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After the energy crisis caused prices to start rising in 2021 and the energy suppliers still in business stopped offering fixed and discounted deals, households were stuck with their suppliers’ default standard variable tariffs once their existing deals came to an end.
There are now plenty of deals to switch to again but many people are still on standard tariffs. According to the latest figures from the energy regulator Ofgem, almost two thirds of customers are. If you’re one of them, you could save by switching.
The price cap, which limits the amount suppliers in Great Britain can charge for their standard tariffs, is predicted to go down slightly for the start of 2026, increase by around 6% from April then go down slightly after that. This means that any deal cheaper than the current price cap is likely to save you money, at least over the next year.
However, choosing which supplier to switch to isn’t just about saving money. You should also look at the overall service they offer to find one you’re likely to be happy with.
To help you compare the performance of your current suppliers to the competition, our 2025 survey reveals the responses of more than 2,000 energy customers rating their suppliers for value for money, complaint handling and more. The full results can be found in the reviews of each energy supplier (the best of which are listed below) and in our Expert Reviews Energy Awards 2025 article.
Best energy supplier: At a glance
- Octopus Energy: Best energy supplier overall | Compare prices
- Utility Warehouse: Best value energy supplier | Compare prices
- British Gas: Good for customer trust and complaint handling | Compare prices
Read on for our supplier recommendations along with the cheapest fixed deal each one is currently offering and how the cost compares to the current price cap to help you choose. We’ve also put together a buying guide with tips on how to decide which provider is right for you.
The best energy suppliers in 2025, from our survey
1. Octopus Energy: The best energy supplier overall
Octopus launched in 2015 and is now Britain’s largest energy supplier with more than 7.3 million home customers. All of its electricity is 100% renewable and the supplier invests in renewable generation as well; it offers carbon-offset gas on some of its tariffs.
Clearly, the supplier is a winner as far as its customers are concerned. Some 91% said they were either extremely likely or likely to recommend Octopus to others – the highest percentage for this in our survey. It won the title of Best Overall energy supplier, along with four of the other seven gongs in our 2025 Energy Awards. It was highly commended in the other three.
At 85% either very satisfied or satisfied, it polled best for complaint handling, while 73% of customers were very satisfied or satisfied with its value for money. It came top for customer trust too, with 79% saying they completely or moderately trust it to act in their best interests.
Octopus also jointly won the Best App award with Utility Warehouse, where 70% of respondents said its app was either very easy or easy to use.
To be the overall winner, a supplier must have received fewer complaints per 100,000 customer accounts than the industry average according to the latest Ofgem data, and have resolved at least 50% of them by the end of the next working day. Octopus received the lowest number of complaints of all the suppliers in our survey.
Read our full Octopus Energy review from November 2025
| Octopus Energy – Example tariff (Fixed, 12 months) | |
|---|---|
| Annual cost | £1647 |
| Renewable tariff? | Yes – 100% renewable electricity |
| Exit fees | None |
| Compared to Oct-Dec 2025 price cap | £83 less |
NB: Estimated annual gas and electricity cost for a medium user (2,700 kWh of electricity per year and 11,500 kWh of gas) in the East England region paying by monthly direct debit. Regional price cap used for comparison is £1,730. Correct at 31 October 2025.
2. Utility Warehouse: Best value energy supplier
Utility Warehouse is a medium-sized energy supplier with more than a million customers. It offers broadband, mobile and insurance services as well as energy and says you can save money by bundling these together. However, you should check whether you could get the other services cheaper elsewhere.
You get a cheaper energy deal by adding one or two extra services. This also gives you the simplicity of getting just one bill for all of them.
According to Utility Warehouse’s latest fuel-mix figures, 75% of its electricity comes from gas, with just 0.3% from renewable sources.
It won four out of the eight awards in our 2025 Energy Awards, although it remains behind Octopus Energy overall, with 81% of respondents – as opposed to Octopus’s 91% – saying they were extremely likely or likely to recommend it to others. It was also highly commended in three categories.
It was the winner for value, with 74% of respondents very satisfied or satisfied compared to Octopus’s 73%, and fewer people saying they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied than for Octopus. Some 79% of Utility Warehouse customers said they strongly agreed or agreed that their bills were clear and easy to understand, where it also came top.
It won Best Website, with 44% of customers saying it was very easy to use compared to Octopus’s 45%, and Best App jointly with Octopus, where around half of their customers said it was easy to use.
For complaints, Utility Warehouse received the highest number of all the providers in our survey at 1,781 per 100,000 customers according to Ofgem data. It was the best at resolving them, though: some 83% were dealt with by the end of the next working day while 100% were resolved within eight weeks.
Read our full Utility Warehouse review from November 2025
| Utility Warehouse – Example tariff (Fixed 65, 12 months) | |
|---|---|
| Annual cost | £1668 |
| Renewable tariff? | No |
| Exit fees | £75 per fuel |
| Compared to Oct-Dec 2025 price cap | £62 less |
NB: Estimated annual gas and electricity cost for a medium user (2,700 kWh of electricity per year and 11,500 kWh of gas) in the East England region paying by monthly direct debit. Regional price cap used for comparison is £1,730. Tariff only available if you add one other service. A cheaper tariff is available if you add two. Correct at 31 October 2025.
3. British Gas: A trusted supplier with good complaint handling
British Gas is one of the original “Big Six” energy firms that dominated the British energy market. It’s still one of the largest suppliers but no longer the largest overall, which is now Octopus Energy.
It has 20% of the home electricity market and 27% of the gas market. According to its latest fuel-fix figures, 35% of its electricity is from renewable sources.
It didn’t win any awards in our 2025 Energy Awards but was highly commended in two – for customer trust and complaint handling. The provider had 79% of customers saying they were extremely likely or likely to recommend it to others, just behind Utility Warehouse (81%) and way behind Octopus (91%).
Some 70% said they were very satisfied or satisfied with British Gas for value for money, putting it in third place. The winner was Utility Warehouse with 74%.
The supplier was one of the best for its complaint handling, with 74% saying they were very satisfied or satisfied with it. This compares to 85% for Octopus.
Customer trust was another area where it was among the most highly rated suppliers. It was in second place, with 70% of customers saying they completely or moderately trust it to act in their best interests.
For complaint numbers, British Gas was third behind Octopus and E.ON Next, with 1,155 per 100,000 customers – a little more than the industry average of 1,052. It resolved 48% by the end of the next working day and 82% within eight weeks.
Read our full British Gas review from November 2025
| British Gas – Example tariff (Dec26 v1, 13 months) | |
|---|---|
| Annual cost | £1642 |
| Renewable tariff? | No |
| Exit fees | £50 per fuel |
| Compared to Oct-Dec 2025 price cap | £88 less |
NB: Estimated annual gas and electricity cost for a medium user (2,700 kWh of electricity per year and 11,500 kWh of gas) in the East England region paying by monthly direct debit. Regional price cap used for comparison is £1,730. Correct at 31 October 2025.
How to choose the best energy supplier for you
Should you switch to a fixed deal?
There are currently one and two-year, and 18-month, fixed deals on offer, where your energy stays at a fixed price for the duration of your contract.
Whether they’re worth switching to from a price-capped standard variable tariff depends on what happens to the price cap in the future. It’s currently predicted to go down slightly in the first quarter of 2026 and go up by around 6% in the second quarter. As well as taking one out to save money, you may also value the price certainty they offer.
Most fixed deals have exit fees if you leave them before the end of the contract so you’ll need to factor this in if there’s a cheaper deal you want to switch to later on.
How should you compare deals?
When you’re comparing different tariffs, bear in mind that the cost of variable deals can go up or down so it’s harder to know how much they’re likely to cost over a year. Price cap rates also vary by region, so could be higher or lower than the headline averages where you are.
When you’re looking at whether a deal is worth switching to, you’ll need to look at what you’re currently paying and what you’ll pay on the deal where you live for the amount of energy you’re likely to use. You can use price comparison sites to do this.
There are other types of deals worth considering too, such as tracker and discounted tariffs that are variable but guaranteed to be cheaper than the price cap. If you have an electric vehicle, you can also get an EV tariff that gives you cheaper rates at night.
Should you choose a renewable tariff?
If you’re keen to try and do your bit for the planet by taking out a tariff that offers electricity from renewable sources, such as the wind or sun, or “green” or carbon-offset gas, this will be another consideration when you’re looking to switch.
Some suppliers offer 100% renewable electricity or “green” tariffs and others, such as Octopus Energy, only supply renewable electricity.
Where does renewable tariff electricity actually come from?
It’s worth bearing in mind that the energy that actually ends up in your home won’t necessarily be from renewable sources since all electricity generated goes into the National Grid, no matter how it’s generated. Instead, energy providers that say they supply renewable energy back up their claims in a number of different ways.
Some generate their own renewable electricity, invest in generating it or buy it from generators, while others simply buy certificates to show that the amount used by their customers has been generated elsewhere. Check which applies to a supplier you’re considering if this is important to you.
