COMPARE GAS PRICES

The aim of the energy switch guarantee is to give consumers more confidence in switching energy suppliers, as well as making the overall process quick and easy. The whole switchover of service is taken care of by your new provider, and you won’t be without gas or electricity at any point – and in the unlikely scenario that any problems do occur, your new provider will work to resolve it as soon as they can.

You’ll also be able to cancel the switch at any time within 14 days – if you do, you’ll remain with your old provider. If you have any credit from your previous energy account, this will be refunded within 14 days of your final bill.

If you’re a tenant and you pay the supplier directly, you’ll be able to switch supplier. If your landlord pays the bill out of your rent, you won’t be able to switch without discussing it with them first, and they’ll need to make the switch themselves.

Most of the country’s energy comes from the Big Six, the six biggest energy suppliers in the UK – these are:

• British Gas
• EDF Energy
• E.ON
• Npower
• Scottish Power
• SSE

However there’ve been an increasing number of smaller providers, such as First Utility, Octopus Energy, and Ecotricity. They may not be as well-known as the ‘Big Six’ companies, however they do offer certain advantages:

• Some smaller suppliers specialise in green energy
• Many also come out on top for customer service, compared to the Big Six

You’ll be able to switch from a prepayment meter to a credit meter if you aren’t in debt to your current provider – but you might need to undergo a credit check. Some suppliers might charge a fee to change your meter, but not all will – shopping around and comparing deals is the best way to find a better deal.

The energy price cap is calculated and set by Ofgem, and is reviewed every six months. The price cap is currently set at £1,277 for SVTs and £1,309 for prepayment tariffs and will be reviewed again in February 2022. 

If you’re on a fixed-rate tariff it’s likely you’ll need to pay an exit fee when you switch, as most fixed tariffs require you to sign a contract. However you won’t need to sign a contract for standard variable tariffs, and there are usually no exit fees.

Finding an energy tariff for your business is slightly different to domestic energy. Energy suppliers for businesses will offer the option of auto-renewing your contract, and while this might reduce the hassle of finding a supplier, you may also be on a more expensive tariff than you need to be.

All you need to do is give us at MoneySuperMarket a few details about your business’s energy usage and location, and we'll do our best to find a better deal for your business. You can request a call back from our energy experts, or call them yourself on 0800 088 6986, and discuss your requirements so you can find the right business energy deal for you.

At the time of writing (January 2022), gas prices are much, much higher than they have been in recent years. There are a few reasons for this, but it all essentially comes back to the global supply chain. 

Some factors hitting gas supplies include: 

• A cold winter last year in Europe, which put pressure on supplies

• A relatively windless summer in 2021, which made it difficult to replenish gas supplies 

• Increased demand for resources as countries recover from Covid-19 lockdowns

• Increased demand for natural gas from elsewhere in the world, in particular China

It really depends on the tariffs and the suppliers you’re comparing. 

Some are able to offer gas more cheaply on its own, which you can combine with a cheap electricity tariff from another supplier. Conversely, others, meanwhile, give you the best value with a dual fuel service. 

The best way to find out is to compare your options across the board, which we’ll help you do with our comparison tool. 

There are other benefits to choosing a dual fuel service besides cost, of course. For instance, it reduces your household admin and streamlines your finances, as there’s only one bill to deal with. You may find dual fuel simply makes life easier.  

It’s a little confusing, but the short answer is yes. 

Nearly all energy suppliers, including the Big Six, have green tariffs available. The energy you consume on these plans does come from the National Grid, and is therefore all the same – but by choosing a green tariff, it means that the energy the supplier purchases to go back into the grid will be green. 

This applies to electricity from most suppliers, but for green gas you may need to look to a smaller supplier that focuses on green initiatives. 

And if you’re wondering how gas can be considered green, we can answer that too! These suppliers help the environment by offsetting the gas they provide, through major carbon reduction projects.  

As long as you’re switching gas supplier regularly – every year or two – you should generally be getting a good deal, regardless of when you switch.

If you’re flexible on when you switch, however, the best time to do so is in the autumn before the winter hits. This way, you can make sure you’re not overpaying in the cold months when you’re most likely using more gas to heat your home.  

Look out for bills coming through your door from a gas supplier. 

Or, talk to the Meter Point Administration Service who can find out for you. You can use the Find My Supplier tool on their website, or call them on 0870 608 1524. 

We help you compare prices from a wide range of energy suppliers, so you can find the right deal for your needs.

It only takes a few minutes to compare tariffs and see what's out there.  All you have to do is answer some simple questions, and we'll show you tariffs and offers from household-name energy companies. 

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 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
• Stay abreast of our best energy deals 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.