OVO Energy Sainsbury’s Energy (August 2026)
Overview
Sainsbury's Energy has stronger customer-service evidence and a cheaper fixed tariff, while OVO Energy has more standalone app and Citizens Advice data.
OVO Energy leads this comparison due to its visible app ratings and comprehensive customer service data, alongside effectively identical standard variable pricing. However, Sainsbury's Energy currently offers a cheaper fixed deal for households wanting to lock in their rates, and it scores higher in the annual Which? survey.
About OVO Energy and Sainsbury's Energy
Who are OVO Energy?
Stephen Fitzpatrick started OVO Energy in 2009. The company grew and bought SSE's retail energy business in 2020. This deal increased its scale, making it one of the UK's largest domestic energy suppliers today. It focuses on customer rewards through its OVO Beyond loyalty scheme and Power Move, which rewards customers for shifting their energy use away from peak times.
Who are Sainsbury's Energy?
Sainsbury's Energy is an energy brand owned by the Sainsbury's supermarket chain. It launched in 2011 as a partnership with British Gas and now operates as a partner brand supplied by E.ON Next. E.ON Next manages the energy supply and customer service, while the brand name and rewards link to the supermarket. What sets it apart is its link to the Nectar points scheme, letting customers earn bonus points on tariffs and their regular shopping.
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Tariffs and pricing
Under our assumptions, both suppliers offer effectively identical pricing on their cheapest overall options. OVO Energy's Simpler Energy and Sainsbury's Energy's Sainsbury's Standard Variable each cost £1,805 a year. These are standard variable tariffs with no fixed term and zero exit fees.
For households looking to lock in their unit rates, Sainsbury's Energy provides the cheaper fixed deal. Its Sainsburys Fix and Reward Fixed 24m v51 tariff costs £1,841 a year for a 24-month term, carrying a £200 exit fee. In contrast, OVO Energy's cheapest fixed option—the 1 Year Fixed + Boiler Cover 22 July 2026 tariff—costs £1,923 a year for a 12-month term and includes a £100 exit fee.
OVO Energy and Sainsbury's Energy: Tariff Options
OVO Energy
OVO Energy offers a range of tariffs for household consumers. The options include standard variable tariffs, fixed-rate deals, and specialist tariffs for electric vehicle drivers and homes with solar panels.
Sainsbury's Energy
Sainsbury's Energy provides a selection of tariffs for domestic customers. The range includes standard variable tariffs, fixed deals with reward points, tracker tariffs, and specialist options for electric vehicle charging.
Customer reviews
OVO Energy holds a higher Trustpilot rating of 4.7 out of 5, based on a substantial volume of 293,863 reviews. Sainsbury's Energy maintains a 4.3-star rating from a smaller sample of 3,127 reviews. Both suppliers record a high proportion of five-star feedback, with Sainsbury's Energy at 80% and OVO Energy at 77%. Notably, OVO Energy replies to 99% of its negative reviews, compared to 35% for Sainsbury's Energy.
According to our synthesis of customer feedback, OVO Energy users frequently mention polite staff and quick problem resolution, though some report long wait times and multiple transfers when contacting support. Sainsbury's Energy customers highlight knowledgeable representatives and fast response times, particularly valuing the option to communicate via WhatsApp. A few users, however, note issues with incorrect billing estimates.
In the annual Which? survey, Sainsbury's Energy achieves a higher overall score of 71, compared to OVO Energy's 61. Sainsbury's Energy performs better across several sub-metrics, achieving 4 out of 5 for customer service and ease of contacting. OVO Energy scores 2 out of 5 in both of these categories. Additionally, Sainsbury's Energy scores 10 out of 10 for help for those who need it, slightly ahead of OVO Energy's 9 out of 10.
App quality and ratings
OVO Energy provides mobile apps for both iOS and Android platforms. At the time of writing, app store ratings and data are unavailable for Sainsbury's Energy.
The OVO Energy iOS app scores 4.6 out of 5 from 18,000 ratings, with recent updates addressing defects and performance. On Google Play, the app holds a lower rating of 3.0 out of 5 from 10,621 ratings, alongside over 1,000,000 installs.
A sample of recent iOS reviews for OVO Energy indicates that some customers appreciate the detailed usage and payment information. Conversely, other users report issues with the app failing to load on certain devices or obscuring full tariff details.
Service and support
OVO Energy has comprehensive service data from Citizens Advice, achieving an overall score of 3.3 out of 5 and ranking 8th. Sainsbury's Energy is currently absent from this dataset, limiting direct comparisons.
Customers contacting OVO Energy by phone wait an average of 1 minute 33 seconds. The supplier replies to 98.5% of emails within two days, and has an average social media response time of 6 minutes 53 seconds. OVO Energy also has formal vulnerability commitments registered with Citizens Advice.
OVO Energy accepts Direct Debit, Cash/Cheque, and Prepayment. Its phone lines are open on weekdays from 9am to 5pm, remaining closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
Complaints and performance
In Q1 2026, Sainsbury's Energy received fewer complaints than OVO Energy. Sainsbury's Energy had 659.62 complaints for every 100,000 customers, while OVO Energy had 1,725.
Green Energy Comparison
OVO Energy
OVO Energy has a sustainability strategy called Plan Zero, which sets a goal to reach net zero by 2035. In 2023, the company stopped using renewable energy certificates as standard. Instead, it buys electricity directly from UK renewable generators using long-term contracts. Customers can choose the "Greener Electricity" add-on for £8 a month; OVO says £40 a year from each subscription supports independent UK renewable power generators. The company also pays for tree planting and has planted 5 million trees in the UK since 2015. Based on Citizens Advice data from January to March 2026, OVO Energy's electricity fuel mix is largely fossil fuels, with some renewable, nuclear, and other sources.[1]
Sainsbury's Energy
E.ON Next supplies Sainsbury's Energy, so it shares the same electricity fuel mix. Based on figures published on the Sainsbury's Energy website for April 2024 to March 2025, the mix is largely natural gas, with a significant amount of renewable energy, and some coal, nuclear, and other sources. The brand also gives customers discounts on home energy upgrades, such as money off solar panels, home batteries, and electric vehicle chargers.
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual cost on our assumptions | Either |
| Overall customer service | Sainsbury’s Energy |
Sainsbury's Energy has stronger customer-service evidence and a cheaper fixed tariff, while OVO Energy has more standalone app and Citizens Advice data.
OVO Energy leads this comparison based on the available evidence, largely because it provides a complete picture across independent service metrics and mobile app platforms. Sainsbury's Energy is currently missing data for Citizens Advice and mobile apps, which limits a full side-by-side assessment.
For households aiming to lock in their energy prices, Sainsbury's Energy currently offers the cheaper fixed tariff. Both suppliers are effectively identical on standard variable pricing. Sainsbury's Energy also performs better in the annual Which? survey, scoring higher on customer service and ease of contact.
- Comprehensive app and Citizens Advice data available
- High Trustpilot rating with a 99% reply rate to negative reviews
- Fast email response times
- Lower Which? customer service score
- More expensive fixed tariff option
- Cheaper fixed tariff available
- Higher overall Which? score
- Strong proportion of five-star Trustpilot reviews
- Missing app ratings and Citizens Advice data
- Replies to a lower percentage of negative Trustpilot reviews
Frequently asked questions
Which supplier is better overall?
Sainsbury's Energy has stronger customer-service evidence, a cheaper fixed tariff and a higher Which? score, while OVO Energy has more standalone app and Citizens Advice data available.
Who has the cheapest standard variable tariff?
OVO Energy and Sainsbury's Energy offer effectively identical standard variable tariffs, both priced at £1,805 a year for a typical household with no exit fees.
Which supplier has better customer reviews?
OVO Energy has a higher Trustpilot rating of 4.7 out of 5 from a larger number of reviews, while Sainsbury's Energy scores 4.3. However, Sainsbury's Energy achieves a higher overall score of 71 in the Which? annual survey, compared to OVO Energy's 61.
Does Sainsbury's Energy have a mobile app?
We currently do not have app store ratings or data available for Sainsbury's Energy, whereas OVO Energy has rated apps available on both iOS and Android.
How long does it take OVO Energy to answer the phone?
According to Citizens Advice data, OVO Energy has an average call centre wait time of 1 minute 33 seconds.
Should I choose OVO Energy or Sainsbury's Energy?
OVO Energy is the safer choice if you value proven app quality and comprehensive service data. However, Sainsbury's Energy is worth considering if you want a cheaper fixed deal and value their higher Which? scores.
Who offers the cheaper fixed energy deal?
Sainsbury's Energy currently offers the cheaper fixed option at £1,841 a year for a 24-month term, compared to OVO Energy's 12-month fixed deal at £1,923 a year.
Do these suppliers charge exit fees?
The standard variable tariffs for both OVO Energy and Sainsbury's Energy have no exit fees. However, their cheapest fixed deals carry exit fees of £100 and £200 respectively.
Does OVO Energy respond quickly to emails?
Yes, Citizens Advice data shows that OVO Energy responds to 98.5% of customer emails within two days.
Are both suppliers' fixed tariffs the same length?
No, OVO Energy's cheapest fixed tariff is a 12-month deal, while Sainsbury's Energy's cheapest fixed option locks in your rates for 24 months.
What changed this month
This month, OVO Energy's iOS app days since last update rose from 13 to 37, OVO Energy's play store days since last update rose from 14 to 37, and Sainsbury’s Energy's Trustpilot 2-star % rose from 1 to 2. There were 26 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (33)
OVO Energy
- Trustpilot reviews287,327 → 293,863
- iOS app days since last update13 → 37
- iOS app updates in last 90 days3 → 2
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars4.2 → 3.67
- iOS sampled positive reviews4 → 2
- Play Store rating3.2850413 → 3.0206423
- Play Store ratings count10,351 → 10,621
- Play Store days since last update14 → 37
- Play Store positive ratings %55.4 → 48.2
- Play Store negative ratings %40.2 → 46.9
- Play Store neutral ratings %4.5 → 4.9
- Play Store net-positive %15.2 → 1.3
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,797.13 → £1,923.42
- Cheapest tariff£1,797.13 → £1,804.82
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£100 → £0
- Cheapest tariff term12 months → 0 months
- Tariff count5 → 4
- Fixed tariffs available4 → 3
- Longest fixed term24 months → 12 months
Sainsbury’s Energy
- Trustpilot rating4.5 → 4.3
- Trustpilot reviews3,115 → 3,127
- Trustpilot 4-star %8 → 7
- Trustpilot 2-star %1 → 2
- Trustpilot negative reviews replied %36 → 35
- Trustpilot positive reviews %88 → 87
- Trustpilot negative reviews %11 → 12
- Trustpilot net-positive %77 → 75
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,743.58 → £1,840.79
- Cheapest tariff£1,743.58 → £1,804.81
- Cheapest tariff exit fee£200 → £0
- Cheapest tariff term24 months → 0 months
- Cheapest fixed tariff exit fee£100 → £200
- Cheapest fixed tariff term12 months → 24 months
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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.