How to switch energy supplier in Great Britain (2026)

Since 1 October 2026 anyone on a standard variable tariff in England, Scotland or Wales pays the Ofgem price cap: £1,723 a year for a typical dual-fuel home paying by Direct Debit, with January forecasts pointing higher. Moving to a better deal is the one part of the bill you decide yourself, and the process is short.

This guide covers Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own regulator, the Utility Regulator, and different rules.

Before you start: three numbers from your bill

You need your annual usage in kWh for each fuel, your current tariff name and how you pay (Direct Debit, on receipt of a bill, or prepayment). All three are on a recent bill, in your supplier’s app or on your annual statement. If you are on prepayment and never get a bill, the app or the annual statement is where the kWh figure lives. Our bill guide shows where each number sits on the page.

Also check whether you are on a fixed deal and when it ends. That date decides whether leaving costs anything.

The switch, step by step

1. Put your kWh figures into a comparison site. We mark partner links on that page. Tick “prepayment” if that is how you pay, and Economy 7 if you have two rates, or the results will be for the wrong meter.
2. Compare the annual cost, standing charges included, against what you pay now.
3. Sign up with the new supplier, directly or through the comparison site. That is the only form you fill in. You do not contact your old supplier; the new one tells them.
4. Wait. Under Ofgem’s rules the switch must be done within 5 working days. Citizens Advice notes that if you ask for it to start after your 14-day cooling-off period, it can take up to 21 days.
5. Take a meter reading on the day, or let the smart meter send it.
6. Check the final bill. Your old supplier must send it within 6 weeks and refund any credit within 10 working days of sending it.

If the switch runs late, the new supplier owes you £40, paid automatically. For what can and cannot go wrong, including supplier failures, see our guide Is switching energy supplier safe?.

Is now a good time to fix?

The cap is £1,723 until the end of December. For January, Cornwall Insight’s forecast, calculated from late-August wholesale prices, is £1,872 (about 9% higher). Supplier forecasts reported by MoneySavingExpert for the week of 21 September point much higher, to about £2,117 (around 23%). Ofgem announces the real figure in late November.

The discount on fixes has shrunk. Ofgem said on 26 August that some fixes were £100 or more below the cap. On 28 September the cheapest fixes in MoneySavingExpert’s table were 1.6% to 3.2% above the July cap, which still leaves them a little below the October cap. MSE calls grabbing a cheap fix now “the sensible risk averse option” for most people on the cap.

The history is on the fixers’ side too. Uswitch took the cheapest fix on each day of a 12-month period and found it priced below the cap on 341 of the 365 days, saving an average of £182 over the year.

So with January expected to rise, a fix at or below the October cap with a low exit fee is a low-risk hedge. The deals to avoid are long fixes with high exit fees, which lock you in if wholesale prices fall later in 2027.

Exit fees and the 49-day window

Standard variable tariffs have no exit fees. Fixed deals often do, usually per fuel. Citizens Advice puts the rule simply: with 49 days or fewer left on the contract you can leave without a fee; with 50 or more you may have to pay one. Your supplier writes to you before the end date, and you can book a new deal inside that window to start the day the old one ends.

When a fee does apply, do the sums. A £50 per fuel fee against a deal that saves £200 over a year still leaves you ahead. Against a £60 saving, it does not. Our free contract alert e-mails you before the window opens.

Renting

If you pay the energy supplier directly, you can switch. Ofgem’s switching page says that if you have to pay your energy bills, you can choose to switch supplier or tariff at any time. Read your tenancy agreement first: Citizens Advice says it might ask you to return the account to the original supplier at the end of the tenancy. That is a formality when you move out, not a reason to stay on an expensive tariff now.

If your landlord pays the supplier and you pay for energy through the rent, you cannot switch yourself. You can ask the landlord to, but Citizens Advice notes they do not have to.

Prepayment meters

You can switch on a prepayment meter like anyone else, choosing a prepayment tariff. Ofgem said in August that prepayment customers pay the lowest capped rates this quarter, about £45 a year less than Direct Debit for typical use. That is not a reason to move onto prepayment: if the credit runs out, the heating goes off.

Owing money does not always stop you. On prepayment you can switch if you owe no more than £500 for gas and £500 for electricity, and the new supplier agrees to take the debt on. On a credit meter, a debt older than 28 days can block the switch until you pay it.

If you would rather pay by credit, Citizens Advice says you can ask for the meter to be changed once you owe nothing. In a rented home, check the tenancy agreement first.

Smart meters

Most smart meters keep working in smart mode after a switch. Occasionally an older one stops sending readings to the new supplier and you have to read it yourself for a while. Citizens Advice suggests checking with the new supplier before you sign.

Comparison sites: what to check

Ofgem runs a voluntary accreditation for comparison sites called the Confidence Code, built on principles of independence and transparency. Accreditation is not compulsory, so plenty of sites work without it. Many sites do not cover the whole market: MoneySuperMarket says it only shows results from its partner providers, and Uswitch says it has commercial agreements with selected suppliers. That is legal, but it means trying two sites is worth the extra minute.

Whatever site you use, check that the estimate uses your real kWh, that it includes standing charges, and that it shows the right payment method.

Switchly links to comparison sites and some of those links earn us a commission. We do not name a “best” supplier, because the answer depends on your usage, your region and how you pay.

If something goes wrong

Complain to the supplier first. It has 8 weeks to sort it out. After that, or once it sends a deadlock letter, the Energy Ombudsman takes the case free of charge; you must go to it within 12 months of the deadlock letter, and it decides in about 6 weeks on average. For service quality before you choose, Citizens Advice publishes a star rating for every supplier with more than 25,000 customers.