nPower

The nPower Checklist

Security

• Are their prices fully fixed? No, all contracts allow pass through of cost changes
• Do they include metering and transportation costs in the price? Yes
• Do they include FIT and RO and CFD in the price? No
• What is their back billing policy? Limited to two years
• Do they require a letter of authority? Yes
• Does the contract lapse on change of tenancy? Yes

Transparency

• Is your contract end date on the invoice? Yes
• Is your termination date on the invoice? Yes
• When will your renewal letter arrive? 90 days before end date
• When do you need to terminate? At least 60 days before end date
• Do they require termination letter by recorded delivery? Yes
• Will they rollover your contract? Yes unless it started after 1^st October 2014
• How high are the out of contract rates? 25.30/kWh Electricity, 7.22p/kWh Gas

Convenience

• Do they mandate Direct Debit payment terms? No
• What are their Direct Debit terms? Variable or Fixed, Monthly or Quarterly
• Do they offer Cash / Cheque payment terms? Yes with a 5% surcharge on electricity
• Do they support reduced rate VAT declaration? Yes
• Do they bill monthly or quarterly? Monthly and Quarterly dependent on meter type
• Do they provide online billing? Yes

Services

• Do they install smart meters as part of the supply contract? No, available on request
• Do they support existing smart meters with full functionality? Yes
• Do they provide New Connection & Upgrade Services? Yes
• Do they support IGT meters? No
• Do they support all electricity profiles including half hourly? Yes
• Do they support related and aggregated meters? Yes

Environmental

• Do they offer green and renewable products? No
• What is their Fuel Mix? 50% Gas, 2% Nuclear, 31% Coal, 15% Renewable

Other things to know about nPower

The Midlands based business:

• Offers fixed price contracts;
• Offers no standing charge on gas products;
• Will only supply electricity customers with an annual consumption of at least 10,000kWh;
• Will only consider electricity customers with a credit score (Delphi) in excess of 16.
• Will take any gas customer regardless of credit score as long as their consumption exceeds 500 kWh per annum;
• Is one of the UK’s largest suppliers;
• Is the corporate charity partner of Macmillan Cancer Relief;
• Has held various high profile sponsorships with the England Cricket Team and League Football;
• Is a generator of energy from wind farms and hydroelectric schemes;
• Provides an energy efficiency helpline;

Security

Click on the following link to access nPower’s latest contract terms for business energy customers: NPower T&C’s Are nPower’s contracts fully fixed? No, all elements of the nPower price can be passed through. This means that when you agree a contract with nPower the price can change through the contract term to reflect additional costs. In addition nPower does not include FIT, RO or CFD costs in the prices they quote.

Commodity: Inclusive, Variable Transportation: Inclusive, Variable Metering: Inclusive, Variable FIT: Excluded, Variable (Electricity only) RO: Excluded, Variable (Electricity only) CFD: Excluded, Variable (Electricity only)

nPower also reserves the right to amend the terms of the contract in exceptional circumstances. These include:

• Where a change in law occurs affecting delivery of the contract.
• Where the customer fails to fulfil their obligations under the contract.
• Where the installed metering system changes.

To find out more visit our Guide to Fixed Prices.

Back billing and nPower

npower is signed up to the Energy UK Back Billing standards and limits back billing for micro businesses to two years. Many suppliers have voluntarily limited their back billing rights to two years and in some cases a single year. However equally a number of suppliers are not signed up to the Energy UK Back Billing standards and therefore, under the Limitations Act, are able to back bill their customers for anything up to 6 years. nPower are therefore one of the stronger suppliers in this area. To find out more visit our Guide to Back billing.

nPower and Letters of Authority

In order to act on your behalf in securing your business a great energy deal nPower require us to have a signed Letter of Authority from yourselves. The fastest way to authorise us to work on your energy supply arrangements is to use our eSign service to agree our Evergreen Letter of Authority.

Change of Tenancy and nPower

Moving into a premise is known as a Change of Tenancy in the business energy market. It has also been termed a Change of Occupier or is known by its acronyms CoT and COO. However it is referred to, the opportunities it opens up are the same. This is great news for deal seekers. Whilst the existing supplier is obliged to continue to provide energy to the new occupier, the occupier is not obliged to take out an extended contract with that supplier. Indeed a Change of Tenancy customer has total freedom of movement and is free to accept a contract with a supplier of their choice There are however of course a number of rules and requirements. Firstly, as the new occupier, if you use energy you will need to pay for it, regardless of your contractual status. Secondly, you will need to identify as quickly as possible the identity of the existing supplier Thirdly, you will need to field calls from sales organisations and the existing supplier themselves offering you contracts of varying lengths to continue or to begin to supply the premises. As a result as a new occupier you will need to agree a new contract either with the existing supplier or with a new supplier of your choice. Not only that but you will need to inform the existing supplier as quickly as possible that you are the new tenant to prevent you being held liable for charges incurred by the previous occupier should they not have ended their agreement satisfactory. It can prove a real headache knowing whom to trust – whether it’s the old tenant, the landlord the current supplier, the pushy salesman ringing, knocking and emailing, the prospective new suppliers. That’s where Business Juice comes in, by working on your behalf, identifying your existing supply arrangements, reporting your change of tenancy, ensuring you are not held liable for costs not incurred before your occupation and benchmarking contracts for your selection we can help you save time, money and a whole lot of stress.

eSign – Fast, Convenient Online Approval

The fastest way to authorise us to work on your energy supply arrangements is to use our eSign service to agree our Evergreen Letter of Authority. We’ll take care of all correspondence, handle all the loose ends and enable you to focus on establishing your business in its new premise. And what’s more once your contract is in place we’ll manage your supplier relationship from beginning to end, all part of the Business Juice service.

Business Juice Top Tip Always ensure that you take opening meter readings on the day, or as close as possible to the day, that you move into the premises to ensure that you only pay for the energy that you use.

Transparency

Your nPower Electricity Invoice places the contract end date on the first page of the invoice, this is located on the right hand side opposite your charges summary. In addition the date by which termination is required to ensure freedom of movement at contract end it also presented in this section. Not all suppliers do this. If in doubt feel free to fax us your bill on 0845 387 5701 or send it to hello@businessjuice.co.uk and we will help locate the information for you.

nPower Renewal Letters

nPower sends their renewal letter to customers around 90 days in advance of the contract end date. This will contain nPower’s proposal for your rates for the coming period. It may provide a variety of options or a single price. It will however not be the most competitive price available in the market as the renewal letter is designed for customers who don’t use an energy broker and as such are priced at a higher level than can be obtained in the market.

Business Juice Top Tip Every Business Juice client receives a unique key facts statement detailing all there is to know about their energy contract including all the important dates relative to your deal. Sign up today and take control with Business Juice.

Terminating with nPower

nPower requires that their customers provide at least 60 days written notice of their intention not to renew the agreement at the end of the Contract Period.

Business Juice Top Tip Terminating your contract is key to gaining freedom of movement and having access to the best deals for your next business energy contract. It pays to always be aware of your termination obligations so as to ensure that you act as soon as conditions allow in order to help you get the best out of the business energy market. Or better still sign up for our evergreen letter of authority and we will terminate on your behalf well ahead of time and provide you with a range of market leading options at the right time to suit your business.

Rollover contracts and nPower

nPower announced that it would stop selling auto-rollover contracts to new customers from April 2014 and existing customers from November 2014. Any contract sold before this point and still running will be subject to an auto-rollover clause. For those customers if you fail to terminate your existing contract more than 60 days ahead of your contract end date you will be rolled over for a fixed term of 12 months. By using Business Juice you can avoid the costly mistake of falling into the rollover trap and paying premium rates for 12 months. To find out more visit our Guide to Rollover Contracts.

Terminating but remaining on supply with nPower

If you have provided termination notice to nPower and expressed your intent for freedom of movement at contract end but you fail to leave nPower’s supply you will be placed on nPower’s out of contract rates. Don’t be caught out! By using Business Juice to manage your energy contracts we will terminate and manage your new contract seamlessly to ensure you avoid penalty rates.

nPower and Out of Contract Rates

nPower term their Out of Contract rates as ‘Default Rates’. An nPower customer with a standard meter would be required to pay up to 25.30p/kWh for each unit of electricity used whilst out of contract and a standing charge of 56.44p/day. For gas customers this would be 7.221p/kWh and 129p/day. Even one week exposed to this level of charges mounts up, that’s why clients taking our contract life management service makes sense: removing your exposure risk and letting you focus on your business confident in the knowledge that your energy contracts are in safe hands. To find out more visit our Guide to Out of Contract Rates

Convenience

nPower operate a Quarterly Direct Debit policy for Electricity Profile 1-4 customers and Gas customers. Customers can opt for either a Variable Direct Debit meaning the amount you pay directly relates to the volume of energy you consume each month or a Fixed Direct Debit related to the consumption you provide at quotation stage.

For Electricity Profile 5-8 and Half Hourly customers nPower operate a Monthly Direct Debit policy

In addition nPower also offers cash/cheque payment terms however these are subject to a 5% surcharge for electricity customers. To find out more visit our Guide to Supplier Payment Terms. Click here for nPower’s VAT declaration certificate. To find out if your business is eligible for paying the reduced rate of VAT on your business energy bill visit our Guide to VAT Declaration. nPower operate a policy of billing their customers on a monthly basis for half hourly and profile 5-8 electricity customers and quarterly for all others. nPower provide online billing functionality as standard within all of their contracts meaning the end of paper invoices for their customers whilst providing convenient access to their account data. If you have an nPower invoice and are in doubt feel free to fax us your bill on 0845 387 5701 or send it to hello@businessjuice.co.uk and we will help locate the information for you.

Services

nPower and Smart Meters

nPower will provide smart metering to all customers on request as part of their contracts meaning the end of estimated bills as well as providing the foundation for a more energy efficient business. However nPower will only inherit smart meters of certain types and be able continue to operate the meter with its full smart functionality. To find out which suppliers meet your smart metering needs call us on 0800 051 5770. Go one step better and by appointing Business Juice to manage your energy contracts you can take advantage of our smart meter offers. For more information on Suppliers’ policies on smart metering visit our Guide to Suppliers & Smart Meters.

nPower & New Connections and Upgrade services

nPower currently only offer new connections and upgrade services to customers when they take out a new contract. If this doesn’t suit your requirements, to find out which suppliers meet your connections needs call us on 0800 051 5770. Go one step better and by appointing Business Juice to manage your energy contracts you can take advantage of our management fee free new connections and upgrades offer.

nPower & IGT Meters

nPower does not currently support meters supplied via IGT networks (Independent Gas Transporter). If your gas supply is delivered via an IGT network then nPower cannot offer you a gas supply contract. To find out which suppliers meet your IGT needs call us on 0800 051 5770.

nPower & Supporting Meter Types

nPower support all meter types including Half Hourly (HH), Maximum Demand (MD), Seasonal Time of Day (STOD) and standard profile meters as well as ‘related’ and ‘aggregated’ meters. This means whatever metering system you have, as long as it is not supplied via an IGT network, nPower can support it.

Environmental

Green & Renewable products from nPower

nPower do not currently provide renewable or green energy products within their portfolio however they do offer smart metering solutions to help your business use less energy.

nPower and Fuel Mix

For the reporting period 2013/14, nPower’s Fuel Mix was:

• Coal: 31%
• Gas: 50%
• Nuclear: 2%
• Renewable: 15%
• Other sources: 2%
• And produced CO2 of 492g/kWh and High Level Radioactive Waste of 0.0002g/kWh

Over the same period the national average was:

• Coal: 34.0%
• Gas: 25.6%
• Nuclear: 21.6%
• Renewable: 16.7%
• Other sources: 2.1%

Producing CO2 of 428g/kWh and High Level Radioactive Waste of 0.0017g/kWh Business Juice Top Tip By selecting a supplier with a fuel mix that suits your business’ environmental credentials you can gain access to a renewable solution without paying premium green prices. By using Business Juice we can match up your needs with appropriate the fuel mix and enable your business to take support renewable initiatives. To find out more visit our Guide to Fuel Mix.

Getting in touch

Does nPower sound like the business energy supplier you’re looking for? If so call now on 0800 051 5770 or alternatively the fastest way to authorise us to work on your energy supply arrangements is to use our eSign service to agree our Evergreen Letter of Authority. Not sure if nPower is right for you? If you’re looking at switching your energy supplier, we’re here to help you determine whether nPower is right for you. We take the research, negotiation and paperwork off your hands and help you switch to a better deal with your choice of new energy supplier. How we help you switch your business energy supplier Our team of energy experts can help you determine whether nPower is going to be the right supplier for you. The service we provide is independent and impartial, making sure that you get exactly the right deal for your business.