechanics are covered in moving home and your energy supplier and final bills and credit refunds.

Smart meters, the app and your consumption data

ScottishPower's smart meter guidance describes an In-Home Display that tracks energy usage in near real-time, and states that a smart meter can provide half-hourly, daily or monthly readings²⁹. Where a smart meter is fitted, readings are sent automatically, though there may be times when the supplier cannot communicate with the meter and has to rely on an estimate¹². Customers with a smart meter can also access My Energy Tracker in the ScottishPower App or under 'Your energy' in the online account¹².

The ScottishPower App allows customers to change tariff, enter meter reads and track energy use⁸. ScottishPower encourages customers to use their online account to submit meter readings³⁰. For households without a smart meter, readings can be submitted through the app, online, or by phone²⁸.

This is where a household's independence is most visibly limited. The meter, the app and the consumption data all sit with the supplier: the account, the tariff and the readings are held on ScottishPower's systems, and the smart meter communicates through a network the supplier operates. A household can read its own In-Home Display and act on what it shows, but the billing record and the tariff change both run through the supplier's account. Smart meter obligations and appointments are covered in suppliers and smart meter installation and app-based accounts in energy supplier apps and online accounts.

Where ScottishPower sits for a household's energy independence

ScottishPower supplies gas and electricity to homes that remain connected to the gas grid and the electricity network, and the household's relationship is with the supplier for billing, tariffs, meter readings and support. The company's own generation, including its windfarms, is a feature of its green tariff backing rather than a route by which a household generates or stores its own power⁴. A home supplied by ScottishPower still depends on the grid, on the supplier's account systems, and on the continued operation of the company as a licensed supplier.

The dependence is not total. A household can change tariff internally without exit fees, can switch supplier, and can read its own consumption through an In-Home Display or the app³. The company's service record is mixed rather than uniformly poor or good, with official satisfaction at 76% and a Citizens Advice overall rating of 2.94 out of 5⁶. For households thinking about what supplier choice does and does not change, energy suppliers and household energy independence sets out the wider picture, and the big six energy suppliers explains how the largest suppliers came to be what they are.