Cookie use on npower.com

Helpful information

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are saved to your computer. npower uses cookies to remember users during a visit, upon return to the site and are required to enable certain functionality. In addition, cookies are used to help us understand how our customers use our websites and we use this information to help plan improvements to the site and to enable us to get to know you better. For example, using Persistent cookies allows us to recognise you when you return to the site, identify your preferences so as to provide you with a more personalised service and speed up searches that you conduct when visiting. npower does not use cookies to collect or store personally identifiable information about you.

A new EU Directive (2009/136/EC) came into force on 26 May 2011, changing the way in which websites use cookies and gain consent from users. We are currently working on ways in which our website will be updated to support these new rules. Below are details of how we currently use cookies, with details of how you can manage their use.

How to control the use of cookies

If you wish to restrict or block the use of cookies on your computer when you visit any npower website, you can do this through your browser settings. The "Help" function within your browser should give details of how to manage cookies and how to delete cookies already on your computer.

Some functionality on npower websites may not work when viewed with your browser set to have cookies disabled. In particular, you will not be able to complete product purchases or manage your account

For further information on cookies and how you can control how these are used, you can visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

How npower uses cookies

Both npower and third parties make use of cookies when you visit our websites. The following is a description of the types of cookie that are used, why they are used and details of the individual cookies.

Sessions:

Session cookies are used by us to recognise a user throughout a visit. This enables us to remember information that you have entered, for example, the product you have selected during a purchase which can then be used at each stage of processing your purchase. Session cookies are also used to remember you when you log in for the duration of your visit.

Session cookies open/close

  • npower.com: .ASPXAUTH cookie – Used to identify if a user is authenticated (that is, has their identity been verified).
  • npower.com: ASP.NET_SessionId –Used to identify a user’s session on the server.
  • sc.Status - used to store the recording status through the visitor's session.
  • sc.ASP_NET_SESSIONID - used to identify the individual user session.
  • sc.ASP_NET_SESSIONID - only used when a visitor goes across multiple domain names belonging to the same client within a single visit

Persistent:

Persistent cookies allow us to retain information and settings about a user for more than one session. These cookies stay on a computer or a device until they expire or a user removes them. They enable us to recognise a user when they return to our site, identify their preferences so as to provide a user with a more personalised service and speed up searches a user conducts when visiting the site. They allow us to tailor marketing and servicing messages to users based on what we know users have or haven’t done in previous sessions. We are able to optimise the website for a user’s return to the site knowing whether they have previously bought something or whether they may need support to complete a service transaction.

Persistent cookiesopen/close

  • npower.com: Npr_usr: Used to store a user’s encrypted login username or email address, so that a user only has to enter their password to log in to their account. This is only saved when the ‘remember my details’ box is ticked when logging in. It is also used to differentiate content for new and existing customers to our website.
  • npower.com: np_eq: Used to store a user’s energy quote details so that without being logged in they can quickly access their previous quote when they return to our website. The information is saved for 30 days from when the quote was provided.
  • fujswc: To help track user progress through transactions and identify abandonment
  • fujswc_data: To help track user progress through transactions and identify abandonment
  • sc.UserId - used to identify an individual unique visitor (set for one year).
  • sc.OptOut - used to identify users preference about data capture (set for one year)

Marketing:

Cookies enable us to identify which type of advertising results in sales. This means that we are able to tailor our marketing more effectively. Also, where brokers and affiliates promote npower which then results in a sale, it enables them to identify which of their users has made a purchase on npower.com.

Marketing cookies open/close

  • 360tag.com: t1 (session cookie): This is a cookie test, to see whether a user's browser accepts cookies
  • 360tag.com: tid (permanent cookie): UserID used to uniquely identify a user for the purposes of reporting and bid management
  • 360tag.com: sguid (session cookie): Used to identify the user's session
  • 360tag.com: 360lvs: (permanent cookie): Used to identify the users last traffic source
  • DFA Floodlight tags: Track user journey and conversion on website from online media
  • Criteo Tags: Track user journey on website and retarget them with display advertising
  • Dart Natural Search tag: Used to identify the users last traffic source

Website analytics:

Website analytics enables us to see how people use our website. This gives us the information to be able to make improvements, to make the site easier to use and based on the areas of the site people find most useful.

Website analytics cookies open/close

  • npower.com: WT_FPC: Visitor identification, sessionization
  • npower.com: WT_DC: SmartView Transition Page Tracking
  • statse.webtrendslive.com: ACOOKIE: Visitor identification, sessionization
  • _ga - Used to distinguish users.
  • _gid - Used to distinguish users.
  • _gat - Used to throttle request rate. If Google Analytics is deployed via Google Tag Manager, this cookie will be named _dc_gtm_.
  • AMP_TOKEN - Contains a token that can be used to retrieve a Client ID from AMP Client ID service. Other possible values indicate opt-out, inflight request or an error retrieving a Client ID from AMP Client ID service.
  • _gac_ - Contains campaign related information for the user. If you have linked your Google Analytics and AdWords accounts, AdWords website conversion tags will read this cookie unless you opt-out.
  • __utma - Used to distinguish users and sessions. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and no existing __utma cookies exists. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.
  • __utmt - Used to throttle request rate.
  • __utmb - Used to determine new sessions/visits. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and no existing __utmb cookies exists. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.
  • __utmc - Not used in ga.js. Set for interoperability with urchin.js. Historically, this cookie operated in conjunction with the __utmb cookie to determine whether the user was in a new session/visit.
  • __utmz - Stores the traffic source or campaign that explains how the user reached your site. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.
  • _utmv - Used to store visitor-level custom variable data. This cookie is created when a developer uses the _setCustomVar method with a visitor level custom variable. This cookie was also used for the deprecated _setVar method. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.
  • __utmx - Used to determine a user's inclusion in an experiment.
  • __utmxx - Used to determine the expiry of experiments a user has been included in.

Website optimisation:

We test different versions of parts of the site before we finalise changes to ensure that any improvements make the site easier to use for our customers. Cookies help us to track how a user progresses through sections of the website that we are testing.

Website optimisation cookies open/close

  • ots.optimize.webtrends.com: _wt.activeSplit: Identifies which Optimize split test the visitor is in
  • ots.optimize.webtrends.com: _wt.mode: Identifies what state the Optimize test/target is in (staging/active/complete).
  • ots.optimize.webtrends.com: _wt.user: Optimize test/target information, and Optimize visitor identifier
  • ots.optimize.webtrends.com: _wt.control: Optimize test/target information
  • ots.optimize.webtrends.com: _wt.conversion: Supports conversion event tracking in Optimize
  • _gaexp - Used to determine a user's inclusion in an experiment and the expiry of experiments a user has been included in.

FAQs, search and Live Chat:

We have partners that provide our FAQs, site search and Live Chat functionality. Cookies are used to remember a user during a visit so that we can see which features our users find most useful.

FAQs, search and Live Chat cookies open/close

  • customerservices.npower.com: cp_session: Store session specific user data including the following:
  • customerservices.npower.com: cp_profile: User profile token so that the server can identify a user
  • customerservices.npower.com: cp_login_start: Temporary cookie to check if cookies are enabled
  • customerservices.npower.com: oauth_token: Used as an authentication token when users use oauth login