Switching surges as customers prepare for winter

The number of customers changing electricity supplier increased dramatically in October with 345,000 moving to a new deal. This represents an increase of 33 per cent compared to the previous month and is the highest level of switching of 2014 so far. The number of people switching to small suppliers has also increased with 138,000 people moving from a large supplier to a small one. This is the highest number of net switches since records began. The numbers are released at the same time that new research from Ipsos MORI shows that 74 per cent of people who have tried to switch supplier in the last 12 months found it easy.

Angela Knight, chief executive of Energy UK, said:

“Thousands of customers are, ahead of the winter, taking control of their electricity bills by finding the best deal for them. Not only are more people switching but the number of people moving to small suppliers has hit a record high of 138,000. There are more companies than ever before in the electricity market offering a wide range of deals. Now is the time to get ready for winter so, if you haven’t changed in a while, log on to a price comparison site or call your supplier to find out if you can switch and save money.”

Notes for editors

• The electricity switching report for October can be read online.
• Information about the switching process can be found on the Energy UK website.
• Electralink provides a secure service to transfer data between the electricity market participants. The company operates the Data Transfer Network (DTN) which underpins customer switching, meter interoperability and other business processes critical to a competitive electricity market.
• The Cornwall Energy reports on competition in the energy sector can be found on the Energy UK website.
• The Ipsos MORI report on consumer experience is available on the Energy UK website.