Pressure on Scottish Power as E.ON becomes latest energy supplier to slash bills

The heat is on Scottish Power to slash its bills after a price cut announcement form E.ON left it as the only Big Six energy supplier which has not yet announced a reduction in the cost of energy.

E.On yesterday revealed it is to slash its electricity bills by 6 per cent, following on the heels of a string of price drops from rivals, led by EDF Energy, over the past week.

The average household bill for a dual fuel E.ON customer will drop by £33 from £1,293 to £1,260 once the price cut comes into effect on 27 February.

The firm also said that customers still on fixed deals will able to switch to another tariff for free to allow them to take advantage of the offer.

Consumer groups warned that Scottish Power needed to take quick action to keep pace with its rivals.

“With cuts from five of the Big Six the spotlight is now on Scottish Power as the last of the major suppliers to act,” said Trisha McAuley, deputy director at Consumer Focus Scotland. “Their customers in Scotland will be keen to see if the supplier will buck the trend and make deeper reductions across both gas and electricity given wholesale price falls in both.”

However, the cuts come following significant rises in the cost of utilities over the past year.

Clare Francis of Moneysupermarket.com added: “After the average increases of 17.4 per cent to gas and 10.08 per cent to electricity we saw last year, many people will be hoping for further cuts to come.”