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With energy bills predicted to soar later this year, it’s vital to shop around now and compare energy deals to make sure you’re on the best energy tariff for you.
Use our free tool to compare energy deals and see instantly how much you can save on energy costs by switching your provider.
Find out instantly how much you can save with our free switching service today
Comparing energy suppliers is easy. Use our simple tool powered by The Energy Shop. 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:
It is worth researching switching energy suppliers. Switching energy suppliers and fixing your deal means you’ll be protected from the predicted hikes in energy prices forecast for July. Although you may pay more than the energy price cap in the short-term.
However, there are also energy deals available that track under the energy price cap or that follow the energy price cap’s unit rates but have lower standing charges.
So make sure you shop around and switch energy suppliers as soon as possible if you find a better deal.
Avoid rising energy prices and save money by switching to a fixed energy deal. Find out instantly how much you can save with our free switching service today
Compare energy deals, see how much you can save on electricity and gas, switch provider today.
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.
While consumers are being urged to shop around as soon as possible for a cheaper energy deal to save money on bills, there are some other circumstances when it may be a good time to switch. Such as:
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 outweighs the 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.
You should fix your energy bill if you want certainty over how much you’ll pay. However, rising energy costs have led to energy firms pulling their cheapest fixed deals and all fixed deals available are above the current energy price cap.
So it’s a case of weighing up what you feel is best for you. Some experts predict that based on current forecasts, households will pay around 11% more than the January price cap over the next year.
Therefore if you find a fix that’s up to 11% more than the January price cap, you’re likely to save, but with tariffs over 11% more than the January price cap, you’re unlikely to save.
However, wholesale energy costs are extremely volatile at the moment and no one knows what will happen with future price caps.
There are also alternatives to fixing to consider, such as energy deals available that track under the energy price cap or that follow the energy price cap’s unit rates but have lower standing charges.
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 deals 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.
The energy price cap will fall from the current level of £1,758 to £1,641 on 1 April 2026. However, the energy price cap is then forecast to rise by around £300 in July, following sharp increases in wholesale gas prices driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. For more detail, see Will energy prices go down .
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 you 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.
