Gas & Electricity

Switching to a new energy tariff is a quick and easy step to slash at least £286* off your bills.

Almost 15m UK households on standard variable or default tariffs are paying too much for their gas and electricity**, so it’s likely you could save by shopping around and switching.

It only takes a few minutes to run a comparison and take control of your energy bills. Plus, sign up for alerts with Energy Monitor and we'll keep an eye on prices and let you know when to switch†.

_{*51% of customers that applied to switch via MoneySuperMarket could save at least £286.50, June 2020..}

_{**According to Ofgem statistics correct as of September 2019}

_{† Excludes NI, CI & IOM}

You’ll be switched over to your new supplier within three weeks.

Most energy companies in the UK are signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee, which guarantees that the supplier you’re switching to will handle 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.

The cheapest supplier for you depends on where you live, plus how much energy you use. So, what might be the cheapest for someone else, won’t necessarily be the cheapest for you.

That’s why it’s important to run a comparison – telling us some key details about where you live and your energy habits allows us to find the cheapest deals for you.

Once you’ve found a cheap energy deal, you can choose to sign up for alerts with Energy Monitor. We’ll keep an eye on the market and let you know when it’s time to switch - so you never have to overpay again†.

_{† Excludes NI, CI & IOM}

Every single energy supplier in the UK is regulated by Ofgem, the industry regulator. This means that the smaller, lesser-known companies must follow exactly the same rules as the bigger, more established ones. If a company goes bust, you’ll be covered by Ofgem – they’ll ensure your supply isn’t cut off, and they’ll appoint a new supplier to take over your tariff.

When you’re choosing a new energy deal, think about whether to go for dual fuel (where you get both your gas and electricity from the same company) or separate tariffs (where you get gas from one company, and electricity from another). It’s worth checking both options, as the combined price of separate tariffs can sometimes be less than a dual fuel offer.

Think about whether you’d like to go for a fixed deal or a variable deal. Fixed deals can be a bit more expensive at the beginning, but you’ll know that your bills won’t suddenly jump during the fixed term.

The way you pay your bills can also affect the price – you can often get a discount for paying by direct debit, and for managing your account online, with no paper communications.

No. When you’ve chosen a new deal, your new supplier will handle the switching process. They’ll contact you to let you know what date you’ll be transferred over, and they’ll contact you around the switching date to ask for a meter reading. They’ll pass this on to your old supplier so they can send you a final bill. You don’t need to contact your old supplier either - your new supplier will handle it.

Yes. When you close your account with your old supplier, they will send you a final bill. Once this payment has gone out of your account, you should cancel your Direct Debit. If your account is in credit, the supplier should send you the balance.

It only takes a few minutes to compare energy prices, and you could save yourself at least £286*.

Here's what you need to do to compare energy rates:

• Start your energy comparison and tell us your postcode, current supplier and energy habits. If you can, use a recent bill for best results
• Compare energy tariffs from different providers – we’ll show you how much you could save by switching
• Choose the deal you want
• Put in a few confirmation details, like your direct debit and contact details
• Click to confirm, and you’ll be switched within three weeks

It doesn’t matter whether you own or rent your home – you can still compare energy deals and start saving on your bills.

Did you know? Around 15m UK households are on standard variable or default tariffs**, and if you’re one of them, it’s likely you’re paying too much for your energy bills.

Compare energy prices now

_{*51% of customers that applied to switch via MoneySuperMarket could save at least £286.50, June 2020.}

_{**According to Ofgem statistics correct as of September 2019}

A dual fuel tariff just means that your gas and electricity comes from the same supplier. You can choose this option when you run an energy comparison online with MoneySuperMarket – just choose ‘Gas & Electricity (Dual Fuel)’ when you start your energy comparison.

Some gas and electricity providers will offer a discount if you switch to a dual fuel tariff – if this applies, it will be shown in the tariff details.

Be aware that the best gas and electricity deal may not be the cheapest option. It’s always recommended that you check the price of buying your gas and electricity separately, too.

Although you can choose to compare dual fuel tariffs with MoneySuperMarket, you can also choose to compare gas prices or to compare electricity prices separately, here’s how:

• Compare gas only: Simply start your energy comparison and select ‘Just Gas’. If you select just gas, you’ll only compare gas prices and you won’t see any electricity tariffs
• Compare electricity only: All you need to do is select ‘Just Electricity’ on our energy comparison page. This will show you energy suppliers that have electricity tariffs without gas or dual fuel deals included

Whilst price is important, the best gas and electricity supplier for you might not always be the cheapest.

With MoneySuperMarket’s energy comparison, you can use filters to narrow down your search. Whether you want to find a deal from a supplier that you recognise or are looking for green energy from an environmentally friendly supplier – you can filter your results to suit you.

You might also be looking for good customer service, so we include star ratings to show how happy customers have been with each supplier.

When you switch to a new energy supplier, they’ll write to you to tell you what date you’ll be switched over. They’ll also contact you around the time of the switch to ask for a meter reading, and they’ll pass this on to your old supplier, so that they can send you a final bill.

That’s all you have to do – your new supplier will handle the admin throughout the process.

You won’t need any new pipes, there won’t be any digging or drilling, and there won’t be any interruption to your gas or electricity supply.

In April 2020, Ofgem introduced the latest energy price cap – reducing the previous cap by £17. While this will cut annual energy bills for around 15 million households on standard-variable tariffs, people on these tariffs should not assume they’re on a good deal because of the cuts.

If you are on a standard-variable tariff, you could save much more by switching to a cheaper fixed rate deal and locking in a better price. There are plenty of fixed rate tariffs available that are cheaper than the new cap.

What’s more, a fixed rate tariff ensures that the cost of your energy stays the same for the length of the deal – usually between one and two years. This means you’re protected against price rises.

It’s worth noting this doesn’t mean your monthly bill will always be the same. The more energy you use the higher your bill will be, but it will go up at the same rate for the duration of your deal.

Comparing energy prices is an easy way to save money on your bills - you could save at least £286* by switching to a different provider.

You won't get a cheaper price by going direct to the energy supplier, because industry rules say that companies can’t offer cheaper prices than those you see on our site. You can be confident that you won’t find these deals cheaper anywhere else.

It only takes a few minutes to compare energy prices - see how much you could save.

_{*51% of customers that applied to switch via MoneySuperMarket could save at least £286.50, June 2020.}

Smart meters send details of your energy usage directly to your supplier. The smart meter display also tells you how much energy you’re using and how much it is costing you at any given point.

Smart meters ensure you get an accurate bill and the display unit could help you to work out how to reduce your consumption and cut your bills - but they won’t save you money automatically.

The best way to save money is still by switching supplier. Lots of the top deals now require you to agree to a smart meter anyway, so you can save some money today and be confident that your bills will be accurate once your switch is complete.

Cut through the jargon and get help understanding your energy bills. The key things to be aware of are:

• Your tariff: your bill will show you the name of your tariff
• Comparison rate: this highlights how much your tariff costs, so you can compare the rate
• Energy consumption: how much electricity or gas you’ve used in kilowatt hours (kWh)
• Terms and conditions: this is where you’ll find details such as any notice period, the conditions of your current price plan and everything else

Our energy saving tips show you how to save electricity and gas in the home. These tips include:

• Turn off anything left on standby
• Turn down your heating or install a smart thermostat
• Buy energy efficient appliances
• Install a new boiler
• Wash your clothes at lower temperatures
• Invest in double glazing
• Insulate your roof and/or walls

We think it’s important for you to have all the information you need to make your home as energy efficient as possible, so you can save on your household bills.

Here are some organisations that offer advice and support with energy efficiency:

• Energy Saving Trust
• Government energy grants calculator 
• Citizens Advice
• Read our tips for saving energy

You could save hundreds of pounds by switching your gas and electricity to a cheaper tariff through MoneySuperMarket.

We help you compare prices from all the energy suppliers in the UK, so you can find the cheapest deals in the market.

It only takes a few minutes to find a cheaper energy deal.  All you have to do is answer some simple questions, and we'll show you tariffs and offers from all the energy companies. We’ll also show you how much you could save by switching to each tariff, to help you choose the best one for you.

We can help you switch to tariffs from most companies directly through MoneySuperMarket.  Just click the green button, answer a few more questions, and you’re done.

If you’d prefer to talk to someone, you can call us on 0800 177 7087. We can answer any questions you might have, and even switch you to a new deal over the phone.

Compare energy deals now

MoneySuperMarket is an energy comparison site that helps you to save money by checking if there’s a cheaper gas or electricity tariff available to you.

We’re accredited by the Ofgem Confidence Code, which governs how energy comparison sites work. This means we’re bound to strict rules about how we do business, to make sure that switching energy is easy, reliable and reassuring for you.

Like most energy comparison sites, we’re paid a fee each time someone switches tariffs. Find out more about how MoneySuperMarket works.

MoneySuperMarket gives you lots of clever ways to save a lot, by doing very little.

• Take control of your credit score by checking and improving it for free with Credit Monitor
• Never overpay again with Energy Monitor, our energy monitoring service
• Over 50 ways to Get Money Calm

So how do we make our money? In a nutshell, when you use us to buy a product, we get a reward from the company you’re buying from.

But you might have other questions. Do we provide access to all the companies operating in a given market? Do we have commercial relationships or ownership ties that might make us feature one company above another?

We commit to providing you with clear and informative answers on all points such as this, so we have gathered the relevant information on this page.