Moved from Ebico to SSE? You need to check your bills now

In March not-for-profit Ebico announced that it had ended its supply agreement with SSE and entered into a new agreement with Robin Hood Energy.

The 60,000 customers of Ebico – one of the few suppliers of tariffs with zero standing charges – were asked if they wanted to stay put and move onto its new tariffs, backed by Robin Hood Energy. If customers didn't choose to stay with Ebico, they were moved to SSE.

All of the customers who were moved to SSE will now be put onto its pricey standard tariff, because the tariffs they're currently on are being ended. Customers will be moved by Friday 25 August – but you can beat the rise if you act now.

To find your cheapest deal and see if you can save £100s, use our free Cheap Energy Club.

How do I know if I'm affected?

If you were on Ebico EquiGas, EquiPower or EquiDual on a credit or prepayment meter, and didn't let Ebico know you wanted to stick with it and move over to one of its new tariffs – Ebico-Zero, Ebico Prime Fixed or Ebico-Prepay – then you would have been moved to SSE.

I've been moved to SSE – what happens now?

You could see a big jump in your energy bills due to a difference in standing charges – the daily rate suppliers charge for having a gas and electricity supply. The SSE standard tariff has fairly high standing charges, compared with zero with the former Ebico tariffs – though the unit rate should be lower.

SSE has, however, pledged that customers should not be "negatively impacted", saying it will handle issues on a case-by-case basis. We've heard from some of our users who have been offered back the difference between the old and new costs as credit on their account for a certain period of time – but what you'll get could vary.

Regardless, you should check if you're on the best deal by doing a full comparison via our Cheap Energy Club. If looking for tariffs with zero standing charges, you can use our filters to show only deals that don't have them, or check our Zero Standing Charge guide to see if such a tariff is right for you.

Customers will be moved onto SSE's standard tariff by Friday 25 August

I was with Ebico for zero standing charges, can I go back?

If you were with Ebico for its zero standing charge tariffs, you're still free to switch back. Its new tariff – Ebico-Zero – also offers no standing charges on credit meters for dual fuel, electric-only and gas-only.

On prepay, Ebico no longer offers a zero standing charge. According to the supplier, the introduction of the price cap on prepayment tariffs from 1 April this year meant it was no longer commercially viable.

There are few that do still offer zero standing charges for prepayment, including the supplier E, Utilita and Economy Energy.

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