Orbit Energy customers sent to Scottish Power: What will happen?

What should current Orbit Energy customers do?

In this instance, the situation is almost entirely out of your hands. You do not need to stress because this has become a rather frequent occurrence in the UK energy market and the process is well known by all parties involved, meaning that it should not result in any complications for you.

What happened to Orbit Energy?

As stated above, Orbit Energy was not able to cope with the financial obstacles and hardships that were brought about by the UK's energy crisis. Despite their best efforts, Orbit has officially gone bust and has begun to close its operations for good. As a result of it going bust, Orbit Energy's customers will be transitioned to Scottish Power in the coming weeks by Ofgem, the energy industry's regulator, who will ensure the transition goes smoothly and safely.

Will my energy supply be interrupted?

Ofgem has a process in place that eliminates the risk of your energy supply getting interrupted, so no, the answer is that you will not lose energy if your supplier goes bust. In this case, Orbit will supply their customers with energy until Ofgem transfers their customers to a new supplier, usually referred to as a "supplier of last resort", which will be your new supplier going forward. Ofgem have recently announced that they appointed Scottish power as a supplier of last resort. The transition is intended to be seamless so that no customer experiences any change in their home's energy.

Should I continue to pay Orbit energy?

You should continue to pay for your energy as you have been using it, customers can reach out to their customer service to clarify how they plan to handle the payments situation. In the meantime, continue to pay your bills as normal, and if an issue should arise you can contact Orbit Energy's customer service for clarity.

Should I take a meter reading?

Yes, you should certainly take a meter reading when your supplier goes bust, simply because an accurate and up to date measurement of your energy consumption could be very useful during the transition period. It could help reduce your chance of errors being made if you have evidence to back up how much energy your property has consumed during the transition period between suppliers.

What if I am still in credit or in debt to Orbit Energy?

If you are still in credit or in debt with Orbit Energy there may be an agreement that forms between Orbit Energy and Scottish Power. In some cases, Scottish Power might agree to take on all existing credit or debt of the recently gone bust supplier, whereas in other cases your old supplier will keep a payment office open to ensure that all credit is paid out or it can continue to receive payments associated with your debts.

Scottish Power to take over: will my bills go up?

Probably they will, as a consequence of the current market conditions prices are rising fast. In the transition process, you often are unable to choose your plan. This contract tends to be a bit more expensive and in some cases could be higher than your old one. However, there may be a chance that you can inquire with Scottish Power what rate you will be put on and if it is possible to change to a different one.

What rate will I pay under my new contract?

Scottish Power will contact you once the transition is starting and they will update you on the rates that you will pay.

Will my bills go up at Scottish Power?

It is likely that you will be assigned to a deemed contract, which is the supplier's default plan. The default plan often is not best in terms of value for money. When Scottish Power contacts you with your new rates, you can always reach out to see if there are any better deals available.

Will I be able to keep the same contract?

This depends on the supplier, sometimes the contract remains the same, sometimes the contract changes. If your contract changes, you do not have to pay the exit fee and you are allowed to switch to a new plan at your new supplier without extra fees.

If Scottish power enables you to keep your current contract, it will only be until the original expiration date. After that, you will have to select a new tariff from the existing ones at the company.

When will Scottish power contact me?

This may take a few weeks, if after a few weeks they haven't reached out to you yet, then you should reach out to them just in case there were any issues such as inaccurate contact information.

Can I switch suppliers right now?

While you are technically free to switch suppliers if you'd like, we highly suggest you remain with Orbit Energy until you have been completely transferred to the new supplier appointed by Ofgem. This is because your customer information could potentially get lost between the new supplier that you want to switch to, Orbit Energy, and the supplier that you have been appointed to by Ofgem. If you wait for the dust to settle with your transition from Orbit to the supplier appointed by Ofgem, you will be able to switch to a new supplier without any risk such as billing issues or documents being misplaced.

Do I have to stay with my appointed supplier?

Nope, you do not, once the transition has been completed and you are officially considered a customer of the new supplier you will be able to switch to whichever supplier you'd like. In fact, you can even switch without incurring any exit fees, so if you already have a certain supplier in mind you can call our energy experts and we can help you manage the switch!

What happens if I was in the process of switching suppliers when Orbit Energy went bust?

If this is the case then you don't have to worry, the switching process that you initiated will still be taken into account, and you will safely switch to the supplier that you chose. (assuming it is still active).

Scottish Power tariffs in 2021: what can I choose from?

Scottish Power has a wide range of tariffs available. As standard to most energy suppliers, these include single tariffs, as well as dual fuel, including fixed and variable plans. First, let’s take a look at Scottish Power’s plans available for both existing and new customers.

Below you can find the cost information associated with these tariffs.

Scottish Power Variable Rate Tariffs

Scottish Power currently only offers their standard variable tariff for variable rates With variable rates, your price will go up and down based on the market price. They give the user flexibility in terms of leaving the contract, but come at a risk of potential higher prices.

The costs associated with this tariff can be seen here:

Scottish Power Fixed Rate Tariffs

Scottish Power has several fixed rate tariff plans. We have an overview of them down below.

The pricing on these tariffs can be seen here:

Scottish Power Gas Prepaid Tariffs

Scottish Power also allows the use of Prepaid Meters. With this type of meter, rather than paying after your use, you top up your meter and the credit slowly depletes.

Costs associated with this tariff plan can be seen here:

Scottish Power Economy 7 Tariffs

Sometimes called double electricity,Scottish Power offers Economy 7 plans for those who have an economy 7 meter installed.

As mentioned previously, these tariffs have two separate unit rates, one for peak hours of consumption and another for off-peak.

Pricing on these tariffs can be seen here:

Who were Orbit Energy?

Orbit Energy was formed in 2018. It was based in London, although its parent companies, Energy Global Investments and Genie Energy are based in Australia and the US respectively.
One of Orbit’s big selling points was its stable energy prices. It recently had signed a five-year deal with Shell Energy for the supply of its power, gas, and environmental products. This agreement allowed Orbit Energy to secure competitive energy prices for its customers, something that allowed the company to grow quickly following its launch in 2018.

They had attracted customers looking for affordable long-term deals and good customer service. Its excellent online reviews aided its growth, and although the company was still small, more and more customers were switching to Orbit every year leading to its untimely fall.

Was Orbit Energy cheap?

Orbit Energy marketed itself as a low-cost supplier. The five-year deal that the company did with Shell had allowed it to guarantee its customers competitive rates until 2023. This should have made it an attractive option for anyone looking for an affordable deal.

Orbit Energy fuel mix

On 1st October 2019, Orbit Energy went green. The supplier began offering 100% renewable energy on all of its tariffs, with all of its electricity backed up by certificates of Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin, or REGOs. This was great news for customers who wanted to reduce their carbon footprint at the same time as lowering their monthly energy bills.

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Prior to going green, Orbit Energy’s fuel mix was as follows:

As the table shows, Orbit Energy was already offering a greener mix of fuel than the average energy company. Their move to 100% renewable electricity will make the company even kinder on the environment.

Does Orbit Energy have smart meters?

They do currently offer smart meters. However, these may not be available to customers in all regions. If you already have a smart meter installed, you can still switch to Orbit Energy although you may lose some of its smart functionality.
Second generation smart meters are slowly being rolled out across the UK. These smart meters are designed to work with all energy suppliers and so will allow customers to switch without losing their smart features.

Was Orbit Energy any good?

Online reviews for Orbit Energy were generally positive. The company seemed to be working hard to provide its customers with a high-quality experience while offering some of the lowest prices around.
However, as they were still a very young company, it was hard to get a real idea of the quality of its services. Often, complaints and cracks only start to appear when energy suppliers have been up and running for a few years.

• 100% renewable electricity as standard
• Long term, low cost deals available
• Cheap variable and fixed rate deals
• Good customer service

• Not the cheapest supplier on the market
• No app available
• Limited choice of tariffs available

Orbit Energy customer reviews

Orbit Energy had a Trustpilot rating of 3.9 out of 4. While that was down from the perfect 5/5 it scored in 2020, it was still a very good score for an energy supplier.

Google reviews don’t rate Orbit Energy so highly, with the company scoring just 1.6 out of five from 131 reviews. Comments posted online about Orbit Energy include:

"Very poor customer service no one replies to email sent owed a refund on the account. It's like getting blood out from a stone.. avoid this company like the plague."

"Website very easy to navigate, it's a very simple system to submit meter readings. Their system is great for people who want it simple online, but offline is a different matter altogether. Never been directly contacted by them, though I did get an automatic renewal info email on Christmas day."

"Switched to Orbit a couple of months ago. All comms via e.mail which were responded to promptly and efficiently. May not suit those who prefer speaking with their supplier but don't let that put you off. Early days but very impressed so far."

Would you like to know more about energy suppliers in the UK market? Great! Check out more about energy suppliers in these articles

1. Breeze energy - not trading
2. Pure planet
3. Igloo Energy
4. Simplicity energy

FAQ

Should I do anything now that Together Energy has gone bust?

we advise you to stay put until British Gas gets into touch with you. You can discuss the options you have with them directly.

Should I switch supplier now?

Although you are allowed to switch, we do not recommend it now. Following the crisis, prices are extremely high and switching to a new supplier probably won´t decrease your bills.

I was in the process of switching from Together Energy, what will happen?

You do not have to do anything. Your switch will still be processed by your old and new supplier.

Will my rate go up at British Gas?

Because of the energy crisis, a lot of energy companies are increasing their tariffs. Therefore it is likely that your rates at British Gas will be higher as well.