SEVEN DAYS TO SAVE: 18 MILLION BRITS FACE
ENERGY PRICE HIKE OF £4 BILLION
- 18 million British households on standard tariffs face a price hike of £221 for energy on average if they don’t act – a £4 billion bill for the nation[1]
- Households on standard tariffs have just seven days to avoid the biggest bill hike since the energy crisis
- Manchester, Walsall, Weston-super-Mare, Torquay and Llandudno in north Wales are the best in the UK for fixing their energy deals[2]
- While Milton Keynes, Cwmbran, Carlisle, Altrincham and Handsworth, Birmingham, prop up the bottom of the national league table[2]
- There are currently 27 fixed energy deals that undercut July’s price cap, with the cheapest offering savings of £284[3]
- Uswitch has taken to the UK’s streets to warn of rising prices, driving a live timer counting down to July 1 through London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Llandudno, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and York.
More than 18 million UK households on standard tariffs must act to get a fixed deal within seven days to avoid a £221 price hike – a £4 billion extra bill for the nation[1], according to Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
Households on standard tariffs are running out of time to avoid the biggest bill hike since the energy crisis, when the price cap rises 13% on 1 July[4].
Uswitch has taken to the UK’s streets to warn of rising prices, driving a live timer counting down to July 1 through London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Llandudno, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and York.
Keep an Eye on your bills: Uswitch warns the capital city at the London Eye
Add boMessages near the London Eye asked residents of the capital city whether they were “Going round in circles with your energy bill?”, while rural residents were warned “Stop being milked by your energy bills”.
Moo-switch: Uswitch urges some rural residents to fix before July 1
Analysts predict energy rates will increase again in October[5] and stay high through winter when people use much more energy for heating, making now the crucial moment to act.
There are currently 27 fixed energy deals that undercut July’s price cap, with the cheapest offering savings of £284 for the average household[3].
The warning comes as Uswitch reveals its league table of the UK’s top switchers. Data shows that Manchester tops the table for actively comparing their energy costs and snapping up a fixed deal[2].
Table: Britain’s top ten energy switchers
| Overall rank | Town | Region | Rank for energy switches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | North West | 1 |
| 2 | Walsall | West Midlands | 2 |
| 3 | Weston-Super-Mare | South West | 3 |
| 4 | Torquay | South West | 4 |
| 5 | Llandudno | Wales | 5 |
| 6 | St Ives | South West | 7 |
| 7 | St Leonards-On-Sea | South East | 6 |
| 8 | Epsom | South East | 8 |
| 9 | Guildford | South East | 9 |
| 10 | Scarborough | Yorkshire & Humber | 10 |
Source: Uswitch.com data
Walsall in the West Midlands, Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, Torquay in Devon and Llandudno in north Wales make up the top five fixing locations[2].
Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, residents of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire are missing out when it comes to getting a good energy deal. Cwmbran in south Wales, Carlisle in Cumbria, Altrincham in Greater Manchester, and Handsworth, Birmingham, prop up the bottom of the national league table for fixing levels[2].
Table: The UK’s energy switching not-spots
| Overall rank | Town | Region | Rank for energy switches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 527 | Milton Keynes | South East | 527 |
| 526 | Cwmbran | Wales | 526 |
| 525 | Carlisle | North West | 524 |
| 524 | Handsworth | West Midlands | 525 |
| 523 | Altrincham | North West | 522 |
| 522 | Runcorn | North West | 523 |
| 521 | Swansea | Wales | 521 |
| 520 | Jarrow | North East | 520 |
| 519 | Brentwood | East of England | 515 |
| 518 | Yateley | South East | 519 |
| 517 | Esher | South East | 513 |
Source: Uswitch.com data
This rise is likely to hit many households hard, as two-thirds (66%) said a 10% rise in energy costs would have an impact on their finances. One in 10 (10%) say they would need to use savings to pay their energy bills, and a sixth (17%) would cut back on essential spending, such as food or transport[6].
Uswitch.com is warning households not to accept July’s price hikes and take action now by running a comparison online to find savings.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “We’ve taken our message to UK towns, cities and the countryside to warn households of the urgency to take power into their own hands – you don’t have to accept rising energy prices.
“The price cap may be rocketing 13% in just seven days, but your bills don’t have to.
“The jump in energy rates might seem easier to bear in July while heating is off – but a graver concern is this setting the baseline for a further increase in October.
"If you haven’t switched in a while, you’re almost certainly on a standard tariff, and you will be impacted. Getting off a standard tariff and switching to a fixed deal should be an urgent priority for households.
“There are currently 27 fixed deals available that are cheaper than July’s price cap, with average savings of up to £284, so act now to ditch the price hike and save.”
Assess your options by comparing energy deals at Uswitch.com
For more information
Rianna York | Energy PR Manager
rianna.york@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Download images of the Uswitch electric digivan on Dropbox here
1. Number of non-prepayment meter customers on SVTs = 65% of 28.2 million households = 18.3 million (Ofgem). 18.3 million x £221 average increase in costs due to 13% rise in July price cap = £4.04 billion.
2. Uswitch sessions and switching data.
3. Uswitch data.
4. Ofgem: Energy price cap will rise by 13% from July
5. Cornwall Insight: Energy Bills Set to Rise in July, as Forecasts Warn October Could Be Worse
6. Research conducted online by Opinium, 17th - 22nd April 2026, among 2,000 UK energy bill-payers, weighted to be nationally representative. Respondents were asked ‘What impact, if any, would you experience if your household energy bills were to rise by 10% or more this summer?’ 34% of respondents said ‘No impact’, therefore 66% would see some impact. 17% said ‘I would have to cut back on essential spending (e.g. food, transport)’. 10% said ‘I would have to use savings to pay the bill’. 8% said ‘I would have to look for extra income (e.g. overtime, a second job). 6% said ‘I would have to go into debt or use a credit card’.