UK Wants Energy Customers to Shop for Best Deals

The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched the Power to Switch campaign to encourage energy customers to shop suppliers and save money. By visiting www.BeAnEnergyShopper.com, customers can compare the rates of 26 energy companies on the market, some offering fixed deals that are more than $150 less expensive than they were a year ago.

The four-week campaign is part of the government’s energy market reform program. Other aspects of the program include:

1. Halving switching times. It now takes only 17 days to switch energy suppliers, down from five weeks last year.
2. Encouraging new suppliers to enter the market. There are now 20 independent suppliers.
3. Legislating to back Ofgem reforms that force energy companies to make energy bills clearer and providing information for customers about how to switch.

Ofgem has recently strengthened its Confidence Code for price comparison websites, setting tighter standards on how tariffs are displayed. Websites have been given until the end of March to comply.

The Power to Switch campaign will include national, regional and online advertising.

Last year, nPower launched a Fixed: Certainty plan that provides its customers with fixed energy costs for the duration of their contracts in response to the UK government’s Electricity Market Reform.