Scottish Power Utility Warehouse (September 2026)
Overview
There is no single best choice: compare price, service, app and green-energy evidence separately.
About Scottish Power and Utility Warehouse
Who is Scottish Power?
Set up in 1990 and bought by Iberdrola in 2006, Scottish Power is one of the UK's largest domestic energy suppliers. As well as supplying gas and electricity, it runs the local electricity network in parts of the UK. What sets it apart is its long-running partnership with Cancer Research UK, raising £40 million for the charity. Customers can also use the My ScottishPower rewards club and a Power Saver scheme for half-price electricity hours.
Products & services
Awards & recognition
Who are Utility Warehouse?
Set up in 2002 and owned by Telecom Plus, Utility Warehouse is one of the UK's largest energy suppliers. It grows through a network of local partners who recommend the service rather than using traditional advertising. The company focuses on bundling services, letting customers combine energy, broadband, mobile and home insurance on a single monthly bill. Taking more services unlocks cheaper energy rates and a cashback card for everyday shopping.
Products & services
Awards & recognition
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Tariffs and pricing
Utility Warehouse provides the cheaper overall deal in this comparison. Its lowest-priced option is the UW Tracker Saver 5, a variable tariff costing £1,511 a year with a £150 exit fee and a 0-month term. In contrast, Scottish Power's cheapest deal is its Standard variable tariff, which costs £1,611 a year, has a 0-month term, and carries no exit fee. Consequently, Utility Warehouse is £100 a year cheaper for a typical household.
For households preferring to lock in their unit rates, Utility Warehouse again offers the cheaper fixed option. Its UW Fixed Saver 95 tariff costs £1,595 a year for an 11-month term and includes a £150 exit fee. Scottish Power's lowest-priced fixed alternative is the Exclusive Help Beat Cancer Fixed Sep 2027 SM2, priced at £1,830 a year for a 12-month term with no exit fee.
When comparing flexibility, Utility Warehouse applies a £150 exit fee to both its cheapest overall variable tariff and its cheapest fixed contract. Meanwhile, Scottish Power allows customers to leave its cheapest variable and fixed deals without incurring any exit fees.
| Metric | Scottish Power | Utility Warehouse |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest tariff | £1,611 / year | £1,511 / year |
| Cheapest variable tariff | £1,611 / year | £1,511 / year |
| Cheapest fixed tariff | £1,830 / year | £1,595 / year |
| Cheapest tariff exit fee | £0 | £150 |
| Cheapest fixed tariff exit fee | £0 | £150 |
Scottish Power and Utility Warehouse: Tariff Options
Scottish Power tariffs
Scottish Power offers a range of energy deals, including standard variable options and fixed tariffs with terms of 12 months. It also provides specialist tariffs for electric vehicle drivers, homes with heat pumps or solar panels, and deals that include boiler cover.
Utility Warehouse tariffs
Utility Warehouse offers standard variable tariffs, tracker deals, and fixed tariffs with terms of 11 months. The rates and specific deals available depend on how many other services a customer bundles with their energy. It also offers specialist options for electric vehicle owners and homes that export renewable power.
Customer reviews
Scottish Power holds a higher Trustpilot rating of 4.4 out of 5, based on 203,838 reviews, while Utility Warehouse scores 4.2 out of 5 from 83,008 reviews. However, when analysing the balance of feedback, Utility Warehouse achieves a higher net-positive score of 65%, compared to 52% for Scottish Power.
In the annual Which? energy survey, Utility Warehouse performs better with an overall score of 69%, against 56% for Scottish Power. Utility Warehouse receives 3 out of 5 for both customer service and value for money, whereas Scottish Power scores 2 out of 5 in these categories. Additionally, Utility Warehouse achieves 10 out of 10 for helping customers who need it, compared to Scottish Power's 7 out of 10.
Trustpilot reviews for Scottish Power frequently mention helpful staff and a straightforward online experience, although some customers report confusing billing and slow support responses. Utility Warehouse customers often highlight polite staff and the convenience of bundling services, but some note long phone wait times.
App quality and features
Scottish Power achieves higher ratings for its mobile apps across both major platforms. On the App Store, it scores 4.8 out of 5 from 87,000 ratings, while Utility Warehouse scores 4.5 out of 5 from 11,000 ratings. Both applications have recorded over 500,000 installs on Google Play.
This pattern continues on Google Play, where Scottish Power scores 4.7 out of 5 from 96,905 ratings. Utility Warehouse holds a score of 4.2 out of 5 from 11,195 ratings. Both suppliers actively maintain their software, with recent updates logged on both platforms.
Recent App Store reviews for Scottish Power note issues with smart meter functionality and confusing account balances. Conversely, Utility Warehouse users praise the app's cashback features, though some report problems when topping up and issues relating to bundled broadband services.
Service and support
Average wait: 1.3 min
Hours: Weekdays 9am–5pm, closed Saturday, closed Sunday
Average wait: 7.3 min
Hours: Weekdays 8:30am–5pm, open Saturday 9am–4:30pm, closed Sunday
Replies: 94% within 2 days
Hours: 24/7
Replies: 41% within 2 days
Hours: 24/7
Average response: ~2 min
Hours: Business hrs
Scottish Power ranks higher in the Citizens Advice energy ratings, placing 10th with a score of 2.94 out of 5. Utility Warehouse sits lower in 14th position with a score of 2.45 out of 5. Both suppliers maintain formal vulnerability commitments registered with Citizens Advice.
Scottish Power answers phone calls faster, recording an average wait time of 1 minute 16 seconds. In comparison, Utility Warehouse customers wait an average of 7 minutes 16 seconds. Scottish Power also responds to social media messages in an average of 2 minutes 25 seconds; Utility Warehouse does not publish equivalent data for this channel.
Regarding email support, Scottish Power is more responsive, answering 94.3% of emails within two days compared to 40.5% for Utility Warehouse. Both suppliers accept Direct Debit, Cash/Cheque, and Prepayment. Scottish Power operates its phone lines on weekdays, while Utility Warehouse extends its call centre hours to include Saturdays.
| Metric | Scottish Power | Utility Warehouse |
|---|---|---|
| Avg social media response time | 2 minutes 25 seconds | N/A |
Complaints and performance
Complaint figures are shown with each supplier’s reporting period. No winner is declared when periods differ or one figure is missing.
Green Energy Comparison
Scottish Power
Through its parent company and its own renewables division, Scottish Power generates green electricity from its own UK wind farms. It has a target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Based on Citizens Advice data from January to March 2026, the electricity it supplies to homes is largely fossil fuels, with some renewable, other, and nuclear sources. It also offers 100% green electricity on specific specialist tariffs.
Utility Warehouse
Utility Warehouse has a target to become a net zero business by 2050 and supports carbon capture and storage technology to help cut emissions. Based on Citizens Advice data from January to March 2026, the electricity it supplies to homes is largely fossil fuels, with some nuclear and other sources. The supplier offers free smart meter upgrades to help customers track their energy use and supports the Smart Export Guarantee for homes that generate their own renewable power.[1]
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual cost on our assumptions | Utility Warehouse |
| Overall customer service | Scottish Power |
| A well-rated mobile app | Scottish Power |
| A greener fuel mix | Scottish Power |
There is no single best choice: compare price, service, app and green-energy evidence separately.
Use the decision table to match the available evidence to the factors that matter most to your household.
- Cheapest variable tariff at £1,611 / year
- 4.4 Trustpilot from 203,838 reviews
- iOS app rated 4.8 out of 5
- 94% of emails answered within 2 days
- 19% of Trustpilot reviews are 1-star
- Cheapest variable tariff at £1,511 / year
- 4.2 Trustpilot from 83,008 reviews
- iOS app rated 4.5 out of 5
- Cheapest overall tariff carries a £150 exit fee
- Only 41% of emails answered within 2 days
- 16% of Google Play ratings are negative
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Scottish Power or Utility Warehouse?
On the stored annual-cost assumptions, Scottish Power is £1,611 and Utility Warehouse is £1,511. Utility Warehouse is lower by about £100 a year.
Can Scottish Power and Utility Warehouse complaint rates be compared directly?
No direct complaint-rate winner is declared because Scottish Power and Utility Warehouse do not both have figures for the same stated reporting period.
Which supplier leads on customer service?
On the comparable customer-service measure used in the decision table, Scottish Power leads.
Which supplier has the better app evidence?
On the comparable app measure used in the decision table, Scottish Power leads.
Do tariff eligibility rules matter?
Yes. Specialist, time-of-use, EV, heat-pump and export tariffs can have equipment, meter or account requirements. Check the current supplier terms before applying.
Which supplier has the greener evidence?
On the comparable green-energy measure used in the decision table, Scottish Power leads. This row is based on published fuel-mix percentages.
Which is better overall, Scottish Power or Utility Warehouse?
There is no single overall winner in this repaired draft. Price, service, app and green-energy evidence are kept as separate choices in the decision table.
When was this comparison updated?
The structured source payload is for September 2026.
What changed this month
This month, Scottish Power's iOS sampled positive reviews rose from 1 to 3, Scottish Power's iOS sampled reviews avg stars rose from 2.33 to 6, and Scottish Power's iOS sampled negative reviews fell from 2 to 0. There were 20 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (29)
Scottish Power
- Trustpilot reviews198,589 → 203,838
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %91 → 92
- iOS app ratings count86,000 → 87,000
- iOS app days since last update26 → 28
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars2.33 → 6
- iOS sampled positive reviews1 → 3
- iOS sampled negative reviews2 → 0
- Play Store rating4.7281113 → 4.731496
- Play Store ratings count95,532 → 96,905
- Play Store days since last update27 → 28
- Play Store positive ratings %94.2 → 94.3
- Play Store neutral ratings %1.3 → 1.2
- Play Store net-positive %89.7 → 89.8
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,804.74 → £1,610.81
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,990.1 → £1,829.85
- Cheapest tariff£1,804.74 → £1,610.81
Utility Warehouse
- Trustpilot reviews81,260 → 83,008
- iOS app days since last update4 → 5
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars2.67 → 2.5
- iOS sampled neutral reviews0 → 1
- Play Store rating4.186519 → 4.1761994
- Play Store ratings count11,150 → 11,195
- Play Store days since last update4 → 6
- Play Store positive ratings %79.1 → 78.9
- Play Store negative ratings %15.9 → 16
- Play Store net-positive %63.2 → 62.9
- Cheapest variable tariff£1,697.5 → £1,510.93
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,806.26 → £1,595.22
- Cheapest tariff£1,697.5 → £1,510.93
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Written by
Rob Gibbs
Hi, I'm Rob, and I run Energy-Review.co.uk. I initially started this project in 2018 when I was looking to switch energy suppliers and found there wasn't a website that provided simple, data-backed reviews on all the suppliers available. Since then, I have spent a lot of time (too much, some may say!) looking at all publicly available data about each supplier and writing reviews using this information. These reviews are updated as regularly as possible, and any data is backed up by a source where necessary. I have also started writing guides on various energy-related topics, which hopefully you will find useful. If you find any issues, please use our contact form to let us know.