List of Energy Comparison Sites for Electricity and Gas
If you’re looking to compare prices for electricity and gas supplies, you can look at all tariffs together rather than going to each energy company directly. Here are some of the best websites to choose from.
One of the great things about the internet is that there are many energy comparison sites where you can compare electricity, gas and dual fuel prices at a glance by just keying in your postcode and annual consumption. These websites have all the latest pricing information from the big six energy companies as well as some of the smaller ones so can tell you what your annual bill is likely to be based on the information you have supplied in their comparison tool. Here are some of the best:
- Energy Helpline
- UK Power
- Uswitch
- Moneysupermarket
- Energylinx
- The Energy Shop
- Love Energy Savings
The above sites should all contain the same pricing information, but some may offer a switching incentive. Therefore, check for the latest offers before you sign up for anything.
How to Get the Best Energy Deal
Even without looking at the energy comparison sites you can still get a better deal by following these simple steps:
- Always pay by monthly direct debit – all energy companies offer good discounts to you simply by paying a fixed amount each month. Even paying by quarterly direct debit often gets a small discount. So if you’re not currently paying by this method do it now and you can save anywhere between 4% and 10% off your annual bill.
- Check electricity, gas and dual fuel prices separately – you would think that by getting a dual fuel tariff would provide the biggest discounts but this is not always the case. Currently some energy companies have drastically reduced the amount of discount for dual fuel and increased the discounts on single fuel tariffs. So it’s best to get three quotes if you are comparing prices. One for electricity, one for gas and one for dual fuel and see what the overall prices are before you commit.
- Take an online deal – in almost all cases signing up for a tariff online is always the cheapest option. Additionally, if you choose to manage your own account online and submit meter readings, some energy companies offer additional discounts. You’ll also know that your electric and gas bills are accurate because you have supplied the meter readings yourself.
- Check for cashback deals – some of the comparison websites offer you a small incentive for using their services so see what’s on offer when you get to the various websites. The tariffs will be the same as if you went directly to the energy companies so this is a nice additional incentive.
Other Ways to Get a Better Deal
Apart from low prices alone you may also be offered additional services such as a smart meter or energy monitor. These can help your monitor the amount of energy you use so is helpful if you want to reduce the amount of electricity and gas you use. The government is set to roll out smart meters across the country in the next 5-10 years but if you want accurate billing and to be able to analyse where you are using energy then this may be a good course of action.
In summary, the energy comparison sites are great to compare all companies and get the best prices for your postcode based on your consumption data – but ensure you key in accurate data to get the best deals.