Your gas and electricity bills are largely dependent on usage, but there are other reasons your bills might have gone up recently:

1. Your fixed price plan ended

A fixed price energy plan protects against price rises. These plans do end though, and when they do you get automatically rolled on to a new plan with different rates. This is often a standard variable tariff or default tariff, the most expensive type of energy plan on offer.

2. Your energy supplier has raised prices

If you’re on a standard variable or default tariff, your energy supplier can raise their gas and electricity prices at any time. 

3. Your bills are based on estimated meter readings

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.

To find the cheapest gas and electricity deals you’ll need to shop around once your fixed plan has ended. After your plan’s end date you’ll likely be rolled onto a standard tariff, which is the most expensive type of plan.

If you’ve never switched or haven’t done so for a while, it’s likely you can find a cheaper energy deal in minutes with Uswitch. Simply enter a few details and search for a cheap energy deal.

You might not even need to switch away from your supplier to find a cheap energy tariff. Check to see if your current supplier has a cheap gas and electricity deal on offer — the cheapest energy supplier for you could be the one you’re already with.

If you’re on your supplier’s standard or default tariff, now’s the time to switch energy. If you’re on one of these plans it’s very likely that you can get a cheaper energy deal by switching to a fixed plan. If you’re already on a fixed deal, you might want to wait until you can switch without having to pay any exit fees. This is normally around 49 days before your contract comes to an end. To maximise your savings, it’s a good habit to switch every time your fixed plan is due to end. Not sure when your plan ends? Compare energy prices with us and we’ll let you know if you can switch without exit fees.

Ofgem’s Default Tariff Cap, better known as the energy price cap, sets a maximum rate that suppliers can charge for their standard variable or default tariffs. While this price cap currently stops suppliers charging more than £1,042 on average for standard variable tariffs, these are typically the most expensive type of tariffs and prices can rise when the cap is reviewed twice a year. When the price cap was last changed in October 2020, the cheapest fixed tariff was more than £200 cheaper than the price cap level. 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.

We only work with trusted energy suppliers and run a yearly customer satisfaction report so you can see how each supplier performs in a wide range of categories from customer service to value for money, green services to smart meter installation. Click on ‘plan info’ in your energy comparison results and we’ll show you the supplier’s star rating based on real customer reviews. You can also learn more about each of the suppliers we work with here.

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.

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 switch to a cheaper energy deal from your current provider if you’re happy with the service but want to save on your energy bills.

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.

Yes, you can switch to a better energy deal if you’re a tenant. The only exception is if your landlord pays the energy bills or if energy charges are included in your rent. If your name is on your energy bill you have the right to switch energy supplier and save on your bills.

You’re not trapped with your current supplier, even if you’re in debit on your account. Many suppliers take payments based on estimated energy usage, so it’s common to owe your supplier money if you use a little more energy than expected. You should be able to switch energy with no problems if you’ve been in debt to your supplier for less than 28 days, or if you owe less than £500 on a prepayment meter. Otherwise you will need to repay what you owe before you switch to a new energy supplier. Read more in our guide.

Yes, while you can compare dual fuel prices with Uswitch you can also choose to compare gas prices or compare electricity prices separately, depending on your needs.

Not all households use both types of energy and many energy suppliers offer tariffs for just one type of fuel. You can also compare gas and electricity separately if you wish to choose different suppliers for each instead of using a dual fuel tariff.

In Great Britain, around four million households do not use mains gas for heating, according to Ofgem. Just over half of all non-gas households use electricity as their primary heating source.

If you don't require a gas tariff for your home, you can search for separate electricity-only tariffs. When you compare energy prices with Uswitch, we'll ask if you use gas in your home. If you answer no, we'll show you electricity-only tariffs that could save you money.

If you use both gas and electricity but want to compare tariffs from different suppliers, you can choose to see these separately by choosing 'show me electricity plans' on your results page.

While most households use electricity and will require both an electricity and gas plan, you can also choose to have separate suppliers or tariffs for each fuel.

There are a number of gas-only suppliers and many standard energy suppliers also offer separate gas-only tariffs.

If you'd like to compare gas tariffs with Uswitch, simply run an energy comparison and select 'show me gas only plans' on your results page. You'll be able to easily compare gas-only plans and dual-fuel tariffs to see which is the best energy deal for you.