There are plenty of fixed energy deals that are cheaper than the current Ofgem price cap, so now is a good time to lock into a lower tariff before the start of winter.
That was the message from some energy experts this week.
Many people will be able to save themselves £100 or more a year by switching. So this may be the weekend to carve out a bit of time to log on to one or two of the price comparison websites in order to find a better deal.
At the start of this month, the energy price cap – set by Great Britain’s industry regulator – for a typical dual-fuel household that pays by direct debit rose by 10% to £1,717 a year.
The increase piles more pressure on household finances just as temperatures are dropping and many consumers are switching the heating back on.
However, earlier this month the consumer champion Martin Lewis declared that you are “ripping yourself off” if you stay on the default tariff, adding: “Nobody should be on the price cap, but 85% of people are.”
Most of the big providers have fixed-rate deals that are below the new cap.
Millions of households will be paying the new higher rate for much of the winter. “The price cap is predicted to fall slightly in January, but this would still leave energy costs 8% higher than fixed deals currently available,” says Elise Melville, an energy expert at the price comparison site Uswitch.com, adding: “You don’t need to keep paying more.”
At the time of writing, the cheapest fix on the market was from Outfox the Market. This 12-month tariff is called Fix’d Dual Oct24 v5.0 and costs £1,612 for households with average usage, which is £105 less than the current price cap annual figure, says Melville.
Close behind was So Energy’s newly launched So Tulip 12-month fixed tariff, where the estimated yearly cost for an average dual-fuel household is £1,614, thereby offering a £103 saving on the October cap figure.
In third place was E.ON Next’s Next Fixed 12m v31 (another one-year fixed tariff), with an estimated average annual bill of £1,624, resulting in a £93 saving.
Uswitch also highlighted fixed tariffs from Co-op Energy, Octopus Energy, British Gas and EDF that offer typical savings against the current price cap of about £90 a year.
However, it is worth being aware that some fixed-rate deals carry exit fees that kick in if you try to leave before the end of your contract. You may be looking at a fee of £25 or £50 per fuel. So check when you sign up to a deal.
