E.ON Next: how to leave, exit fees, price rises, moving home and complaints

E.ON Next Energy Limited (company number 03782443) is registered at Trinity House, 2 Burton Street, Nottingham, and is the E.ON group’s supplier for households in Great Britain. This page is based on the E.ON Next terms and conditions, its moving-home and complaints pages and Ofgem’s switching rules.

How to leave E.ON Next

Sign up with the new supplier and they will notify E.ON Next. Clause 6.1 of the terms, like Ofgem’s rules, says the switch should complete within 5 working days unless you choose a later date; the new supplier owes you £40 if it is late. Give the new supplier an opening meter reading; E.ON Next uses it for the final bill. Any credit is refunded within about 10 working days of that bill, though E.ON Next warns the whole process can take up to six weeks.

If you change your mind, you have 14 days from the date you agreed the new contract to cancel it. The same cooling-off period applies the other way: clause 2.8 lets you undo a transfer to E.ON Next within 14 days, and if you asked for supply to start inside that period you pay for what you used. E.ON Next may object to a switch if you owe money. Ofgem’s rule is that a debt more than 28 days old has to be paid first, while a younger debt moves onto the final bill.

Notice period and fixed tariffs

E.ON Next has no notice period. Clause 2.3 says you can switch whenever you like, but if your tariff has an end date, an exit fee may be charged if you switch more than six weeks before that date. The fee itself is set in the terms of your particular tariff, not in the general terms, so check your tariff documents or online account. The standard variable tariff has no end date and no exit fee (clause 12.1).

Ofgem’s rule is slightly more generous than six weeks: a supplier must send the end-of-contract notice 42 to 49 days before the end date and cannot charge a termination fee from that notice onwards. If you do nothing, clause 11 moves you to the cheapest variable tariff or to a fixed default tariff that is cheaper than it, never to a new fix with an exit fee. The general picture is in our guide Fixed energy tariff ending.

Price rises: your rights

On a fixed tariff, clause 11 locks the prices for the term, with exceptions only for VAT changes and regulatory requirements. On a variable tariff E.ON Next can change prices, but clause 12.2 obliges it to contact you before an increase takes effect, and Ofgem’s 2011 rule sets a minimum of 30 days’ notice. You then have 20 working days to switch to another tariff or supplier, and your previous prices and terms apply until the switch completes.

Moving home

E.ON Next does not ask for advance notice. Its moving-home page says to let it know on the day of the move or as soon as you can afterwards. Clause 5.2 then gives you 14 days to send a final meter reading and your new address, and clause 5.3 promises a final bill within six weeks of the move, payable within 14 days. If you are in credit, the refund normally takes about 10 working days unless you continue with E.ON Next at the new address, in which case the credit stays on the account.

You can usually take your existing tariff, including a fix, to the new home. The exceptions listed on the moving page include a prepayment or complex meter at the new property and having fewer than 20 days left on the fixed term when you move in. Our guide Moving house: what to do about your energy supplier has the step-by-step checklist.

Contact and complaints

To complain, e-mail unhappy@eonnext.com (8am to 10pm every day), call or message on WhatsApp 0808 501 5200 (9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4pm Friday), or write to Trinity House, 2 Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BX. If you are not satisfied, ceo@eonnext.com arranges a manager’s review.

Clause 8.5 and the complaints page both say that after eight weeks, or after a final offer letter, you can take the matter to the Energy Ombudsman: 0330 440 1624, enquiry@energyombudsman.org, PO Box 966, Warrington WA4 9DF. The service is free and independent, and its decision binds E.ON Next but not you. Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) and Advice Direct Scotland (0808 196 8660) can help at any point, and Ofgem itself does not handle individual complaints.

What to check before you switch

Check the end date and exit fee of your tariff in your online account. If the end-of-contract notice has arrived, or fewer than six weeks remain, no fee applies. Look at your balance: credit comes back after the final bill, debt older than 28 days has to be cleared first. Note your annual kWh from the latest bill, which our page on reading your energy bill explains.

Ofgem’s Confidence Code accredits comparison websites rather than suppliers, so it is not a judgement on E.ON Next. Compare deals in the UK energy comparison, read Is switching energy supplier safe? if you have doubts, and set the contract end reminder for the day your free-exit window opens.