How to switch energy suppliers is the next step in the journey once you’ve decided you want to switch. Like other things, the first time can be a bit daunting but once you’ve done it, you’ll realise it’s really not that difficult and you’ll be eager to do it more often…
Anyway, switch energy suppliers really isn’t difficult. There are a multitude of comparison sites that will allow you to find the cheapest tariffs in your area and then you just fill out a few details and you can switch.
1. Before you start the process to switch energy suppliers
There are a few things you need to decide before you get to the comparison sites however:
Do you want renewable energy? What level of electricity and/or gas has to be renewable for the tariff to acceptable for you?
This can have a big impact on the energy suppliers that are available to you. If you are only interested in 100% renewable then this will limit your choices, although there are a lot of renewable energy suppliers to choose from. If you have no preference for renewable energy then you will have the whole market to choose from, this could result in some cheaper options available although the premium for renewable energy is surprisingly small.
Do you have more than one energy type to switch? Do you want a different supplier for each or use one supplier for both?
If you only have one energy type to switch then there isn’t really much of a decision to make here in how to switch energy suppliers! If you have both gas and electricity for example, you need to decide if you want to find the best deal individually for both or just go with the best overall provider and get both types of energy from the same supplier. There are possible cost savings to make from using different suppliers although most suppliers will offer a discount for dual fuel which could make them a competitive option. You also have the benefit of only one will and one company to deal with if you opt for dual fuel.
To get the most accurate predictions on any comparison site you will also need your usage for the past year. This isn’t essential, the provider’s will estimate your energy usage based on house size and area if you don’t have your actual usage, but obviously these aren’t as accurate so it is best to have your actual usage figures to hand if useful.
2. How to find the best energy prices
There are plenty of comparison sites to find the best deal on your energy, we’d recommend the following three:
https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/
https://www.comparethemarket.com/energy/
https://www.moneysupermarket.com/gas-and-electricity/
All you need to do is put in your details, energy usage and you will find a list of suppliers. You will likely find the cheapest is a supplier you’ve never heard of, which is why the next step is important!
3. How to find the best energy supplier for you
This is the most important part of the process. It’s easy to go on a comparison site, put your details in and go with the cheapest supplier but are they the best for you? This is where you need to do some research, and really why we created this site. We’ve laid out our own energy company reviews to make this part of the process easy.
The cheapest supplier may not necessarily be the best. Maybe they are the cheapest because they have been cutting corners at the expense of their customers or maybe they are so new, there isn’t really much about them online. This is where you should probably pick the top 3 cheapest suppliers and read some reviews, read both independent reviews like ours and then also check out our collect of other sites that offer customer reviews and other 3rd party reviews. Once you’ve had a quick read of these, there will likely be a supplier that seems suitable for you and you can be confident that you will get a good price along with a good service.
The other part to this is how do you get the best deal? You will see from our guides that we outline the cashback available through cashback sites which may make your tariff even cheaper. Or with energy companies like Bulb for example, you may even save the most by being referred by a friend. Now, how to switch energy suppliers…
4. How to switch energy suppliers
Once you are happy that you have found the best energy supplier for you and the platform you want to switch through then the process is very easy. If you are going through a comparison site, they will already have all your details that you input at the beginning of the quote process. You may need to put in direct debit details but apart from that, you should be able to keep clicking through the process to complete it.
If you are going through a cashback site, you will obviously need to log into your preferred site first, find the supplier and click through to their website. You then will need to enter your details (which will just likely be your name, address etc and then payment details), complete the form filling process and the switch will start. An example of this process with Bulb Energy is below:
That was easy wasn’t it!
5. What to expect
The process will take up to 21 days with the supplier is part of the energy switch guarantee program. You will not need to contact your existing supplier or and the only additional details you will need to supply to your new energy company are your end meter readings with your current energy supplier. After this, you will then receive a final bill from your old supplier and likely a welcome email from your new supplier. There will be no downtime between the switch and you will notice no difference to your energy, you will just have a different company to deal with and hopefully cheaper bills!
Next time round you won’t be asking ‘how to switch energy suppliers’, just ‘who is the cheapest for me’.
