Get guidance on whether it's the right time to switch energy

Your energy bills are likely to increase in the next few months if they haven't already. This is because of a range of factors that have caused the price of wholesale energy to rocket. This means it costs energy suppliers more to buy the energy they supply customers with, and they therefore have to charge customers more to cover themselves financially.

The few fixed energy deals that are now available are likely to be extremely expensive, with standard variable tariffs now at the cheaper end of the market. If you're coming off a fixed deal, you're almost certainly going to have to pay more for your energy than you have been. A standard variable tariff, though, might be the most affordable option for you. Consider your options carefully and take a look at our energy market Q&A for more information.

One way to reduce the amount you pay for your energy is to track how much you're using. Check that your bill is based on actual readings of your gas and electricity meters rather than estimated ones. It’s important to take your own readings so that you get charged accurately. Or consider getting a smart meter, which provides real-time meter readings and can help you monitor your energy usage — you can request one from your supplier or switch to a smart meter tariff.

It's going to be difficult, given the current state of the energy market, for many customers to find a cheap gas and electricity deal. Energy prices have risen by a significant amount, with deals hundreds of pounds more expensive than they were a year ago.

It may be the case that a standard variable tariff, which is capped at £1,277 until 1 April 2022, is the cheapest deal available for many customers. Fixed deals are now extremely expensive and could lock you in for a long time. Consider your options carefully and check out our energy Q&A here for more information.

Since the price cap's introduction, it's fair to say that it hasn't really helped cut people's energy bills. The standard variable tariffs it applies to have still been the most expensive on the market, especially when compared to fixed deals.

However, with energy prices rocketing, fixed deals are now being priced far above the cap's current level of £1,277. This means that the price cap is now doing the job it was designed for - though it won’t cut your energy bills per se, standard variable customers will be protected from prices higher than £1,277 until 1 April 2022. Find out more about the energy price cap in our guide.

The cheapest energy supplier for someone else isn’t necessarily the cheapest for you. That’s why we compare energy suppliers tailored to you to get the best energy deals.

Energy suppliers vary their pricing by region and your bill will also depend on your usage. Different energy suppliers also target different types of household, so some might offer their cheapest gas and electricity deal to a family home with high usage, while someone living alone with low usage might find a cheap energy deal with a different supplier.

The best gas and electricity supplier for you won’t necessarily be the cheapest. You can use Uswitch to filter by what’s important to you, whether that’s a large supplier or one that offers green energy plans.

We also know customer service is important, so we’ve assigned each supplier star ratings based on our energy customer satisfaction report to help you compare energy suppliers, from the well-known ‘big six’ to the smaller suppliers you might not be so familiar with.

A smart meter won’t save you money directly, but it will show how much energy you’re using each day and highlight areas where you could afford to cut back on your energy usage. This could therefore have a positive impact on your bills.  

Energy prices can change every day as they reflect the market changes. If you are on a variable plan, your rates may fluctuate throughout the year, but will not increase before October 2022. On a fixed plan, your rates will stay the same during the fixed period.

Most of the UK’s energy suppliers are signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee, which guarantees that the supplier you’re switching to will complete the process, and that it will be done within 21 days.

There’s also a two-week ‘cooling off’ period, during which you can cancel the switch free of charge.

There’s no need to get in touch with your old supplier once you’ve made your energy switch. Once they’ve received notification of your switch, the supplier should send a final bill and close your old account once you’ve paid any outstanding amount. While there’s no need to cancel your Direct Debit, you can do this through your bank if you want to be more confident you won’t still be charged – just remember to settle your final bill first.

Your gas and electricity won’t be interrupted at any time - even if your supplier goes out of business and you’re transferred to another supplier, the lights and heating will stay on. In the case of switching, most energy suppliers are signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee, which requires switching for customers to be reliable and hassle-free. With that in mind, any problems involving the interruption of your supply are extremely unlikely.

You can switch energy supplier if you’ve been in debt for fewer than 28 days - the money you owe will be added to your final bill. If you’ve been in debt for longer, you probably won’t be able to switch until you’ve settled that debt (unless the supplier’s billed you incorrectly). 

If you’re on a prepayment meter, you can switch as long as the debt to your current supplier isn’t greater than £500.

If you’re moving and you want to take your current deal with you, let your provider know - depending on where you’re moving to, you may be able to take it with you. Otherwise, you’re free to switch away from the supplier in residence at your new property in the normal way.

One thing to remember to do is take a meter reading on the day you move out, and take another one at the new property - this will ensure you’re only paying for what you use. Read more in our guide.

You can compare energy prices by providing your postcode and usage details (starting with the postcode entry box at the top of this page) so we can show you the deals available in your area along with the estimated savings based on your current usage.

In order to switch energy supplier, you’ll need:

• Your address

• Your tariff name

Uswitch will collect your usage data and current supplier from your address details.

You don’t necessarily need all that to compare energy deals, but you run the risk of an inaccurate personal projection and savings estimate if you don’t provide as much information as possible at the start of the process. 

You can usually switch energy supplier if you’re a renter as long as you pay the energy bills. If the landlord pays the energy bills, you will need to get their permission.

If you want to only see gas deals or electricity deals, you can filter available tariffs on our results table.

When you confirm your switch, you’ll get a confirmation email from your chosen supplier within a day or two to let you know that it’s going ahead. Once it’s completed, which should be within 21 days, you’ll get another onboarding email letting you know that you’re officially getting your energy from your new supplier. Your supply won’t be cut off at any point, so you can sit back and relax.

If you don’t want to switch energy supplier, you still might be able to find a cheap gas and electricity deal with Uswitch. If you haven’t switched energy before it’s likely that you’re on your provider’s standard variable or default tariff, which is typically the most expensive type of plan on offer. You can use Uswitch to compare energy deals from your current provider if you’re happy with the service but want to save on your energy bills.

A dual fuel tariff is an energy tariff that combines electricity and gas from the same supplier, so you only need one energy tariff. Not only can this work out more cheaply than getting the two fuels from different suppliers, but it also reduces admin on your end because you only have one bill to pay, one number to call if you need customer service and so on.

Green energy has become more accessible in recent years, and most suppliers now offer at least one renewable or green energy plan. We’ll highlight green plans in your energy comparison results, and you can even filter your results to show only green energy plans.

Yes, you can switch energy if you’re on a prepayment meter. Just select ‘Prepayment meter’ when you’re asked how you pay your energy bills. You can tell you’re on a prepayment meter if you pay in advance with a smart card, token or key. You can also choose to switch away from using a prepayment meter by replacing it with a credit meter.

Similarly to the cheapest supplier question, the best type of energy tariff for someone else won’t necessarily be the right one for you. The most important thing to think about is whether you want a dual fuel deal or whether you want single fuel deals from two different suppliers. There will obviously be price considerations to take into account, as well as the reputations and size of different suppliers. Think about what’s most important to you and make your decision based on that.

Green energy has become more accessible in recent years, and most suppliers now offer at least one renewable or green energy plan. We’ll highlight green plans in your energy comparison results, and you can even filter your results to show only green energy plans.

As we move away from our reliance on non-renewable energy sources, green energy is becoming more prevalent in energy suppliers’ fuel mixes and more of a priority for customers.

Whether you’re interested in solar, wind, tidal or other types of green energy, you can specifically compare green energy deals with Uswitch.

And in order to make sure you’re getting a green deal that works for you, you can make use of Uswitch’s Green Accreditation scheme. An independent panel of experts rates each green deal as Bronze, Silver or Gold depending on how green it actually is, so you can have full confidence about what you’re signing up to.

Those looking for a greener way of getting from A to B should consider switching to an electric vehicle. While the initial cost of an electric vehicle compared to a petrol or diesel vehicle is higher, the running and maintenance costs are much lower and will save you money in the long run.

If you already have an EV, you should consider signing up to an EV-specific tariff (similar to an Economy 7 tariff) to enable you to charge it up in the most affordable way.