Cheap Energy Club vs Comparison Websites (Review)

Introduction

Finding the cheapest energy deal used to be a yearly routine for many UK households. During the height of the energy crisis, competitive tariffs vanished, and switching suppliers offered no real benefit. Now, the energy market has reopened. Suppliers are competing for customers again, and fixed tariffs are available.

If you want to find the best deal, you will likely use a price comparison service. The two main options are standard price comparison websites, such as Uswitch or Compare the Market, and MoneySavingExpert's Cheap Energy Club. While both tools help you compare tariffs against your current energy spend, they operate in very different ways behind the scenes.

How results are presented depends on the service. Cheap Energy Club's DIY comparison offers whole-market results, while its separate Pick Me A Tariff service recommends three deals based on the preferences you choose. Other comparison sites may show a limited panel, so check their results-page disclosure and consider checking suppliers directly. This guide explains how the options work, the rules accredited services follow, and what to check before choosing a tariff.

The current energy market and price cap changes

Before comparing tariffs, it helps to know what you are comparing them against. Most households in Great Britain that do not choose a fixed deal are on their supplier's standard variable tariff. The rates on these standard tariffs are controlled by the Ofgem energy price cap, which changes every three months.

Until 30 September 2026, the current price cap is set at £1,663 a year for a typical dual-fuel household paying by Direct Debit. Ofgem announced on 26 August 2026 that the cap will rise to £1,723 a year from 1 October to 31 December 2026. This is a 4% increase, adding roughly £60 a year to a typical bill.

These headline figures are just averages to show how prices are changing. The price cap does not limit your total bill. It only caps the maximum amount a supplier can charge you for each unit of energy you use, alongside the daily standing charge just to have the meter connected. If you use more energy, you will pay more than the typical £1,723 figure.

The government has also introduced a temporary VAT reduction for electricity. From 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, the VAT on electricity is 0%. Gas bills will continue to include the standard 5% VAT rate. The upcoming October unit rates shown above reflect these tax rules. Because the price cap is rising in October, fixing your energy tariff is a major talking point right now. To find a fixed deal that beats the upcoming cap, you need to use a comparison tool.

How standard comparison websites work

Standard price comparison websites include well-known brands such as Uswitch, Compare the Market, Go.Compare and MoneySuperMarket. You enter your postcode, current tariff and energy use, then the service shows tariffs matching the information you provide.

These websites are commercial businesses and may receive commission when a customer switches through them. The commercial arrangements and the range of tariffs included vary by service, so check the site's disclosure instead of assuming every result covers the whole market.

Ofgem's Confidence Code is voluntary and applies to accredited domestic price-comparison services. It is intended to support accurate, transparent and reliable comparisons, but accreditation does not remove the need to check a service's stated market coverage.

An accredited service can present a broad but incomplete set of results. Certain exclusive deals, tariffs withdrawn from comparison and products outside the service's panel may not appear, so the disclosure on the results page is important.

Check which tariffs and suppliers a service says it includes. If a tariff cannot be switched through the comparison site, you can also check the supplier's own website before deciding.^[1]

How MSE's Cheap Energy Club works

Cheap Energy Club is run by MoneySavingExpert. It offers a DIY comparison alongside a separate Pick Me A Tariff service, and the two should not be treated as the same product.

The DIY comparison presents whole-market results. Pick Me A Tariff instead recommends three deals based on the preferences you choose. A tariff may appear in the DIY results even when MSE cannot complete the switch, in which case you would need to check the supplier directly.

Savings estimates depend on the period and assumptions being compared. A 12-month fixed tariff spans several quarterly price-cap periods, so an estimate based only on today's cap may not match what happens over the full term.

Cheap Energy Club may use confirmed future cap changes and forecasts for later periods when estimating longer-term costs. The October 2026 cap is confirmed at £1,723, not a forecast; figures for later unannounced quarters remain uncertain and should be treated as forecasts.

Comparing the features head-to-head

Choosing between a standard price-comparison service and Cheap Energy Club depends on the market coverage, calculation method and switching support you need. Check each service's current disclosure because these features are not uniform across all providers.

Many comparison services are designed to make a switch quick, but the tariffs they can arrange and the time required vary. Confirm the tariff terms and supplier before submitting a switch.

There is no single best comparison route for every household. Compare the market coverage, assumptions, tariff terms, exit fees and any cashback before deciding, and check a supplier directly when a tariff cannot be switched through the service.

The Ofgem Confidence Code explained

Ofgem's Confidence Code is a voluntary code of practice for accredited independent domestic energy price-comparison services. It is intended to support accurate, transparent and reliable comparisons.

Accredited services must meet the Code's requirements on matters including the accuracy and presentation of tariff information. Accreditation is evidence about the service's comparison process, not a guarantee that every tariff in the market appears in every result.

Check whether the particular service and comparison journey you are using is accredited. You should also read its current disclosure explaining which suppliers and tariffs are included.^[1]

The Confidence Code does not require every result to contain every tariff available in the market. A service may present a broad but incomplete view, and excluded or non-switchable products may not be recoverable through a universal 'whole market' filter. Check the disclosure and, where useful, supplier websites directly.

The reality of auto-switching services

A few years ago, true auto-switching services were very popular. You would give a company your details once, and they would automatically move you to a new supplier every year without you having to lift a finger. During the energy crisis, almost all of these services shut down or paused because there were no cheap deals to switch to.

Today, true hands-off auto-switching is very rare. The market has become more complicated. Many of the cheapest tariffs now require you to have a working smart meter, or they require you to pay by Direct Debit. Suppliers also charge exit fees if you leave a fixed deal early. An automated system cannot easily know if your smart meter is functioning correctly or if you are willing to pay a £75 exit fee to move to a slightly cheaper deal.

Both the Cheap Energy Club and some standard comparison sites now operate on this auto-alert model. It puts the final decision back in your hands. This is generally safer, as it prevents you from being moved to a supplier with terrible customer service just to save a few pounds a year.

Using comparison sites to decide on a fixed tariff

The price cap is confirmed to rise to £1,723 on 1 October 2026. A fixed tariff locks in its stated unit rates and standing charges for the agreed term, so compare the actual rates and annual estimate with both the current cap and the confirmed October rates.

Check the tariff's exit fees and other conditions before fixing. If capped rates fall during the fixed term, an exit fee could reduce or remove the benefit of switching again.

A comparison service may incorporate the confirmed October change and clearly labelled forecasts for later unannounced quarters into a longer-term estimate. Check the assumptions used rather than assuming every service compares tariffs in the same way.