Changing your energy supplier

Changing your energy supplier is sometimes called switching your energy supplier. 

You might be able to save money on your energy bills if you change your energy supplier or your energy tariff.

For more information about tariffs, read our easy read about energy tariffs.

Before you find out about other energy suppliers or other tariffs, make sure you know:

• the name of your energy supplier
• the name of your tariff
• how much you pay for each unit of energy
• how much you pay for your standing charge.  Your standing charge is the money you have to pay every day for your gas or electricity.
• your postcode.

You can find all of this information on your bill or online account for your energy.

You will also need to know how much energy you use each year.

You can find this out by looking at your energy bills for the past year and seeing how many units you have used.

If you are on a fixed-rate tariff, you will need to check when your contract ends.  For more information about tariffs, read our easy read about energy tariffs.

If you want to change to a different tariff or a different energy supplier before your contract ends, you might have to pay some extra money. 

You do not have to pay any extra money to change to a different tariff or a different energy supplier if your contract is going to end in 49 days or less.

Your energy bill should have information about the price of gas or electricity on different tariffs from your energy supplier.

You will need to think about if you want a fixed rate tariff or a variable rate tariff.  For more information about tariffs, read our easy read about energy tariffs.

If you want to find out about the price of energy tariffs from different energy suppliers, you can:

• contact different energy suppliers and ask them about their tariffs
• look at websites of different energy suppliers to find out about their tariffs
• look at websites which tell you about different energy suppliers.  

You can only change to some energy tariffs if you have a smart meter, or if you are happy to have a smart meter.

You can only change to some energy tariffs if you pay some money for them before you change.

If you want to change to a different energy tariff from your energy supplier, contact them and let them know which tariff you want to change to.

If you want to change to a different energy supplier, the new energy supplier will ask you:

• the name of your energy supplier
• the name of your tariff
• how much you pay for each unit of energy
• how much energy you use each year
• your postcode.

Your new energy supplier will contact your old energy supplier and let them know you are changing.

Your new energy supplier will contact you and tell you when they will change your energy supply to them. 

If you have owed money to your energy supplier for more than 28 days, you will have to pay them the money before you can change to a new energy supplier.

If you have a prepayment meter, you can not change to a different energy supplier if you owe more than £500 for gas, or more than £500 for electricity. 

A prepayment meter is where you pay for your energy before you use it.

You can not change to a different energy supplier if you are on a heat network.  

A heat network is where heat goes to different buildings in underground pipes.  The buildings do not have their own boilers to make the heat.

You might not be able to change to a different energy supplier if you pay your landlord for your energy.  You will have to ask your landlord to do it.

You can get help and advice about money and energy on our website at https://www.mencap.org.uk/help-and-advice/money-and-benefits/how-save-money

If you are worried about money or paying your bills, contact our Learning Disability Helpline:

• Call us Monday to Friday on 0808 808 1111

• Email us at [email protected]

• Fill in our online form

This Easy Read was produced by funding from the British Gas Energy Trust.