Households in St Albans have collectively saved £2.1 million since January and switch 26% more than the national average
Stockport takes second place in the switching league – switching 24% more than average but at £4.8 million it saved more than St Albans due to its bigger population
Glasgow, Liverpool and London languish near the bottom of the switching table
David and Sarah are the most popular names for energy switchers – and switchers are more likely to be male (56%) than female (44%)
Monday is the most popular day of the week for switching
Confidence in the Big Six is low, with over four in 10 (43%) bill payers saying they don’t trust the largest suppliers to offer a good value deal
With more than half (52%) of bill payers worrying about how they’ll afford to pay their energy bills this winter Uswitch.com urges consumers to shop around and save up to £482.
At the end of a record year for energy switching, Uswitch.com, the price comparison and switching service, reveals the state of the energy switching nation. With forecasters predicting a colder winter than usual, Uswitch.com has taken the temperature of Britain’s energy customers: over half (52%) of bill payers are already worrying about the cost of their energy bills heading into winter, compared to less than a third last year (32%).
Where are people switching?
Switching habits vary greatly across Britain. Households in St Albans win the title of Britain’s savviest switchers, where inhabitants are 26% more likely to switch than the national average and have saved a combined £2.1 million (£337 per year per household). Not far behind is Stockport, where people are 24% more likely to switch than average, saving £304 per household or a collective £4.8 million.
By contrast, London has one of the lowest switching rates, 29% below the national rate. This is despite Big Six customers in the capital facing some of the largest price increases (£95) to their energy bills this year, taking their average bill up to £1,225.
London is joined near the bottom of the table by other major cities including Liverpool and Glasgow where residents are a fifth less likely to switch than the national rate (20% and 19% respectively). Households in Cardiff are 17% less likely to switch and those in Edinburgh 14% less likely, while Newcastle-upon-Tyne switches 3% less than the average. But other other major cities fare better with above average switching rates; Leeds and Sheffield, for example, switch 15% and 6% more than the average respectively.
At the very bottom of the switching rankings are some of the more remote Scottish locations including the Outer Hebrides and the Shetlands, where energy customers are half as likely to switch than the national average (55% and 51% respectively). While these places scored the lowest for likelihood to switch, factors such as being off the gas grid, fewer suppliers operating in the area and more micro-generation of energy could have affected consumer habits. Nevertheless households who did change energy company saved an average of £198 per year in the Outer Hebrides and £281 annually in the Shetland Islands.
The Energy Secretary Greg Clark’s own constituency, Tunbridge Wells, has seen a decline in the likelihood of its residents switching over the last year. They are now 4% less likely to move energy company than the average. This compares to 2017 when it sat just 0.2% below the national rate.
Who’s switching?
According to Uswitch.com data, over half (56%) of switchers this year were male compared to 44% female. The most popular names for male switchers are David, followed by John, then Paul. Meanwhile, women who are switching supplier are most likely to be named Sarah, then Susan, then Karen.
A new Uswitch.com survey has also revealed that consumer likelihood to switch partly corresponds with age. Younger generations are the least likely to switch, with just under two thirds (64%) of 18-34 year olds having ever switched. This compares with over three quarters of 35-54 year olds (77%) and those over 55 (78%) who have switched. However, income appears to have a relatively minor effect: 57% of those earning under £10,000 per year have switched before while this rises to at least 72% in all income brackets above £10,000 per year.
Switchers demonstrate a number of thrifty traits in their lifestyles. Those who have switched are 12% more likely to use cashback websites, and 11% more likely to shop at a discount supermarket. True to form, they are also 11% more likely to check the price of goods in several shops before making a purchase.
Further analysis of those using Uswitch.com shows that the most popular day for energy switching this year was Monday 12 March, only just beating Monday 17 September. In fact, Mondays are the most popular day to switch overall. The most popular day of the month for switching supplier is the 12th, as this is when bill payers on a fixed deal coming to an end are usually sent a letter informing them that their deal will expire within the next 49 days.
Attitudes to suppliers
While challenger brands continue to steal market share from the energy giants, three quarters of bill payers (75%) are still with a Big Six supplier, who have announced ten price rises between them this year. However, 43% of bill payers say they don’t trust the Big Six to offer a good value deal so Uswitch.com data showing that more people switched to a small supplier (55%) than a bigger brand (45%) this year comes as no surprise.
When it comes to choosing an energy supplier, the most important factors beyond price are customer service (18%), rewards (18%) and being offered a fixed deal (16%). Using green energy is also a bigger consideration for bill payers today than it has been in the past. Four in ten (40%) say that choosing an environmentally friendly energy supplier is more important to them now than it was five years ago.
Rik Smith, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Millions of households have collectively saved billions of pounds by switching supplier this year. No matter who you are or where you live there are huge savings to be made, and different options to suit all consumer needs. Whether it’s a cheap tariff that could knock up to £482 off your annual bill, green energy and great customer service from one of the challenger suppliers, or even a fixed price for the next four years, energy companies respond best when they know consumers will move elsewhere if they’re not happy.
“On average there has been over one price rise a week since Christmas last year, and to date, 2018 is on course to be another record year for bill payers changing supplier. Ahead of the energy price cap coming in, consumers need to know that it is likely to push up the cost of standard tariffs from April. It may even rise again next October. But instead of staying put and being lulled into a false sense of security, households can avoid the cap trap and save far more money by taking just ten minutes to shop around for a better deal.”
Find out how you could save over £1,000 a year with Uswitch here.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Ailene Barr
Phone: 020 3872 5610
Email: ailene.barr@uswitch.com
Twitter: @uswitchPR
Notes to editors
Research conducted by Opinium between 15th - 17th November 2018, of 2007 UK adults responsible for their home energy bills.
Source: Uswitch.com data from switches 1/1/18 - 31/10/18
See Table 1 in main body of press release
In the energy market in Britain, a group of large companies known as the ‘Big Six’ - British Gas, ScottishPower, EDF, E.ON, SSE and npower - supply around 75% of households (source: Ofgem). When asked ‘How well do you trust these companies as a group to offer good value deals (i.e. an attractive price supported with good customer service and easy account management)?’ 43.2% answered ‘I don't trust them at all’
When asked ‘Are you worried about the cost of your energy bills this winter?’ 12.5% answered ‘Yes, very’ and 39.9% answered ‘Yes, a little’ giving a net response of 52%
Between 1 Jan 2018 and 30 Jun 2018, at least 10% of people who switched energy supplier for both gas & electricity with Uswitch saved £482 or more.
When asked ‘Are you worried about the cost of your energy bills this winter?’, 32% of respondents answered ‘Yes’ in a survey from 2017. 2017 press release can be found here: https://www.uswitch.com/media-centre/2017/08/one-in-three-brits-already-worrying-about-this-winters-bills-as-uswitch-reveals-the-nations-energy-switching-habits/
Source: Uswitch.com data
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