What is Direct Debit?

Instead of paying less over the summer and more in winter, this payment method spreads your estimated energy costs, which can help make it easier to budget. Payments are automatically deducted from your bank account and are protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee.

Your Direct Debit payment is based on your energy consumption, so it's important to provide us with your meter readings regularly. This can make a big difference to the accuracy of your Direct Debit. If you have a smart meter, we’ll be able to obtain automatic readings from your meter. You can check the reads on your meter and invoice are both the same, so you know your smart meter is working correctly. If you don’t already have a smart meter, find out more and book an installation here.

There are four steps used to calculate your Direct Debit, for both gas and electricity:

You can setup a Direct Debit via your online account  or via the ScottishPower app. Once you have logged into your online account or the app, please select the "Change your tariff" option to setup your Direct Debit.

When you pay by Direct Debit, you'll get a bill summary from us twice a year (or more frequently, depending on your account management preferences). This will include details of your energy consumption over the period since your last bill summary. If your bill displays an estimate then please give us an up to date meter reading, this ensures that the amount you pay is based on accurate energy usage.

The video below provides further details about your Direct Debit bill.

Using our online Direct Debit Manager tool, you can take control and manage your payments even more effectively. It allows you to view your energy usage and adjust your payments within certain limits to keep your payments in line with your usage.

The Direct Debit Manager tool can be used to update your bank details and also the date you make your payment. If you have an outstanding balance, you can make a payment towards it and have your monthly instalment recalculated.

With Direct Debit, we spread the cost of your energy evenly across the year. This means that you may build up a credit balance over the summer months. It is a good idea to leave this balance on your account to pay for the extra energy you’ll use during the winter.

If you wish to request a refund, this may mean we need to recalculate your monthly payment amount. Please log in to your online account  and provide us with up-to-date meter readings and we’ll check if your account is eligible for a refund. If you require a refund, please chat to us.

Learn more on our refunds support page.