ENGIE Review

ENGIE Review

ENGIE have now sold their home energy business to Octopus Energy.

Who are ENGIE

ENGIE is the number one independent power supplier globally employing around 160,000 worldwide. It is involved in a number of innovative environmental projects globally and operates several renewable power generating facilities including a number of windfarms in the UK. Among other things, the company boasts that it provides sustainable energy to the 3,000 homes and buildings in London’s Olympic Village.

ENGINE started supplying energy to UK homes in 2016. By the end of 2018 the company had already signed up 100,000 customers. Despite this rapid growth ENGIE has consistently been rated highly for its customer service.

Like many other UK energy suppliers, ENGIE supplies 100% renewable electricity, but it goes one step further in that it offers a tariff that has been specifically designed for the owners of electric vehicles and offers incentives for people to install electric vehicle charging points at their homes.

What tariffs do ENGIE offer?

ENGIE offers both fixed and variable rate tariffs. The one-year fixed rate tariff offers 100% renewable electricity whereas the two-year fixed rate tariff also offers 100% renewable gas although it is a bit more expensive.

There is also a fixed rate tariff for people who have electric vehicles. This EV tariff gives you a £60 credit on your account which is the equivalent of up to 1,000 free miles. If you are on this tariff you can also opt to have a discounted ENGIE EV charge point installed. This charge point makes charging your electric vehicle faster and safer than using a conventional 13 Amp plug to charge your vehicle. ENGIE’s rate rollover promise means that when your contract comes to and end you are automatically switched to the tariff that is best for you if a more appropriate tariff is available.

How do ENGIE compare on price?

There are cheaper suppliers than ENGIE but if you use an electric vehicle the EV tariff might be worth considering. If you value customer service it might be worth paying slightly more to switch to ENGIE, too.

What is ENGIE’s customer service like?

ENGIE operates a UK-based call centre which is based in Newcastle and has long opening hours. The average waiting time for call be be answered is an impressive 22 seconds.

The company can be contacted by phone or email, although it does not offer a live chat facility via its website. It can also be contacted by post.

What do other ENGIE reviews say?

The company is rated as excellent overall on TrustPilot with 94% of reviewers rating the company as either good or excellent and only 4% of reviewers rating the company as bad or poor.

Citizen’s Advice puts ENGIE in 6th place out of a total of 39 energy suppliers, with a rating of 4.25 out of five stars.

What is ENGIE’s website/app like?

ENGIE’s website is well laid out and it is easy to find anything you need.

There is a lot of information about the company, the tariffs are explained well and there are also a number of articles aimed at helping people reduce their energy usage and their impact on the environment.

You can manage your account via the website, but the one thing that is missing is the option to contact ENGIE’s customer service team via a live chat facility.

How green is ENGIE’s energy?

ENGIE makes a big deal about its global environmental credentials and its website contains a lot of information about the innovative environmental projects that it is running around the world.

In the UK, ENGIE operates seven wind farms. These wind farms are capable of generating a combined 77.4 MW of electricity. 100% of the electricity that ENGIE supplies in the UK comes from renewable sources. It’s a slightly different story on the gas side of things. The standard gas tariff gets you 100% green gas, but you have to pay slightly more if you want 100% renewable gas.

Rather than simply boasting about how it supplies renewable energy, ENGIE is also working to help its customers become more environmentally friendly. Its support for electric vehicles via its EV tariff and discounted charge points is a good example of that. The company also goes out of its way to provide information to its customers to help them reduce their energy usage and become more environmentally friendly.

ENGIE complaints

ENGIE receives 6.1 complaints per 10,000 which is much better than the industry average.

The majority of complains are relate to billing problems, but this does not seem to be a serious problem because over 95% of ENGIE’s customers have never had a problem with their bills. Which? gives ENGIE’s billing a rating of four out of five stars.

ENGIE login

ENGIE’s website lets you manage your account online. You can view your tariff information, check and pay your bills, and submit meter readings and check your energy usage. By checking and paying your bills online rather than using paper billing you can save £15 per year.

There is also an app that is compatible with Apple iOS and Android devices. This app is fairly limited in that it only lets you submit meter readings, see your bills and payment history, and check your tariff history. The app does also include a torch function to make it easier for you to read your meter in the dark.

In this section we answer a few more specific questions which potential customers may find useful:

Do they work with pre-payment meters?

Yes. Pre-payment customers cannot take advantage of the fixed rate tariffs or the EV tariff, though, and can only sign up to one single variable rate tariff.

Do they accept Economy 7?

Yes, ENGIE accepts Economy 7.

Are they signed up to the Warm Home Discount?

ENGIE has not signed up to the Warm Home Discount scheme. Energy suppliers are only required to sign up to the Warm Home Discount scheme once they have at least 250,000 customers.

Are they signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee?

ENGIE is signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee. It completes 98.2% of switches within 21 days.

What billing options are available?

You can pay by cash or cheque, direct debit or via pre-payment. There is a discount available to customers who opt for paperless billing.

Do they offer a ‘Dual Fuel’ discount?

Yes, you can get a ‘Dual Fuel’ discount if you sign up to ENGIE for both your gas and electricity.

Do they offer a smart meter? Do they accept smart meters?

ENGIE does not currently offer Smart meters. However, they are planning to roll out second generation smart meters later this year.

If you are currently using a Smart meter it will still work if you switch to ENGIE but you might lose some of its functionality depending on which Smart meter you have at the moment.

Do they charge exit fees?

ENGIE charges a £30 exit fee if you leave one of its fixed rate tariffs within 49 days of the contract ending. This exit fee applies to each fuel, so if you have both you electricity and gas supply with ENGIE and end both contracts early you would have to pay £60. This is line with the industry average exit fee.

In addition, if you opt to switch to the EV tariff and take advantage of the discounted ENGIE charge point installation offer you will be charged extra if the switch fails to complete.

Will they offer to pay a customer’s exit fees when they join them?

If your previous energy supplier charges you an exit fee for leaving early so you can switch to ENGIE, it is your own responsibility to pay that fee. ENGIE will not pay the fee on your behalf.

Do they offer any incentives to customers to refer friends/family?

ENGIE does not operate a referral scheme.

What happens if you move home whilst with them?

As with other energy companies, you simply give ENGIE your meter reading from your old home and if you want to use ENGIE to supply your new home you need to give the company your meter reading when you move into your new home.

ENGIE’s website provides a large amount of helpful advice to people who are moving home, including advice on how to make sure your new home is as energy efficient as possible.

Can you get cashback when joining ENGIE?

Cashback is not available to people who are joining or switching to ENGIE for their energy supply.

Do they mention about the Priority Services Register?

ENGIE has signed up to the Priority Services Register.

How to contact ENGIE

You can contact ENGIE customer service by calling: 0800 280 8000

You can email them through: help.uk@engie.com

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, and Saturday, 9am to 5pm

How do I switch to ENGIE?

The easiest way to switch to ENGIE is through Energy Helpline’s comparison website here. This will allow you to check if ENGIE is one of the cheapest suppliers for you (tariffs vary based on your area) and will allow you to quickly and easily switch to them.