Energy Best Buy Table – Current Best Buys 25/11/2009

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• Published: 25 Nov 2009 in Household and Gas Electricity

To give you an idea of the best energy tariffs currently available from a range of suppliers, it’s not a bad idea to use a ‘best buy’ table as a point of reference. Below, we’ve listed the current tariffs vying for the top slot.

However, it should be noted that these are intended as a guide only. They may not necessarily be the best buys for you, as they are based on average UK consumption levels*, whereas your own use may be different. Plus these figures may be subject to regional variations, and some of the named tariffs may be unavailable in certain regions (see below). To get a more accurate picture, you can compare tariffs at Confused.com and find a tariff best suited to your specific circumstances.

Best Buy Table

Tariff Key Features

British Gas - Websaver 4

• Average bill of £994 per year
• Only available if you manage your account online and take paperless billing
• Only available if you pay by Direct Debit
• Available to both new and existing customers
• Prices guaranteed to remain at least 6% below British Gas’s standard prices until 30^th November 2010
• Cancellation fees apply if you want to leave before the 28^th Feb 2010 - £30 for each fuel, so £60 for a Dual Fuel tariff

e.on - FixOnline 4

• Average bill of £954 per year
• Only available if you manage your account online
• Not available as a ‘gas only’ product (Dual Fuel and Electricity only)
• Only available if you pay by Direct Debit
• Limited availability
• Fixed term contract with discounted rates until 1^st February 2011
• Cancellation fees of £30 for a Dual Fuel tariff or £10 for an Electricity Only tariff if you leave before the term date

EDF - OnlineS@ver 4

• Average bill of £963 per year
• Supersedes Online S@ver 3
• £30 voucher available to spend at EDF Energy’s Online shop if you switch with Confused.com!
• Minimum 2% discount off EDF’s Standard prices guaranteed until the end of December 2010
• Cancellation fees of £50 for a Dual Fuel tariff, £25 for single fuels

npower – Go Fix

• Average bill £994 per year
• Fixed rate until 31^st December 2010
• No exit fee – although npower’s Direct Debit discounts are applied after a year of payments, so if you leave before then you lose your discount
• It’s a very competitive tariff, and offers the peace of mind that fixing your prices brings.  Customers could take advantage of the lower rates, and switch again once a better deal comes along as there are no exit penalties. Woo-hoo!
• Npower also offer ‘Go Fix XL’ which is aimed at consumers using more energy than most (although this is only available to new customers)

ScottishPower - Online Energy Saver 7

• Current best buy of the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers at £952 per year
• Prices track at least 3% below Scottish Power’s standard direct debit prices until 30^th November 2010
• Cancellation fee’s apply if you leave before the expiry date - £50 for Dual Fuel accounts, £30 for Electricity Only, £20 for Gas Only
• Only available if you manage your account online
• Scottish Power offer cash back if you’re in credit at your annual reassessment date

Scottish & Southern – Atlantic Online Fixed Price August 2011

• Only available through the Atlantic Electric and Gas brand of Scottish & Southern Energy
• Average annual bill of £960
• Only available to new customers who are able to manage their account online
• Fixed prices available until 31st August 2011
• Cancellation fee of £75 if you leave this tariff before 31st August 2010, which reduces to £35 after the 1st September 2010

First:Utility - iSave

• Small player, big savings – with the current best tariff available at £967 per year
• Not available in the East or West Midlands
• Annual price includes an annual Dual Fuel discount of 12.5% which is deducted from your bill at the end of the year
• £20 reward for submitting a meter reading every quarter, which encourages you to keep reading your meter resulting in more accurate billing
• Unfortunately this tariff doesn’t include a free smart meter, which we were used to with their previous tariffs
• Only available if paying by Direct Debit and if managing your account online

OVO Energy – New Energy

• OVO Energy are a new player in the market who recently undercut the ‘Big Six’ (until First:Utility stole the crown) who aim to bring simplicity back into the market
• Their average bill is £921 per year and doesn’t include a discount – this tariff does as it says on the tin
• The tariff remains fixed for 12 months after your contract signing date – at which point you can choose to fix your tariff again, or choose a variable rate product
• OVO also has the ‘greenest’ standard energy which takes 15% from renewable sources
• Only available to customers willing to manage their account online
• If you try to leave before your contract period is up, you will have to pay a cancellation fee of £60 for a Dual Fuel tariff, £30 for a Single Fuel tariff.