ScottishPower has set out the variable component rates and standing charges that apply to its Flexi Product from 1 October 2024, alongside the rates that applied from 1 April 20241. The figures cover single rate electricity, multi rate electricity and gas, broken down by cost component and by region1.
The largest movement is in Balancing Services Use of System, the National Grid operating cost for balancing the network. In the Eastern region single rate table it rises from 0.853 to 1.361 pence per kWh, and in the multi rate table from 0.853 to 1.358 pence per kWh1. ScottishPower states this cost is "Linked to National Grid's latest forecast"1.
Several components fall. Capacity Market, described as a payment to generators "to ensure energy supply is available to meet consumer demand", drops from 0.777 to 0.687 pence per kWh on Eastern single rate electricity and from 0.613 to 0.580 pence per kWh on multi rate1. Smart Meter Costs, covering the Data Communication Company and Smart Energy GB, fall from 4.26 to 4.18 pence per day on electricity standing charges and from 3.25 to 3.19 pence per day on gas1. Gas Transportation falls from 1.351 to 1.305 pence per kWh1.
Other components are unchanged between the two dates. Renewable Obligation stays at 3.178 pence per kWh, Transmission Network Use of System standing charge at 10.46 pence per day, Distribution Use of System standing charge at 13.50 pence per day in the Eastern region, and the Green Gas Levy at 0.11 pence per day1. Assistance for Areas with High Electricity Distribution Costs, which offsets distribution costs for consumers in remote and island communities in Scotland, falls from 0.049 to 0.046 pence per kWh1.
| Component (Eastern, single rate electricity) | 1 April 2024 | 1 October 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Renewable Obligation (p/kWh) | 3.178 | 3.178 |
| Capacity Market (p/kWh) | 0.777 | 0.687 |
| Balancing Services Use of System (p/kWh) | 0.853 | 1.361 |
| Distribution Use of System (p/kWh) | 2.549 | 2.492 |
| Smart Meter Costs (p/day) | 4.26 | 4.18 |
| Assistance for Areas with High Electricity Distribution Costs (p/kWh) | 0.049 | 0.046 |
"Breakdown of variable costs that may change each quarter"
Why it matters for households
These are the wholesale-excluded, network and policy components of a variable tariff, not the full unit rate a household pays. They show which parts of a bill are moving and which are static, and they are set out region by region, so the same named component can carry a different value depending on where a home is1. The rise in balancing costs works against the falls in capacity market and smart meter costs, and the net effect on any individual bill is not stated in the published tables1.
For a home weighing fixed against variable pricing, the direction of these components is one input among several. Smart meter costs appear on both electricity and gas standing charges, so a household without a smart meter still carries that component1. The Assistance for Areas with High Electricity Distribution Costs line applies to all consumers, including those well outside the remote and island communities it is intended to offset1.
What happens next
The revised rates apply from 1 October 20241. ScottishPower describes the components as variable costs that may change each quarter1. No further quarterly rates beyond 1 October 2024 are given in the published tables1.
Sources1 cited
- flexi-2024-charges | Gas and Electricity Company | ScottishPower, scottishpower.co.uk