Gas and electricity

Comparing gas and electric suppliers ensures you’re not overpaying for your energy. You can get both gas and electricity from the same company – known as a dual fuel tariff. But dual fuel tariffs aren’t always the cheapest.

We can also help you compare:

• gas-only tariffs
• electricity-only tariffs

Be sure to check each option when you get a quote to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

No-one wants to overspend on their bills. Our price comparison process makes it easy to find great deals on cheap gas and electricity.

It takes less than 3 minutes to get a quote. This is because we only need a few details. You don’t even need your bill, though having it helps us get the most accurate energy quote.

Confused.com uses a specialist energy comparison partner to get you the best deal.

We’ll show you exactly how much you can save by switching to each deal and make it easy by handling your switch for you.

If you still feel a bit confused about why you should switch and what it involves, these guides should help:

• Your energy questions answered
• Your energy switching process explained

Have you ever changed your gas or electricity supplier? Or have you been with the same supplier for years?

Nearly two thirds of UK households are paying too much for their energy¹, normally because they haven’t changed supplier for some time, if ever.

So the chances are that you’re paying more than you need to.

This is because your existing supplier will have placed you on their standard variable tariff, and not one of their best deals offered to ‘new’ customers. Even if you got a great fixed price a couple of years ago, by now you’ll most likely be back on that standard variable tariff again.

The good news is that switching to a new supplier or changing tariffs with your existing supplier could save you money on your bills. It's easy to do and only takes a few minutes.

So isn’t it worth 5 minutes of your time to check?

¹ 57% of customers with the 10 largest energy suppliers are on non-price-protected standard variable tariffs - Ofgem trends report, Sept 2017

Good news! It’s never been quicker or easier to compare energy suppliers.

Just answer a few questions about your property and how much energy you use. It’s better (and more accurate) if you’ve got a bill handy, but don’t worry if you haven’t – we’ve done enough comparisons that we can make a pretty good estimate.

You’ll see a list of tariffs, sorted in order of how much you could save by switching.

• Find the one that’s right for you and click the Switch button.
• A couple more details will enable us to contact your new energy supplier to start the switch.
• Your new company will do everything else, including contacting your existing supplier to tell them you’re leaving.
• You just need to sit back and work out what to do with the savings!

AND DON’T WORRY! Your new supplier will use all of the same pipes and cables, and at no point will your supply be switched off – you won’t even notice the change, except in your pocket.

Read our full guide to the switching process for more details.

There are a lot of energy suppliers out there, both big and small. The important thing to remember is that the gas and electricity they supply is exactly the same. Its just the price you pay for it that’s different.

The 'Big Six' energy suppliers

After the opening up of the energy market in the 1990s, six companies supplied most of the UK's energy. They were:

• British Gas
• EDF Energy
• E.On
• Npower
• Scottish Power
• SSE

The 'Big Six’ were a mixture of old national and regional suppliers and were mostly owned by European state energy companies.

However due to a series of mergers and advances in technology allowing growth of smaller firms, other providers such as Ovo, who bought SSE in 2020, have risen to join the established big providers, while others have merged such as E.On and Npower.

Ofgem now use the term 'large suppliers' to refer to the providers with the largest market share, which depending on the measure used could be anything from five to ten.

They each offer a range of tariffs to suit different customer requirements along with a standard variable tariff which is limited by the energy price cap.

Smaller suppliers

Smaller energy suppliers will often offer the best deals but may rely on you managing your account online or through an app – using technology to save on their costs.

Newer to the market, they will sometimes only operate in certain areas of the country, or only offer a limited range of tariffs – such as green or renewable energy. Some will use apps on your phone, others will offer paperless billing.

OFGEM

The thing that all these companies have in common is that they are all regulated by OFGEM. So, no matter the size of the energy supplier, they all have to follow the same rules.

When an energy supplier goes bust, as a number have in recent years, then OFGEM will ensure that your supply won’t be affected. They’ll appoint a new energy supplier to take over your tariff, so you won't ever be without heat and power in your home.

Your decision comes down to what you want most from your supplier – is it the cheapest bills, proper green energy, great customer service or something else?

The different types of energy tariff can be confusing - dual fuel, online, offline, green, renewable, variable-rate, fixed-rate, second-rate, cheap-skate…

Okay we made those last two up, but you get the picture. At Confused.com we want to make it easy for you to switch energy supplier, so we’ll do our best to explain:

Your first choice is normally whether you want a single-fuel or dual fuel tariff. 

On a dual fuel tariff, you get your gas and electricity from the same company. The energy supplier might give you a discount for doing this, especially if you pay by Direct Debit. Read more about dual fuel tariffs.

Alternatively, you can get a gas-only tariff, or an electricity-only tariff or combine the two – you might find that the combined price saves you money – or you might only need one of them in your property.

Read more about switching gas suppliers or switching electricity suppliers.

Your gas/electricity or dual fuel tariff will be either variable-rate or fixed-rate.

• Variable-rate tariffs will go up or down depending on the price of oil and other factors. They may or may not have an exit fee.
• Fixed-rate tariffs tell you the price at the start, and how long the price will last for. If you leave a fixed-rate tariff early, you may have to pay an exit fee.

For details on other types of tariff, read our useful guide to tariffs.

Whichever tariff you move to, Confused.com make it easy to switch your provider.

As well as comparing energy prices and the best deals, changing the type of tariff you have or the way in which you pay for your energy could also save you money.

Suppliers will often provide additional discounts to tariffs for the following reasons:

• Opting for paperless billing and managing your account online.
• Paying monthly by Direct Debit.
• Switching both gas and electricity to the same supplier.

But there are other reasons you may wish to switch, apart from the savings which a new tariff might offer, such as:

• Environmental awareness

  Green energy tariffs are now offered by all of the 'Bix Six' companies, as well as several smaller providers. Some providers only offer 100% green energy deals, where 100% of the electricity supplied comes from renewable sources, helping you to reduce your carbon footprint.

• Protection against future price rises

  Picking a fixed-price tariff will ensure that even if prices rise, the rates you pay for your gas and electricity remain the same until the end of the fixed period.

• Customer service

  If you've been unhappy with the service you received from your current supplier, you may wish to switch to one with higher customer service standards.

Energy bills are a large part of your monthly household expenditure, so after you switch follow these handy tips to continue to stay in control of your bills.

• Remember to regularly provide your supplier with accurate meter readings. This will ensure you are only paying for the electricity and gas you are using and avoid any surprises further down the line.
• If you are on a fixed price tariff, keep a note of the end date. Companies often transfer customers to their more expensive standard variable tariff when a fixed price deal comes to an end. We recommend comparing deals a few weeks before your fixed price tariff ends.
• Keep an eye on how much electricity you use. It sounds simple but remembering to turn off lights or electrical items when they are not in use can really help keep your bills down.
• Learn to use the timer on your boiler - only heating water and using the central heating when you're in the house can save a significant amount on your bills.
• For more useful saving tips, see our energy efficiency guide.

Looking for business gas or electricity deals? Take a look at our business energy page.