With energy suppliers facing different challenges every year, new ones appearing and many energy suppliers going bust, knowing who the best energy companies are can be challenging. Luckily with the help of our expert knowledge, Which?, Citizen's Advice and review sites such as TrustPilot, we've created a list of the best & worst energy companies in the UK to help you navigate the switching market safely.
For us, without question, the most consistent performer in the UK energy market right now for customer service, pricing and fuel mix is - Octopus Energy. Not only do Which? and Citizen's Advice love them but so do their customers with a staggering 4.8 out of 5 on TrustPilot from an impressive +80,000 reviews at the time of writing. To put that in to context, British Gas has fewer reviews and scores a dismal 3.1 out of 5. For us, these are the guys to beat and the ones to watch as they take the UK energy market by storm moving forwards. Back that up with them leading the way with their technology and a 100% renewable fuel mix and, for us, they are the stand-out supplier. Runners-up: Outfox The Market closely followed by So Energy who certainly don't disappoint.
The one name we couldn't help seeing throughout all our analysis was the energy giant and constant of the UK energy market - British Gas. Not only do they score poorly for Which? (62%) and Citizen's Advice (2.65 out of 5) but their score from their almost 80k reviews comes out at a measly 3.1 out of 5. It looks like this dinosaur needs to seriously up its game before it becomes extinct. Runners-up: At the sticky end of the sticky stick would be another dinosaur of the energy market - E.ON. Not liked by Which?, Citizen's Advice or their customers.
Read on to find out how we came to choose the best and worst energy supplier in the UK.
Although most of us switch energy suppliers to help lower our energy bills, there's actually much more to it than simply saving money. As well as a good price, we want good customer service, accurate billing, easy online account management and, if it comes to it, to be able to contact our supplier quickly and easily and to speak to a fellow human.
Ultimately, if you choose a provider who has trouble billing you accurately, or offers poor customer service, you could find they're more trouble than they're worth, regardless of their cheaper energy prices. As the saying goes, "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys!".
With the above in mind, we put this review together to help highlight who the UK's best and worst gas and electricity suppliers are so you're saving money but also ensuring you're giving your money to a reputable supplier who gives you a good price as well as a good customer experience.
So, without further ado, here is a rundown of the UK's best (and worst) energy suppliers.
According to a consumer champion - Which?, they have scored the market as follows:
| Energy Supplier | Which? Customer Score |
|---|---|
| Outfox the Market | 82% |
| Octopus Energy | 80% |
| So Energy | 73% |
| Utility Warehouse | 71% |
| OVO Energy | 70% |
| Sainsbury's Energy | 70% |
| 100Green | 68% |
| Utilita | 68% |
| Ecotricity | 66% |
| Shell Energy | 63% |
| Boost | 62% |
| British Gas | 62% |
| E | 61% |
| EDF Energy | 61% |
| EON | 60% |
| SSE | 60% |
| Scottish Power | 55% |
| Npower | 54% |
In their own review, they've looked at the following categories to draw their conclusions:
All important aspects of any energy suppliers service.
Outfox The Market and Octopus Energy lead the way with the old-guard taking up the rear with the likes of British Gas, E.ON and npower.
Those leading the way, scored full marks in "Accurate Billing" which let's face it no one wants to pay more than need to for their home energy bills. Equally, no one wants to find out they've under-paid and now have a debt to clear which could potentially prevent them switching to another energy supplier. Not to mention the hassle involved of rectifying the issue.
To pull out a few other key findings:
Let's take a look at what Citizen's Advice think about the energy market. Sadly, with the collapse of so many suppliers in 2021, their results have changed where we previously saw the likes of Igloo Energy winning consecutive quarters along with the likes of GoTo Energy.
Their scoring criteria is fairly similar and looks at the following categories:
Here are their scores:
| Supplier Name | Score (out of 5) |
|---|---|
| M&S Energy | 3.95 |
| Octopus Energy | 3.95 |
| EDF Energy | 3.85 |
| Co-Operative Energy | 3.75 |
| Outfox The Market | 3.75 |
| E (Gas and Electricity) | 3.56 |
| Affect Energy | 3.45 |
| So Energy | 3.45 | so
| Utility Warehouse | 3.15 |
| Shell Energy | 3.15 |
| Good Energy | 2.95 |
| ESB Energy | 2.95 |
| Scottish Power | 2.90 |
| SSE | 2.75 |
| Utilita | 2.70 |
| British Gas | 2.65 |
| Boost Power | 2.56 |
| EON Energy | 2.40 |
| Ovo Energy | 2.35 |
| Ecotricity | 2.10 |
A slightly different set of results but again we can clearly see that Octopus Energy are up there in second place although actually joint top with M&S Energy. Outfox The Market slip down to 5th position but still perform very well.
At the bottom, it's again the usual suspects with British Gas - the UK's largest energy supplier - 5th bottom. Ouch! Ecotricity picks up the bottom place though with a disappointing score of 2.1 out of 5 despite being mid-table in the Which? league table.
That's what Which? and Citizen's Advice think, but what about you the customer? Let's take a look at TrustPilot reviews to help us conclude on the best and worst energy suppliers in the UK.
If we focus on the best and worst suppliers from both Which? and Citizen's Advice, we get the following suppliers scores from TrustPilot...
| Supplier Name | Score (out of 5) |
|---|---|
| M&S Energy | 4.9 |
| Octopus Energy | 4.8 |
| Good Energy | 4.5 |
| E.ON Next | 4.4 |
| Outfox The Market | 4.4 |
| Supplier Name | Score (out of 5) |
|---|---|
| British Gas | 3.1 |
| E.ON | 3.3 |
| Scottish Power | 3.7 |
| Utility Warehouse | 3.8 |
| Ecotricity | 3.9 |
Before we make a final decision, we wanted to look at fuel mix. Whilst slightly contentious, many of us want to ensure that companies we use are doing their bit for the environment. For those in contention at the top and bottom, here are the results looking at what percentage of their fuel mix is claimed to be from renewable energy sources.
| Supplier Name | Renewable % |
|---|---|
| Octopus Energy | 100 |
| Outfox The Market | 100 |
| So Energy | 100 |
| Good Energy | 100 |
| M&S Energy | n/a |
| Supplier Name | Renewable % |
|---|---|
| British Gas | 75 |
| Scottish Power | 40 |
| E.ON | 82 |
| npower | 31 |
| Ovo Energy | 50 |
If you're unhappy with your supplier, you can formally raise a complaint. The first thing to do in this instance is complain directly to your supplier, either in writing or by email so you have a written record of the complaint.
They will then have eight weeks to respond. If they don't, or they don't resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you can then escalate the complaint to the energy ombudsman. For more details on how to make an energy complaint, go to our energy supplier complaints page.
But the best thing to do if you're unhappy with your energy supplier is to switch to a different one - and you can compare energy suppliers online in just a few clicks with The Energy Shop.
To compare gas and electricity prices, just enter your postcode in the box at the top of the page and you'll be taken to our energy price comparison tool, where we just need a few more details to find the best gas and electricity deals in your area.
We'll then compare energy tariffs from suppliers across the entire energy market, so you can be sure there's a money-saving deal that's right for you.
When you find an energy deal you like, just click to switch and we'll take care of the rest - our switching tool will automatically send your application securely to your supplier of choice, who will then let your current supplier know that you want to leave.
The energy switch should then be completed within 21 days, meaning you'll be enjoying lower energy bills within a matter of weeks.
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