April 20, 2018 - Latest: One year on from Article 50: What do UK managers think? by Darius McDermott
20th July 2015
Loyal energy customers who fail to shop around could endure bill rises as high as £327.80 a year as eleven fixed tariffs end in July.
British Gas, EDF, Scottish Power, First:Utility, Sainsbury’s Energy and Co-operative Energy all have tariffs due to expire at the end of the month, with customers who do not switch to a better deal facing a near 5% increase in their energy bills when they are rolled onto their suppliers’ standard tariffs.
According to switching site Gocompare.com, those in the Norweb region, including Manchester, Bolton and Lancaster, are set to see the biggest rises. First:Utility customers in the region, currently on the expiring iSave Fixed v20 July 2015 tariff will see a massive £327.80, or 25%, rise in their energy bills when they are automatically rolled onto the supplier’s £1,134.85 a year standard variable tariff.
Impact of tariffs coming to an end on Friday 31 July
Supplier | Tariff coming to an end | Enddate | Dual fuel? | AnnualCost | Annual cost of standard tariff | Difference(£ and %) |
British Gas | Price Promise July 2015 | 31/07/15 | Yes | £1,193.31 | £1,156.11 | -£37.21*** (-3.12%) |
British Gas | Price Promise July 2015 with EnergySmart | 31/07/15 | Yes | £1,193.31 | £1,156.11 | -£37.21*** (-3.12%) |
Co-operative Energy | Fixed Price July 2015 | 31/07/15 | Yes | £1,076.73 | £1,176.43 | £99.69 (9.26%) |
Co-operative Energy | Fixed Price July 2015 Paper Billing | 31/07/15 | Yes | £1,076.73 | £1,176.43 | £99.69 (9.26%) |
EDF Energy | Blue+ Price Promise July 2015 | 31/07/15 | Yes | £1,069.82 | 1,154.53 | £84.71 (7.92%) |
First:Utility | iSave Fixed v14 July 2015 | 31/07/15 | Yes | £1,036.96 | £1,134.85 | £97.88 (8.63%) |
First:Utility | iSave Fixed v14 July 2015 | 31/07/15 | £994.48 | £1,134.85 | £140.37 (12.37%) | |
Isupply | iFix (pre 22nd May 2014) | 31/07/15 | No | £440.28 | £510.04 | £69.76 (15.84%) |
Sainsbury’s Energy | Price Promise July 2015 | 31/07/15 | Yes | £1,193.31 | £1,156.11 | -£37.21 (-3.22%) |
Scottish Power | Help Beat Cancer Discounted Energy Aug 2015 | 31/07/2015 | Yes | £1,130.97 | £1,166.37 | £35.41 (3.13%) |
Scottish Power | Help Beat Cancer Discounted Energy Aug 2015 Online | 31/07/2015 | Yes | £1,120.47 | £1,166.37 | £45.91 (4.10%) |
Scottish Power | Online Fixed Price Energy July 2015 | 31/07/2015 | Yes | £1,075.87 | £1,166.37 | £90.51 (8.41%) |
*** does not include 5% gas price cut to take effect from August 27th
Some customers however may see their energy bills fall when their fixed tariff comes to an end in July. Gocompare.com said customers on British Gas’ Price Promise July 2015 and Price Promise July 2015 with EnergySmart will see their bills drop by £37.21. Customers on the Sainsbury’s Energy Price Promise July 2015, which is powered by British Gas, will see their bills drop by the same amount. However, despite this cut, customers would save even more money by switching to one of the top 10 cheapest fixed deals on the market than by sticking with their existing supplier
Caroline Lloyd of Gocompare.com said: “Just because your thermostat level and central heating may come down during the hotter months, there’s a very real chance that your energy bills could go up significantly if you fail to keep track of when your fixed tariff ends.
“There are lots of really competitive tariffs on the market at the moment for customers willing to shop around. It only takes a few minutes to get online and check that you’re getting the best deal on your energy, so make sure you’re an active energy shopper this summer and don’t sleep walk onto your supplier’s expensive variable tariff.”
Top 10 cheapest dual fuel tariffs
Supplier | Tariff | Tariff type | Annual cost | Early exit fees |
GB Energy Supply | Premium Energy Saver | Variable | £870 | None |
SSE | SSE 1 Year Fixed | Fixed | £899 | £30 per fuel |
first:utility | iSave Fixed December 2016 | Fixed | £905 | £30 per fuel |
GnERGY | Fixed September 2016 v1 | Fixed | £909 | £25 per fuel |
extraenergy | Fresh Fixed Price Nov 2016 v1 | Fixed | £912 | £25 per fuel |
Flow Energy | Connect | Fixed | £913 | None |
extraenergy | Clear Fixed Price Nov 2016 v1 | Fixed | £913 | £25 per fuel |
Green Star Energy | Rate Saver 12 Month Fixed 2507 Paperless | Fixed | £920 | £30 per fuel |
Sainsbury’s Energy | Fixed Price July 2016 | Fixed | £930 | £30 per fuel |
Green Star Energy | Rate Saver 12 Month Fixed 1507 Plus Paperless | Fixed | £931 | £30 per fuel |
*Based on dual fuel, payment by monthly direct debit, averaged across all UK regions and for households with an annual energy usage of 13,500kWh gas and 3,200kWh electricity (medium user). Correct as of 20/07/2015.