British Gas Sainsbury’s Energy (November 2026)
Contents
Overview
British Gas has the cheaper tariff shown at £1,622 a year, while Sainsbury’s Energy scores higher for customer service with Which?, so the better pick depends on your priority.
Neither supplier leads on everything, so the better choice depends on whether price or service matters more to you. Sainsbury’s Energy has the stronger service evidence. Its Which? total score is 71%, against 59% for British Gas, and Which? customers rate it higher for customer service and for how easy it is to contact. British Gas has the lower annual estimate shown: its Cap Tracker Mar2028 v1 tracker tariff costs £1,622 a year, which is £50 less than the cheapest Sainsbury’s Energy tariff, although it has a £50 exit fee. There is no current Citizens Advice score or app-store rating for Sainsbury’s Energy, so it cannot be compared with British Gas on those measures.
About British Gas and Sainsbury’s Energy
Who are British Gas?
British Gas says it has been looking after Britain's homes for over 200 years. Today it is part of Centrica PLC and shares the group's values and plans for the future. Its about page says it powers over 8 million homes and businesses in Britain, which it describes as more than any other supplier.
The company says it is on a mission to make homes more sustainable. It aims to make life at home easier, greener and more affordable, from keeping things working to helping people move to newer low-carbon technology. It also backs sport through partnerships with Team GB, Paralympics GB, Scottish Rugby, Scottish Football and Women's Super League Football. It says it uses these to encourage greener living at home and to support the communities behind the athletes.
Products & services
Awards & recognition
Who are Sainsbury's Energy?
Sainsbury's Energy carries the Sainsbury's name, but the energy business behind it is E.ON Next. The brand is a trading name used under licence by E.ON Next Energy Limited, run as a partnership with E.ON Next, and its customers are supplied under E.ON Next's licence.
It is a modest-sized brand, with 67,493 customer accounts at the end of March 2026, and its complaints handling is regulated by Ofgem. Its main promise is personal service. It says every customer has a dedicated customer service team that knows their account, and it publishes its complaints performance every quarter.
Products & services
Awards & recognition
- [1] British Gas: looking after Britain's homes for over 200 years
- [2] Sainsburysenergy.com: trading name used under licence by E.ON Next Energy Limited
- [3] Sainsburysenergy.com: a partnership with E.ON Next
- [4] Sainsburysenergy.com: supplied under E.ON Next's licence
- [5] Supplier performance page (Sainsbury’s Energy)
- [6] Sainsburysenergy.com: every customer has a dedicated customer service team
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Tariffs and pricing
Eligibility
Household gas and electricity customers. To earn the extra Nectar points, you need to link a Nectar card through your online account.
The lowest annual estimate shown for British Gas is the Cap Tracker Mar2028 v1, a tracker tariff at £1,622 a year. Its rates can change, and it has a £50 exit fee. For Sainsbury’s Energy, the lowest estimate shown is the Sainsburys Standard Variable tariff at £1,672 a year, which has no exit fee. The British Gas tracker is therefore £50 a year cheaper, or about £4 a month, but leaving it would cost you £50, which would cancel out a year's saving.
If you would rather avoid an exit fee, the British Gas Standard Variable tariff has the same £1,672 estimate as the Sainsbury’s Energy standard variable tariff, and neither charges one. Sainsbury’s Energy also has the Sainsburys Track & Reward 12m v1 at £1,672. It runs for 12 months and its rates can change, but there is no exit fee if you leave.
For both suppliers, the fixed deals shown cost more than the variable and tracker options, because you are paying to know your prices for the length of the deal. The Sainsburys Energy Fix and Save 12m v35 fixes for 12 months at £1,885 a year, with a £100 exit fee. Sainsbury’s Energy's Fix and Reward Fixed 24m v55 fixes for 24 months at £1,897 a year, with a £200 exit fee. The British Gas Fix and Fall Nov28 v1 is a 24-month fixed deal at £2,066 a year, with a £250 exit fee. The Sainsbury’s Energy 12-month fix therefore costs £181 a year less than the British Gas fix, or about £15 a month, and ties you in for half as long.
British Gas and Sainsbury’s Energy: tariff options
British Gas
Households who simply want gas and electricity can choose a price that moves, one that follows the price cap or a fixed price. The Standard Variable tariff can go up or down with the energy market, within Ofgem's price cap, and has no exit fee. The Cap Tracker follows the price cap, while Fix and Fall fixes prices for two years, with a price review after 12 months based on Ofgem's price cap. Both of these charge an exit fee if you leave early, so the Standard Variable tariff is the one to pick if you want to be free to leave.[1]
The smart tariffs need a smart electricity meter and give cheaper off-peak electricity, so they suit homes that can move heavy use into those hours. The choice depends on your equipment: EV Power for overnight car charging, Heat Power for heat pumps or electric heating, and Charge Power for home batteries.
If you generate your own electricity, the SEG tariff pays for what you export. EV drivers can also add Hive Power+ to a British Gas electricity tariff, but it needs a compatible EV charger and a smart meter in credit mode.
Sainsbury’s Energy
Every Sainsbury's Energy tariff comes with Nectar rewards, so the choice is about how your prices are set and how you collect points. The Standard Variable tariff has no fixed end date, and its prices can go up and down. Like the fixed deals, it earns triple Nectar points on Sainsbury's shopping for dual fuel customers or double points for single fuel customers, once you link a Nectar card through your online account.[2]
Track & Reward suits people who want to stay flexible. Its prices change in line with the Ofgem price cap, so you never pay more than the cap, and there are no exit fees. Instead of extra points on your shopping, it pays Nectar points in four quarterly payments. You must pay by monthly Direct Debit, manage your account online and have a smart meter, or agree to have one fitted within 90 days.
The fixed tariffs suit households who want certainty, because unit rates and the standing charge stay the same for the fixed period. Fix and Save lasts 12 months and earns shopping points only. Fix and Reward lasts 24 months and adds a bonus of up to 4,000 Nectar points per fuel when you join. Both charge exit fees if you leave early, so the Fix and Reward bonus comes with a tie-in twice as long.[3]
Eligibility
Household gas and electricity customers. To earn the extra Nectar points, you need to link a Nectar card through your online account.
Eligibility
Monthly Direct Debit, online account management and a smart meter, or agreement to install one within 90 days
Customer reviews
On Trustpilot, British Gas is rated 4.4 from a very large 360,671 reviews, while Sainsbury’s Energy is rated 4.2 from a much smaller 3,167 reviews. The spread of reviews tells a different story from these headline scores. Sainsbury’s Energy has 80% five-star reviews, against 66% for British Gas, and British Gas has 20% one-star reviews, against 11%. Overall, 23% of British Gas reviews are negative, compared with 12% for Sainsbury’s Energy.
Much of the praise for British Gas is about engineer visits. Reviewers say engineers turn up on time, work quickly, leave homes tidy and explain boilers and equipment clearly. The complaints focus instead on customer service: long phone waits, trouble reaching a helpful adviser, mixed messages from different staff and appointments moved without proper notice. British Gas replied to 99% of negative reviews, typically within 24 hours.
Sainsbury’s Energy reviewers often mention polite, helpful staff, quick answers through online chat and patient explanations of their options. Its critics say bills and pricing can be confusing, which has led to unexpected charges or wrong estimates, while others mention slow replies and trouble sorting out more complex account or switching problems. Sainsbury’s Energy replied to 61% of negative reviews, and its typical reply time is two weeks.
Which? gives Sainsbury’s Energy a total score of 71%, against 59% for British Gas. In the Which? customer survey, Sainsbury’s Energy scores 4 out of 5 for overall customer service, ease of contacting and clarity of statements, while British Gas scores 2 out of 5 on each. The Which? supplier assessment also looks at switching, where British Gas scores 0 out of 5 and Sainsbury’s Energy scores 2 out of 5.
Mobile apps
The British Gas app is rated 4.5 on the App Store from 16,000 ratings and 4.1 on Google Play from 14,084 ratings, and it has been installed more than 1,000,000 times on Android. Both versions have been updated recently, including three iPhone updates in the last 90 days. The latest release gives Pay As You Go customers a new design with simpler top-ups from the home screen. It also adds in-app explanations of changes to monthly Direct Debit payments and a redesigned account settings area.
Recent iPhone reviews are more critical than the overall rating suggests. Some users say usage information is missing or hard to find, and one says electricity usage stopped showing after a new smart meter was fitted. Others find bills and statements hard to read, and one user dislikes having separate log-ins for gas and electricity.
Sainsbury’s Energy says customers can use its app to submit meter readings and check their usage. There is no current App Store or Google Play rating for the app, so it cannot be compared with British Gas on user ratings.
Customer service and support
Hours: Available
Citizens Advice gives British Gas a service score of 2.61 out of 5 and ranks it 14th in its table. There is no current Citizens Advice score for Sainsbury’s Energy. Neither supplier has current call wait, email or social media response figures, so it is not possible to say which one answers faster on a given channel.
The Which? figures point in different directions on contact. Customers rate Sainsbury’s Energy 4 out of 5 for ease of contacting, against 2 out of 5 for British Gas. However, in the Which? supplier assessment of contacting your supplier, British Gas scores 9 out of 12 and Sainsbury’s Energy scores 6 out of 12.
British Gas offers web chat as one way to get help. Across its customer base it accepts Direct Debit, cash or cheque and prepayment, although the British Gas tariffs priced here are all paid by monthly Direct Debit. Sainsbury’s Energy says every customer has a dedicated customer service team that knows their account, and its reviewers often mention quick help through online chat.
For households who may need extra support, the Which? supplier assessment gives Sainsbury’s Energy 10 out of 10 for help for those who need it, and British Gas 8 out of 10. The same assessment scores Sainsbury’s Energy 8 out of 10 for smart meters and British Gas 3 out of 10.
Complaints and how they are handled
How many complaints each supplier gets
Both suppliers' own complaint figures are for the same quarter, Q2 2026, so they can be compared directly. In that quarter British Gas reported 944 complaints per 100,000 customer accounts, and Sainsbury’s Energy reported 906.21. That makes Sainsbury’s Energy slightly lower, by about 38 complaints per 100,000 accounts. These figures count complaints, not people, and they are based on customer accounts rather than households. Someone with separate gas and electricity accounts counts twice in the base, and one person can make more than one complaint. So these rates do not tell you what share of customers had a problem.
How quickly complaints are sorted out
The gap is wider on speed. In Q2 2026 Sainsbury’s Energy resolved 58.59% of complaints on the same or next working day, compared with 42.5% at British Gas. By the eight-week mark, Sainsbury’s Energy had resolved 91.98% of complaints and British Gas 85.5%. This means a larger share of British Gas complaints were still open after eight weeks. These figures only show how fast complaints were closed. They do not show whether customers were happy with the outcome.
Complaints to Citizens Advice and the Energy Ombudsman
British Gas had 68.8 complaints per 10,000 customers made to advice bodies and the Energy Ombudsman between April and June 2026. This counts complaints to external organisations, not complaints British Gas received itself. It uses a different base, per 10,000 customers, so it cannot be set against the per 100,000 accounts figure above. No figure on this measure was supplied for Sainsbury’s Energy, so the two suppliers cannot be compared here.
What people complain about
Each supplier lists its main complaint topics below, with the share of complaints for each. No time period was given for these topics, so they should not be taken as covering Q2 2026. The two suppliers also group complaints in different ways. For example, Sainsbury’s Energy separates billing and meter-reading issues linked to smart meters from those unrelated to meter type, while British Gas uses one billing group. This means the shares give a rough picture of each supplier's main problems rather than a like-for-like comparison. British Gas described what it is doing about most of its topics. Sainsbury’s Energy did not supply any responses.
British Gas and Sainsbury’s Energy: green energy
British Gas
British Gas publishes a fuel mix page that sets out where its electricity comes from, what effect it has on the environment and what the company is doing to be more sustainable. That page describes the power British Gas supplies overall, which is separate from anything promised about a particular tariff.
Much of its green message is about when you use electricity. British Gas says its smart time-of-use tariffs make clever use of cleaner energy and that using off-peak electricity is better for the environment, as well as cheaper. These tariffs need a smart electricity meter, which records when you use power so off-peak hours can be charged at the lower rate. A household gets the benefit by moving use into those hours, such as charging an EV overnight or running the dishwasher late.[1]
Homes that make their own power can join the Smart Export Guarantee tariff, which pays for spare electricity sent back to the grid. British Gas says all renewable systems are welcome, not just solar panels, and that its own electricity customers get its best export price.
British Gas says homes produce around 40% of the UK's carbon emissions. It offers heat pumps, insulation, solar panels, batteries and EV chargers as ways to cut a home's carbon footprint. These are separate purchases rather than part of an energy tariff.
Outside household supply, its Energy for Tomorrow programme has used matched funding to help five local sports clubs install solar panels and upgrade their facilities. The company also says it is helping the UK reach zero carbon emissions by 2050. That is a wider company aim rather than a description of the electricity supplied on any tariff.
Sainsbury’s Energy
Sainsbury's Energy customers get their electricity under E.ON Next's supply licence, so the published fuel mix covers all electricity supplied under E.ON Next. For 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, 27.3% came from renewable sources, 5.8% from nuclear power and 4.4% from other sources.
Gas and coal made up the largest share. Natural gas supplied 53.2% and coal 9.3%, a combined 62.5%. For the same period the UK national average was 48% renewable, 31.4% natural gas, 13.7% nuclear, 4.7% coal and 2.2% other, so the E.ON Next mix had a much smaller renewable share and more gas and coal than the country as a whole.
That shows in the environmental figures. Electricity supplied under E.ON Next licences was linked to 322 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour over the period, against a UK average of 179 grams. This carbon figure is a weighted average of the emissions from each fuel source, worked out using government figures from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Radioactive waste was 0.0003 grams per kilowatt-hour, compared with 0.001 grams nationally.
These are yearly averages for the whole electricity supply, not a live picture of the grid at any given hour, and they do not cover gas. Separately, customers can get discounts on home energy upgrades through E.ON Next, including up to £200 off solar panels and batteries and money off a home EV charger. These are separate purchases from the energy tariff, with their own terms.
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest overall annual price estimate | British Gas |
| Higher Which? customer service and contact ratings | Sainsbury’s Energy |
British Gas has the cheaper tariff shown at £1,622 a year, while Sainsbury’s Energy scores higher for customer service with Which?, so the better pick depends on your priority.
Neither supplier comes out ahead overall. Sainsbury’s Energy has the stronger customer feedback: Which? customers rate its customer service 4 out of 5, against 2 for British Gas, and 80% of its Trustpilot reviews are five-star. Reviewers praise its friendly staff and quick online chat. The picture is less complete than for British Gas, because there is no current Citizens Advice score or app-store rating for Sainsbury’s Energy, and its Trustpilot rating comes from 3,167 reviews.
British Gas may suit households who put price first and want an app with a large user base. Its tracker costs £50 a year less than the cheapest Sainsbury’s Energy tariff shown, though it has a £50 exit fee. Its higher share of one-star reviews and its Citizens Advice score of 2.61 suggest service is less consistent. Sainsbury’s Energy may suit households who value easy contact and well-rated customer service, or who want a 12-month fix with a smaller exit fee.
- Cap Tracker Mar2028 v1 costs £1,622 a year, £50 less than the cheapest Sainsbury’s Energy tariff shown
- Trustpilot rating of 4.4 from 360,671 reviews, with replies to 99% of negative reviews
- Apps rated 4.5 on the App Store and 4.1 on Google Play, and updated recently
- Reviewers praise punctual, tidy engineers who explain things clearly
- Which? total score of 59%, and 2 out of 5 from customers for customer service
- 20% of Trustpilot reviews are one-star, often citing long phone waits
- Citizens Advice score of 2.61 out of 5, ranked 14th
- Cap Tracker has a £50 exit fee, and the Fix and Fall deal costs £2,066 with a £250 exit fee over 24 months
- Which? total score of 71%, with 4 out of 5 from customers for customer service and ease of contacting
- 80% of Trustpilot reviews are five-star, with a net-positive score of 75%
- 10 out of 10 in the Which? supplier assessment for help for those who need it
- 12-month Fix and Save deal costs £1,885 a year, £181 less than the British Gas fixed deal shown
- Cheapest tariff shown costs £1,672 a year, £50 more than the British Gas tracker
- Replied to 61% of negative Trustpilot reviews, typically within two weeks
- No current Citizens Advice score or app-store ratings
- Some reviewers find billing and pricing confusing
Use our referral link, and we'll both get £50 credit once your switch is complete.
Existing customer? Find out how you can benefit too. T&Cs apply (only one switching offer per household)
Frequently asked questions
Is there an exit fee on the cheapest British Gas tariff?
Yes. The Cap Tracker Mar2028 v1, at £1,622 a year, has a £50 exit fee. If you want to avoid an exit fee, the British Gas Standard Variable tariff costs £1,672 a year and has no exit fee.
Which supplier has the cheaper fixed deal?
Sainsbury’s Energy. Its Fix and Save 12m v35 costs £1,885 a year for 12 months, with a £100 exit fee. The British Gas Fix and Fall Nov28 v1 costs £2,066 a year for 24 months, with a £250 exit fee. Sainsbury’s Energy also has a 24-month Fix and Reward deal at £1,897 a year, with a £200 exit fee.
How quickly do the two suppliers reply to bad reviews?
British Gas replied to 99% of negative Trustpilot reviews, typically within 24 hours. Sainsbury’s Energy replied to 61%, and its typical reply time is two weeks.
What can I do in the Sainsbury’s Energy app?
Sainsbury’s Energy says its app lets you submit meter readings and check your usage. A current App Store or Google Play rating for the app is not available.
What has changed in the latest British Gas app update?
The latest release gives Pay As You Go customers a new design with simpler top-ups from the home screen. It also adds in-app explanations of changes after an annual Direct Debit review and a redesigned account settings area.
Which supplier is easier to contact?
In the Which? customer survey, Sainsbury’s Energy scores 4 out of 5 for ease of contacting, against 2 out of 5 for British Gas. In the Which? supplier assessment of contacting your supplier, British Gas scores higher, with 9 out of 12 against 6 out of 12. Current call wait times are not available for either supplier.
Who runs Sainsbury’s Energy?
Sainsbury’s Energy is a trading name used under licence by E.ON Next Energy Limited, and it is run as a partnership with E.ON Next. Its customers are supplied under E.ON Next's supply licence.
Do Sainsbury’s Energy customers earn Nectar points?
Yes, once they link a Nectar card through their online account. Dual fuel customers earn triple points and single fuel customers earn double points on Sainsbury's shopping, up to 3,500 extra points per fuel a year, with some products excluded. Track & Reward customers get quarterly Nectar point payments instead of extra points on their shopping.
What changed this month
This month, British Gas's iOS app days since last update fell from 29 to 5, British Gas's play store days since last update fell from 30 to 6, and Sainsbury’s Energy's Trustpilot 2-star % fell from 2 to 1. There were 12 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (17)
British Gas
- Trustpilot reviews357,334 → 360,671
- iOS app ratings count15,000 → 16,000
- iOS app days since last update29 → 5
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars1.67 → 1.33
- Play Store rating4.2234955 → 4.0832157
- Play Store ratings count13,984 → 14,084
- Play Store days since last update30 → 6
- Play Store positive ratings %81.6 → 77.7
- Play Store negative ratings %15.5 → 19.2
- Play Store neutral ratings %2.9 → 3.1
- Play Store net-positive %66.1 → 58.5
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,950.21 → £2,066.49
Sainsbury’s Energy
- Trustpilot reviews3,148 → 3,167
- Trustpilot 2-star %2 → 1
- Trustpilot 1-star %10 → 11
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %50 → 61
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,795.86 → £1,885.22
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Written by
Rob Gibbs
Hi, I'm Rob, and I run Energy-Review.co.uk. I initially started this project in 2018 when I was looking to switch energy suppliers and found there wasn't a website that provided simple, data-backed reviews on all the suppliers available. Since then, I have spent a lot of time (too much, some may say!) looking at all publicly available data about each supplier and writing reviews using this information. These reviews are updated as regularly as possible, and any data is backed up by a source where necessary. I have also started writing guides on various energy-related topics, which hopefully you will find useful. If you find any issues, please use our contact form to let us know.