Energy customers switching suppliers at three-year high, says trade body

The number of energy customers switching providers is at a three-year high, after all of the big six suppliers announced price increases in 2013, figures released on Monday show.

Energy UK, which represents energy companies, says that last month, 614,000 people switched their energy supplier. It claims that this shows the energy market is working.

The figures will be welcomed by the government, after energy secretary Ed Davey insisted the only way to tackle rising energy costs was to switch to the most competitive supplier. 

But the Labour party is insistent that the only way to restore trust and confidence in the energy sector is to introduce a 20-month price freeze. It says this would give the government the opportunity to sort out the industry so that customers could get the best possible service from energy suppliers.

Commenting on the figures released on Monday, Angela Knight, chief executive of Energy UK said, “More people are switching energy supplier which is proof that the retail energy market is working well. The sharp increase in the number of people switching between companies and the number of fast growing smaller suppliers shows this is the case.”

She added,“Customers can get the information they need from the companies themselves of can trust any comparison site displaying the Ofgem Confidence Code to be impartial.”

In contrast to the big six suppliers’ price hikes, green energy specialists Good Energy and Ecotricity revealed they would each be freezing their customers’ bills until the end of March and beginning of April respectively.

Further reading:

E.ON becomes final big six firm to reveal energy bill price hike with 3.7% increase

British energy consumers deserve more than political football

Energy bills to be cut by £50 after government shake-up

Green energy firms Good Energy and Ecotricity break mould with winter price freezes

Good Energy customer on BBC Question Time: ‘my energy bills have never been cheaper’