Utility Warehouse Energy Review Summary
Who are Utility Warehouse?
Utility Warehouse were formed in 2013 and offer domestic energy as well as phones, broadband and home insurance. The company now has 2% of the domestic energy market with over half a million customers despite not advertising and relying instead on word-of-mouth recommendations and a network of agents.
As well as supplying competitively priced energy, Utility Warehouse also operate a CashBack scheme that lets their customers earn up to 10% when they spend at 2,000 UK retailers. This money earned via this CashBack scheme can then be used to reduce their energy bills.
The company have won a number of awards from the likes of Which? Magazine and Moneywise, and have been named as one of the UK’s best energy suppliers for 10 years in a row.
What tariffs do Utility Warehouse offer?
Utilty Warehouse offer four tariffs. Three are variable-rate tariffs and one is a fixed-rate tariff with a £25 exit fee per fuel.
However, all but one of the variable-rate tariffs are only available if you also buy additional services from Utility Warehouse, such as your phone and broadband package.
Each of the four electricity tariffs is available in an Economy 7 version.
There is no specific electric vehicle tariff, although Utility Warehouse do offer feed-in’ tariffs.
How do Utility Warehouse compare on price?
Utility Warehouse guarantee to be cheaper than the Big 6 energy providers. Customers can get even cheaper energy by combining their Utility Warehouse energy supply with Utility Warehouse’s phone and broadband deals.
Utility Warehouse customers can also benefit from a cashback scheme that gives them money off their energy bills when they shop at 2,000 UK retailers.
Which? scores Utility Warehouse four out of five stars for value for money.
What do other Utility Warehouse energy reviews say?
Utility Warehouse score 4.2 out of five stars on TrustPilot, with many of the reviewers praising their customer service. 80% of reviewers rate Utility Warehouse as good or excellent. Utility Warehouse have been quick to respond to reviewers, offering to help where people have had problems.
Which? scores Utility Warehouse four out of five stars, putting them in joint 14th place out of 35 energy companies. Citizen’s Advice scores them 3.35 out of five stars, putting Utility Warehouse in 17th place out of 40 energy companies.
How green is Utility Warehouse’s energy?
It takes a while to find Utility Warehouse’s fuel mix on their website, although the information is listed there.
Only 8.9% of the electricity comes from renewable sources. The main sources are gas (60.3%) and nuclear (18.1%), Utility Warehouse emits 325g/kWh of CO2 which is exactly the same as the industry average.
What is Utility Warehouse’s customer service like?
Customer service is praised by many of Utility Warehouse’s reviewers on TrustPilot. At just 13.8 complaints per 10,000 customers, Utility Warehouse receives fewer complaints than many of its competitors as well.
The company can be contacted by phone but according to Citzen’s Advice the average response time is a rather lengthy nine minutes. Utility Warehouse can also be contacted via email, but during a Which? investigations they only answered one out of twelve emails within a week.
There is no live chat feature on the Utility Warehouse website.
To see how Utility Warehouse compares with another supplier like Octopus in terms of customer service and other areas, check out our Octopus vs Utility Warehouse article.
What is Utility Warehouse’s website/app like?
Utility Warehouse’s website is visually appealing and it contains a lot of information, but it is not easy to navigate with most of the information requiring several clicks to get to it. This website lets you view your account, submit meter readings and make payments.
There is also an app that is compatible with Android Devices and Apple’s iOS devices but it is limited in terms of what can be done with it. It scores 3.3 out of five stars at Google’s Play Store and 3.3 out of five stars at Apple’s App Store.
Utility Warehouse’s digital tools only score three out of five stars in the latest Which? energy supplier survey.
What billing options are available?
The cheapest way to pay is by direct debit. However, you can also pay by credit or debit card, either by phone or via the Utility Warehouse website or app. You can also pay via bank transfer.
Payment can either be made via fixed monthly bills or monthly in arrears. If you are paying monthly in arrears you need to supply regular meter readings to make sure that your bills are accurate. You do not need to supply meter readings if you have a smart meter as your smart meter will automatically send the meter readings to Utility Warehouse.
If you also use Utility Warehouse for your phone and broadband you get just the one bill each month which can make it easier to manage your finances.
There is also a pre-payment option where you pay for your energy in advance. However, even if you have a smart meter you will still need to visit a PayPoint retailer to top up as you cannot top up a pre-payment account online or via the Utility Warehouse app.
Do Utility Warehouse offer smart meters?
Utility Warehouse offer smart meters to its customers free of charge, including pre-payment customers. However, pre-payment customers who have smart meters still need to top up via a PayPoint retailer because it is not possible to top up a pre-payment account online or via the Utility Warehouse app.
If you already have a smart meter when you switch to Utility Warehouse your smart meter may lose its smart functionality. If this happens the meter will work like a traditional, non-smart meter and you will need to submit meter readings manually to ensure that your bills are accurate.
Do Utility Warehouse offer a recommend a friend referral scheme?
Utility Warehouse pay £20 for each friend referred, but only if that person becomes Gold Status. The payment comes in the form of a voucher for Amazon, John Lewis, M&S or Sainsbury’s.
For each person referred that is still a Utility Warehouse customer in the run up to Christmas each year, a further £10 is paid.
Below are a few quick questions you may need answers to along with our Utility Warehouse Energy review:
Do they work with pre-payment meters?
Utility Warehouse accept pre-payment meters, including smart pre–payment meters. Smart pre-payment meters still need to be topped up at a PayPoint retailer as they cannot be topped up online or via the Utility Warehouse app.
Do they accept Economy 7?
Utility Warehouse support Economy 7 customers, including pre-payment customers.
Are they signed up to the Warm Home Discount?
Utility Warehouse are signed up to the Warm Home Discount. If you are eligible you can sign up via their website.
Are they signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee?
Utility Warehouse are not signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee. However, according to Citizen’s Advice, 99.7% of switches are completed within 21 days.
Do they mention about the Priority Services Register?
Utility Warehouse operate a Priority Services Register for vulnerable customers. However, you need to register for it by phone or email. It is not possible to sign up via the Utility Warehouse website or app.
Do they offer a ‘Dual Fuel’ discount?
Utility Warehouse do not offer a ‘Dual Fuel’ discount, but they do offer cheaper energy prices if you bundle your energy supply with your phone and/or broadband package.
Will they offer to pay a customer’s exit fees when they join them?
Utility Warehouse do not pay any exit fees when you switch to them. If any exit fees are imposed by a customer’s previous energy supplier because that customer has switched before their previous energy supply contract had come to an end, these fees will remain the responsibility of the customer.
What happens if you move home whilst with them?
If you move home while you are a Utility Warehouse customer they have a dedicated Homemovers team to help you manage the process. If you are also using Utility Warehouse for your phone and/or broadband they can deal with that at the same time.
Do they offer any incentives for joining?
People joining Utility Warehouse get free LED bulbs for life, including replacement bulbs. Utility Warehouse claim that this will save 15% on your electricity bill. Utility Warehouse will also give new customers a smart meter free of charge.
How to contact Utility Warehouse Energy
Address: 508 Edgware Road, The Hyde, London, NW9 5AB
You can contact Utility Warehouse Energy customer service by calling: 0333 777 0 777
You can email them through their website contact form.
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday 9am – 5:30pm. Saturday, 9am to 4.30pm. Closed on Sundays and Bank holidays.
Switch to Utility Warehouse
The easiest way to switch to Utility Warehouse is through a comparison website. This will allow you to check if Utility Warehouse 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.
I’m not sure how long ago this review was written, but there are a few problems with some of the information.
The company has been going since 1996, not 2013, and Regarding the Exit Fees, Utility warehouse do in fact offer £200 towards a new customers exit fees when they move away from their old provider.
I have waited twelve months for UW Club to replace a faulty economy 7 meter
Is there another supplier who could accomplish this.Repeated phone calls have failed to elicit and service as meters are never “in stock”