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With soaring energy prices in recent years, for many of us it hasn’t been possible to get a cheaper deal on our energy bills. But that is starting to change with energy switching back in fashion.
It’s starting to get colder, which means homeowners up and down the country are turning the heating on. And with the new energy price cap in effect now, millions of households will see energy bills jump 10%.
So it’s the perfect time to see if you can save money by switching energy supplier. Suppliers are offering cheaper deals than we’ve seen of late. Find out instantly whether you can save some money on your gas and electricity bills with us. We’ve partnered with The Energy Shop to provide you with an instant tool for comparing tariffs and seeing how much you can save.
It’s also a good time to check for the best deal if you’re moving house, if your current supplier has poor customer service or you want a specialist tariff such as an EV tariff.
Comparing energy suppliers is easy. Use our simple tool powered by The Energy Shop that will tell you instantly whether you can save on your energy bills. You’ll just need to give some details like where you live, the type of fuel you use and how many people live in your house or flat. Then you’ll get an estimate of what you may pay if you switch energy suppliers.
Once you’ve found a deal you’re happy with you can confirm the switch and start the process of switching energy suppliers.
If you want to switch energy suppliers, here’s how it usually works:
Yes, it’s worth seeing if you can save by switching energy suppliers. For the past couple of years, most people haven’t been able to switch energy suppliers and save money on bills. But that’s finally changing and you could find you can save £100s on your annual energy bills.
Use our tool powered by The Energy Shop to compare energy suppliers to see what deals are available.
If you’re currently locked into a contract, you may need to pay an exit fee to leave your current deal. If this is the case and the exit fee outweighs any savings, you’re best waiting until your contract is nearing its end. However, you won’t be charged for leaving your current energy supplier if you switch during the last 49 days of your contract.
The best time to switch energy suppliers will depend on your circumstances but for example it could be because:
It’s generally worth avoiding switching energy suppliers if you’re locked into a deal that means you’ll need to pay an exit fee or penalty to leave your current deal that outweigh and savings you could make. However, under Ofgem’s, licence conditions, suppliers cannot charge exit fees for switches within the 49-day ‘switching window’ before a fixed term contract ends.
When you’re switching energy suppliers, your main motivation may be to save money but you may also want to consider: how good customer service is, how green the energy provider is and whether you can get any deals on smart-home products by signing up. Find out more in our guide How to choose an energy provider.
Switching to a fixed tariff means you’ll have certainty about how much you’ll pay for your gas and electricity for the duration of the deal. But if the cost of energy falls you may not be able to switch to a cheaper deal without having to pay an exit fee. So check the energy provider’s terms. However, if you choose to take out a variable rate deal, while the cost of energy may reduce in the future it could also go up.
You can switch energy suppliers if you’ve been in debt to your supplier for less than 28 days. Your old supplier will add any owed amounts to your final bill.
However, you’ll need to repay a debt first if you’ve owed money for over 28 days. If you’re on a prepayment meter, you can still switch energy suppliers if you owe your supplier up to £500 for gas and £500 for electricity. Find advice on all of these issues on the Ofgem website.
Yes, as a tenant you can switch energy suppliers if you pay energy bills to the supplier directly. Although it’s a good idea to tell your landlord if you’re switching suppliers. But if you choose to switch to an energy tariff that requires a smart meter to be installed, Ofgem recommends telling your landlord first ‘because there may be rules in your tenancy agreement about how energy is supplied to the property, including the type of meter that can be installed’.
But if your landlord pays for your energy use out of your rent, your landlord will need to make the switch. However, you can choose to ask them to switch providers.
A supplier has to switch a customer’s electricity or gas supply within 5 working days, as part of an energy supplier’s licence, says Ofgem.
However, during the switching process, you’ll be asked when you’d like to switch to your new tariff. You can choose to switch:
If there has been a delay and you haven’t been switched within 5 working days, contact the supplier to check they have all the information they need. If they do, they should automatically pay you £30 compensation by cheque or into your bank account.
Yes, you can switch energy suppliers when you move home. You’ll need to take over the existing utilities when moving house, that doesn’t mean you can’t shop around for a cheaper or better supplier to switch to. Don’t assume the previous owner did their research and was on the best deal.
Remember to tell your existing energy supplier that you’re moving house. You should give at least 48 hours’ notice. Also, give them your new address so they can send your final bill to you. And take meter readings on the day you move out of your old house and into your new one. For more information read our Moving house checklist and How to take over utilities when moving house guides.
When you switch energy suppliers, you’ll get a 14 day cooling-off period in which you can change your mind. This cooling-off period starts when you agree the contract, this applies whether it’s online, over the phone or face-to-face.
If you change your mind within the cooling-off period, you can:
If you switch energy suppliers and change your mind after the cooling-off period, you may need to pay an exit fee to leave your current deal.
If you’re worried about switching to a small energy supplier in case they go bust, rest assured that if this happens, you will be transferred to another energy supplier with a guarantee of no loss of gas or electricity supply.
When you’re switching energy deal you’ll usually choose between fixed or variable rate, and by whether you want dual fuel (one bill for gas and electricity), single fuel (gas), single fuel (electricity), prepayment meter (pay as you go energy), an EV tariff, Economy 7 or Economy 10, these tariffs charge less for electricity at certain times of day, or a ‘green’ energy tariff, where the supplier commits to generating environmentally-friendly energy.
To get the most accurate quotes, it’s best to find your latest energy bill to check how much energy you use and the name of your tariff. But don’t worry if you can’t find this, our tool powered by The Energy Shop can estimate your usage. Then to complete the switch, if you’ll be paying by Direct Debit you’ll need your bank details to hand.
Energy prices started to increase in 2021, peaking in 2022, due to numerous factors including the war in Ukraine. Energy prices soared so high that the government introduced the subsidised Energy Price Guarantee to cap the average energy bill at £2,500 per year.
Energy prices have since come down from their peak: the Energy Price Cap from 1 October and 31 December 2024 the price cap is set at £1,717 per year.
An easy way to cut energy bills is to use less energy. For example, there are all sorts of ways you can make your home more energy efficient from installing loft insulation to fitting double glazing to replacing your boiler with a heat pump. Find out more in our How to make your home more energy efficient guide. And there are simple steps you can take to cut your energy usage like having shorter showers and switching off appliances at the plug rather than leaving them on standby. For more ideas read out Top 10 Energy Saving Tips guide.
You’re free to change energy suppliers whenever you choose. But if you’re tied into a contract that charges exit fees if you leave, you’ll need to weigh up the cost of that vs any savings you can make. Compare energy deals with our free tool.
There’s no limit on the number of times you can switch energy supplier.
No, there won’t be any interruption to your energy supply when you switch. The only changes are the company that bills you and the rate charged for your energy.
If you’re in a contract you can switch energy suppliers at any time but you may need to pay an exit fee. However, you won’t be charged any fees if you switch energy suppliers during the last 49 days of your contract.
Dual fuel means you get your electricity and gas from the same energy supplier. If you get your electricity bill from one energy supplier and your gas bill from a different energy supplier, you’re not on a dual fuel tariff.
The Energy Switch Guarantee is a voluntary set of standards that energy suppliers sign up to in an effort to provide a “reliable, hassle-free switch” to customers. One of these Energy Switch Guarantee commitments is that it will take 5 days or less to switch.
No, your energy supplier can’t stop me switching although if you’re locked into a contract you may need to pay exit fees. However, bear in mind that if you’ve been in debt to your energy supplier for more than 28 days, you’ll need to repay the amount owed before you switch energy suppliers. If you’re on a prepayment meter, the rules are different. Find advice on all of these issues on the Ofgem website.
No, you don’t need to tell your current supplier you’re leaving – your new supplier will do this for you.
