Blog Post

Energy Supply Switching on track to break records

Matt Olney • Dec 17, 2019

According to the latest figures from Energy UK, the number of customers switching their energy supplier broke the half a million mark in November, a rise of 1.2% on the previous year.

A total of 502,817 energy supply customers took the leap and switched with 13% of all switches recorded being from large suppliers to smaller ones.

A record-breaking year?

The November figures mean that the total number of people switching has now equalled last years total of 5.8 million, setting 2019 up to become a new record-breaking year with a month to spare.

“This year is set to be another record year for switching- with 5.8 million customers having switched so far, which was the total for the whole of 2018. With the cold weather settling in across the country and Christmas just around the corner- a period when most of us spend more time at home with the thermostats turned up - I’d urge everyone to give their supplier a ring or have a look online and make sure they are on the best deal. Just as importantly I’d encourage people to invest in making their houses more energy efficient - for instance by fitting cost effective LED bulbs or installing a more efficient boiler. Energy efficiency is a game changer which not only keeps your bills down all year round but also means you can do your bit to protect the environment,” said Energy UK’s Interim Chief Executive Audrey

Households forecast to spend £448 more this winter

The number of customers looking to switch supplier is likely to increase further over the winter months as a new report released by Confused.comshows that the average household will spend an extra £448 to stay arm.

No doubt customers will be spurred on to seek better deals for their energy so this could provide opportunity for energy suppliers to snap up some new customers. If offering lower prices aren’t an option, then offering advice on how they can reduce their bills could create customer loyalty and generate some goodwill, making them more likely to stay.

“It’s daunting to think we’ll spend £448 more than the rest of the year this winter due to colder temperatures. Lots of us are confused about how to use our heating efficiently and this can lead to bad decisions, like cranking the heating right up. We need to get clued up on how to use our heating in a way which keeps us warm but doesn’t waste energy or money,” said Tom Vaughan, Head of Energy at Confused.com.

Keeping your customers

There are several reasons why customers decide to switch energy supplier. Value for money is obviously the biggest cause but other factors such as customer service, quick response times to issues and rewarding their loyalty.

Previously, we’ve put together some top tips on how energy suppliers can keep their customers and reduce the likelihood of them jumping to another provider.

Read more top tips on how to keep energy customers here