Households Miss out on £3.8 Billion Energy Saving by not Switching
CHESTER, England, January 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
- Moving from the traditional energy supplier in your area could save you around £300 a year[1]
- Bill payers in the South East can save the most - £385 or 27 per cent
- Cold weather comes as all price hikes from the 'Big Six' take effect
UK households could reduce their annual energy bills by more than a fifth (21 per cent) by moving from their traditional energy supplier to the cheapest available product - an overall saving of £3.8 billion for the nation and a potential saving per household of £300 a year.[1]
Research by moneysupermarket.com, the UK's number one comparison site, also reveals the regional differences in the savings to be made by switching to the best deal. Of the UK's 14 energy regions, bill payers living in the North Wales and Liverpool region who are still customers of their original energy supplier have the highest average annual bills of £1,444 for their gas and electricity. The cheapest energy bills paid by those who have never switched are found in the East Midlands where the total dual fuel bill is £1,385, a difference of £60. However, it is bill payers living in the South East who can make the biggest saving - £385, or 27 per cent.[1]
The recent cold and snowy weather will have added pressure to households already facing costly bills from the busy Christmas period, making the need to save money by switching tariff even more important for bill payers. Households who have never changed their energy deal could save an impressive £300 a year on average if they moved from the original (incumbent) provider's standard tariff and opted for the best value deal. If all the households who've yet to change to the best possible deal, made the switch the nation could collectively save £3.8 billion on its energy bills.[2]
Clare Francis, Editor-in-chief at moneysupermarket.com, said: "The current cold snap has no doubt caused many households to dial up the thermostat, but there is obviously a price to pay for this. Price hikes, the festive period and the cold, snow-filled weather are a perfect storm for costly bills piling more pressure on hard-pressed families. But it's not all bad news as some of that money can be clawed back.
"Firstly, if you haven't changed your energy deal in the past 12 months, chances are you'll be paying more than you need so look to see if you can make savings by switching to a cheaper tariff. We recommend going for a fixed online deal as that will protect you in case we see another round of price hikes this year. If you're currently on a fixed price plan, remember to switch when it comes to an end.[3]
"As well as saving money by switching tariff it's also worth thinking about how you use energy at home. Making simple changes such as doing your washing at 30 degrees rather than 40 or 60, and turning appliances off as opposed to leaving them on standby, can result in significant savings over the year."
Notes to editors:
[1] Incumbent (traditional) Vs Best Tariff
Incumbent Incumbent Incumbent Region Tariff Best Tariff v Best v Best Potential Potential Saving Saving Total (GBP) Tariff Bill (GBP) GBP % British Gas Online Variable February Eastern GBP1,405.53 2014 GBP1,111.99 GBP293.54 20.88% British Gas Online Variable East February Midlands GBP1,384.64 2014 GBP1,097.14 GBP287.50 20.76% E.ON Energy London GBP1,400.57 Discount GBP1,120.49 GBP280.08 20.00% British Gas Online Variable North Wales February & Liverpool GBP1,443.64 2014 GBP1,137.76 GBP305.88 21.19% E.ON Energy Midlands GBP1,433.43 Discount GBP1,117.86 GBP315.57 22.02% British Gas Online Variable February Northern GBP1,411.65 2014 GBP1,108.62 GBP303.03 21.47% British Gas Online Variable February North West GBP1,400.45 2014 GBP1,111.10 GBP289.35 20.66% British Gas Online Variable North February Scotland GBP1,409.14 2014 GBP1,114.76 GBP294.38 20.89% British Gas Online Variable South February Scotland GBP1,396.36 2014 GBP1,103.94 GBP292.42 20.94% E.ON Energy South East GBP1,415.25 Discount GBP1,029.89 GBP385.36 27.23% E.ON Energy Southern GBP1,415.08 Discount GBP1,124.09 GBP290.99 20.56% E.ON Energy South Wales GBP1,412.86 Discount GBP1,127.26 GBP285.60 20.21% E.ON Energy South West GBP1,431.75 Discount GBP1,136.49 GBP295.26 20.62% British Gas Online Variable February Yorkshire GBP1,397.46 2014 GBP1,098.69 GBP298.77 21.38% Average GBP1,411.27 GBP1,110.01 GBP301.27 21.34%
[2] There are 21.6 million homes with both mains gas and electricity to their homes.
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/Compet/Documents1/DRMR%20March%202007doc%20v9%20-%20FINAL.pdf
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/rmr/Documents1/IpsosMori_switching_omnibus_2011.pdf
According to a survey by Ofgem, 59% of gas customers have never switched their supplier while 60% of electricity customers have never switched. Therefore at least 12,724,683 million households have never switched supplier.
12,724,683 x £301 (average potential saving swapping from incumbent to best energy supplier) = £3,830,129,583 or £3.8 billion
[3] Fixed deals coming to an end
Saving by Switching to Market Tariff Leading Provider Name End Date Energy Bill after End Date Deal Unifi Capped Energy April Scottish Power 2013 31/03/2013 GBP1,368.45 GBP248.16 Capped Price Energy Scottish Power June 2013 31/03/2013 GBP1,368.45 GBP248.16 Online Fixed Price Energy April Scottish Power 2013 31/03/2013 GBP1,368.45 GBP248.16 Fixed Saver April Scottish Power 2013 31/03/2013 GBP1,368.45 GBP248.16
MoneySupermarket.com compares (at 27th Dec 2012)
- 134 car insurance brands and 97 home insurance brands
- 9 broadband providers and 20 energy providers
- 31 unsecured loan and 5 secured loan providers
- 62 mortgage lenders and 26 credit card providers
- 63 savings providers and 38 current account providers.
- Over 650,000 mobile phone deals
Our customers
We help our customers to save money on all of their household bills by providing a free, easy to use online service so they can compare a wide range of products in one place and find the product most suited to their needs. Our size means we are able to offer our customers exclusive, market-leading deals, including some they can't even get direct from providers.
Our providers
By having considerable volumes of informed customers actively looking for products and ready to purchase, we offer our providers an efficient and cost effective customer acquisition solution across all of our channels. This enables our providers to target their marketing spend in an effective and completely measurable way.
Our revenue comes predominantly from fees paid to us by product providers when a customer clicks through to their website and actually applies for or purchases a product. It is a success based marketing fee.
Our customer commitment
- We make it easy to find the brands you expect to see
- We strive to ensure a product cannot be found cheaper by going direct
- We let you remain in control of your personal data
- We are independent and impartial
- We make it easy to switch and save
- We strive to always show the most competitive product available
For further information, please contact:
Paul Lawler
MoneySupermarket
+44(0)1244-370-317
[email protected]
SOURCE MoneySupermarket.com
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