E.ON Next vs EDF (2024 Comparison)

Last updated: 19th January 2024

If you’re planning to switch your energy tariff to either E.ON Next or EDF but aren’t sure which company to choose, this comparison guide is for you.

We take a detailed look at how E.ON NEXT and EDF measure up when it comes to tariff options, customer service, customer reviews, prices and much more.

Firstly, here’s a quick overview of each supplier.

Who are E.ON NEXT?

E.ON NEXT are a top energy supplier in the U.K. They are one of the Big Six energy companies in the country – an initiative involving using technology to keep energy prices low and ensuring more environmentally friendly gas and electricity.

The gas that E.ON NEXT supplies to their customers is 100% green, making the company a favourite amongst those conscious of reducing carbon emissions. Currently E.ON NEXT has over 5 million customers globally!

Who are EDF?

EDF Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French state-owned EDF Group (Electricité de France), is among Europe’s major energy companies. Within the UK, EDF proudly holds the title of the largest provider of low-carbon electricity, serving approximately 3.7 million households and businesses. A significant portion of EDF’s electricity, roughly 63%, is sourced from nuclear power, generated through its five nuclear power stations. Additionally, the company operates 36 wind farms in its renewable energy portfolio.

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Table of Contents

E.ON NEXT vs EDF: What’s the difference in tariff options?

E.ON NEXT and EDF are both popular energy providers, but is there much difference in the types of energy tariffs they offer?

We’ve broken down the various tariffs from each company to carry out an in-depth comparison.

E.ON NEXT

E.ON NEXT offers three energy tariff options. These options include two fixed-term plans and one variable rate choice, all of which come with 100% renewable electricity. You can see the full details of each tariff below:

NEXT Fixed Tariff (12 or 24 months)

– Discount applied if you pay by direct debit.
– Fixed tariff for 12 or 24 months meaning fixed and predictable prices
– An exit fee of £75 for a 12-month contract and £150 for 24-months
– Smart meter required
– 100% renewable electricity

NEXT Flex

– Variable prices, so prices can go up and down over time.
– No contract, so no exit fees.
– Discount applied if you pay with direct debit.
– 100% renewable electricity

EDF

EDF again provides three different tariff choices. Two fixed options, including, unusually, one that covers 3 years, and a standard variable tariff. You can see the full details here:

Standard Variable

– Rates can go up or down over time in line with Ofgem Price Cap
– No exit fees or end date
– Smart meter not required
– Does not claim 100% renewable electricity

EDF Essentials

– A fixed tariff with either a 1-year or 3-year term
– Exit fees of £75 per fuel for 1-year and £200 for the 3-year tariff
– Discount for paying by direct debit
– Smart meter required (available for free if you do not already have one)
– 100% renewable electricity

Summary: When it comes to the variable tariff, the main difference between the two is that E.ON Next provides 100% renewable electricity whereas EDF does not.

With the fixed tariffs, both provide 100% renewable electricity and both require a smart meter.

They differ with EDF offering a 3-year option and E.ON Next offering a 2-year option but both of these have either the same or similar exit fees.

When it comes to tariffs, E.ON Next are slightly better, based on providing 100% renewable electricity on their variable tariff.

E.ON NEXT vs EDF: What’s the difference in price?

We requested online quotations from both energy providers, using the following factors:

Dual fuel supply
Standard meter
Payment by Direct Debit
2,900 kWh of electricity and 12,000 kWh of gas consumption (Moderate usage in a 3-bedroom home with a family of four)
Postcode is located in the East Midlands

Please note that due to your actual circumstances being different to the above, you are likely to get a different quote. These prices are just a guide for comparing.

Let’s compare the two and see which supplier offers the cheapest tariffs.

For the three tariffs mentioned above, E.ON NEXT gave us the following prices:

Tariff Name	Tariff Description	Monthly Cost
Next Flex	Flexible tariff where prices go up and down with the market. No contract. No smart meter is required.	£156.45
Next Fixed 12m V2	1 year, fixed contract. A smart meter is needed. £75 exit fee per fuel. Smart meter required.	£161.66
Next Fixed 24m V1	2 year, fixed contract. A smart meter is needed. £150 exit fee per fuel. Smart meter required.	£172.82

Source

As you can see, the variable rate is about £5 a month cheaper than the one-year fix. The two-year fix is around £16 more expensive per month.

For their tariffs, EDF gave us the following prices:

Tariff Name	Tariff Description	Monthly Cost
Standard Variable	Variable rate tariff, no exit fees or end date.	£157
EDF Essentials (3-year fix)	3-year fixed tariff. £200 per fuel exit fees.	£163
EDF Essentials (1-year fix)	1-year fixed tariff. £75 per fuel exit fee.	£164

These prices include a Direct Debit discount. The Standard Variable tariff is £168, both EDF Essentials tariffs are £172 without Direct Debit.

Again, the variable tariff is the cheapest option. The two fixed rates from EDF are very similarly priced and are £5-6 more per month than the variable tariff.

Summary: When it comes to variable tariffs, E.ON Next is just slightly cheaper. They are also cheaper if you are looking for a one-year fix. For the longer term, EDF are actually cheaper with their 3-year fixed deal.

When it comes to price, E.ON Next just wins this one for us. If you want a longer-term fix, however, EDF may be the better option.

E.ON NEXT vs EDF: Who offers the greenest energy?

These days it is more important than ever for energy companies to demonstrate their green efforts. Across the U.K., there are some great examples of how energy suppliers are helping to reduce their impact on the environment. But, how do EDF and E.ON NEXT compare? Let’s see.

All of E.ON NEXT’s electricity is 100% renewable and the supplier generates its own renewable energy via biomass plants in England. Currently, the biomass plants produce enough electricity to power up 100,000 homes across the country. (Source: E.ON NEXT)

EDF Energy is committed to becoming an efficient and responsible electricity provider while promoting the growth of low-carbon technologies. EDF also offers electric vehicle leasing to customers and engages in the sale of solar panels and boiler replacements, enhancing its role as a comprehensive energy solutions provider.

Summary: E.ON NEXT and EDF are both equally committed to being green. Therefore, it’s only fair we call a tie for this round.

E.ON NEXT vs EDF: Who has better customer reviews?

Customer reviews are one of the best ways to understand how you may feel if you were to become a customer of one of these suppliers. We looked at the respective Trustpilot profiles for both energy suppliers to assess how existing customers see them. Below, you’ll find their scores and a comparison.

Here are their overall scores:

E.ON NEXT scores 4.2 out of 5 based on over 59,000 reviews
EDF scores 4.2 out of 5 based on over 65,000 reviews

73% of the reviews for E.ON NEXT were rated 5 stars and 73% of the reviews for EDF on Trustpilot were also rated 5 stars.

EDF and E.ON NEXT both ask customers to leave feedback for them so that they can continue to improve their services. EDF responded to 99% of its reviews and so did E.ON NEXT. This demonstrates that both suppliers take negative feedback very seriously.

On the first page of Trustpilot, both companies have an abundance of positive customer reviews. Issues reported were largely related to billing and payments for both companies, though overall they both seem to provide clear and accurate bills.

Summary: E.ON NEXT and EDF tie this round too. Neither have the highest review scores we have seen, but they both seem to perform almost exactly the same on the review front.

E.ON NEXT vs EDF: Who has the better website and app?

E.ON NEXT’s app has a score of 4.7/5 based on 19,000 reviews. It garners praise for its user-friendly interface and accessibility. Customers typically have few complaints, and when they do, they tend to be related to bugs.

The E.ON NEXT website offers a seamless experience, delivering excellent functionality that enables customers to effortlessly log in to review their statements, make payments, and more.

EDF’s app scores 4.5/5 on the app store, a slightly lower score than E.ON NEXT. With this said, it’s still an impressive score and customers praise the app for convenience and ease of use. However, there have been some reports of bugs.

Summary: E.ON NEXT wins for its app and website combination, they seem to please slightly more of customers with their tech!

E.ON NEXT vs EDF: Who has the better customer service?

Customer service is an important consideration when choosing a new supplier. It’s helpful to know that if you need to contact your supplier, you will be able to reach them in a timely manner. Luckily, the Citizens Advice website provides comprehensive customer service comparisons for all energy suppliers on a quarterly basis.

Here we have compared the key areas:

	E.ON NEXT	EDF
Average call centre wait time	02:15	00:58:00
Emails responded to with 2 days	75.9%	97.3%
% customers with accurate bill	96.2%	98.7%
Switches completed < 15 days	97.7%	99.8%
Opening hours	8 am – 8 pm (6 pm on Saturdays)	Monday to Friday 8 am – 6 pm
Contact via Phone	Yes	Yes
Contact via Email	Yes	Yes
Contact via Webchat	Yes	Yes

Source: Citizens Advice

Summary: EDF have both a lower call centre waiting time and a higher response rate in 2 days to emails. They also complete more switches in less than 15 days and provide a higher percentage of customers with an accurate bill. E.ON Next have slightly longer opening hours, but EDF are the clear winners when it comes to customer service.

E.ON NEXT vs EDF: Who has fewer complaints?

Each supplier has to publicly provide complaints data every quarter. We’ve compared the key stats for these two suppliers in the table below:

	E.ON NEXT	EDF
Complaints per 100k customers	1,885	2,547
Resolved per 100k customers	1,934	2,335
Resolved next working day	71.0%	57.68%
Resolved in 8 weeks	91.4%	91.53%

Sources: E.ON NEXT Q2 2O23. EDF Q2 2023

Summary: E.ON NEXT receive fewer customer complaints and seem to generally solve complaints faster than EDF.

E.ON NEXT vs EDF: What are the main differences between the two?

Area	Summary	Winner
Tariff Options	This is a close one, but E.ON Next wins with their 100% renewable electricity on their variable tariff.	E.ON NEXT
Price	This is another close one but E.ON Next is cheaper unless you want a longer-term fix.	E.ON NEXT
Greenest Energy	Both suppliers are actively contributing to environmental efforts in a similar way, so nothing between them here.	Draw
Customer Reviews	Both EDF and E.ON NEXT tie on this round. They scored exactly the same for customer reviews on Trustpilot and actively responded to any negative feedback	Draw
Website/App	Both energy suppliers have great, functional apps and good reviews for their tech. E.ON NEXT scores slightly higher though.	E.ON NEXT
Customer Service	EDF answer their phone lines promptly and make sure that customer emails are responded to quickly. Both faster than E.ON Next.	EDF
Complaints	E.ON NEXT receive fewer complaints overall and also resolves more complaints within one working day	E.ON NEXT

Who is the best?

We have our winner, it’s E.ON NEXT! It is relatively close though, with not much between the two when it comes to tariff options, price or customer reviews. EDF wins in the Customer Service section but E.ON NEXT appears to have a slightly better app and performs better when it comes to complaints.

Comparisons with other suppliers

EDF

E.ON Next