Switching energy suppliers when moving house

Planning a move isn’t as easy as unpacking your furniture and getting settled into your new home. Leaving your admin until the last minute can leave you mentally exhausted, and then there is the hassle of finding a top notch removal company to handle packing and transportation.

Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t end there! If you fail to inform your energy supplier about your new location, you could be hit with oversized bills, fees or even an unhealthy dose of identity theft!

Luckily, informing your energy supplier about your new address should be nice and simple. Most providers will have all of the necessary forms available to use on their website. If not, you can contact their help service by phone, or arrange to have the necessary documentation posted or emailed to you. All of the necessary information should be available online.

How do I inform my current energy supplier about my new address?

In most cases, you will need to give your energy supplier at least 48 hours of notice before your moving day. You will need to let them know your new address, as well as the date of your move. This will allow your supplier to deliver your ‘final bill’, which should leave your current policy all nicely tied up.

Your supplier’s contact details should be available on any form of correspondence they have sent to you recently, such as an email or bill. Keep in mind that your supplier may require a new gas and/ or electricity meter reading before they can deliver your final bill. If you cannot provide it, they may send a worker to take it instead. That being said, it can still be a good idea to check the reading on your last day, just to make sure that you are not overcharged.

In most cases, your landlord will want to know the details of your energy supplier so that they can be passed on to the new occupants of your current home. If should be sufficient to forward the information to either your landlord or estate agent via email.

What do I do after moving in?

If this is the first moving day you have ever organised, you may be wondering what the situation will be with electricity and heating in your new home. Most of the time, you will start a ‘deemed contract’ with the property’s current supplier. You will also typically need to provide gas and electricity reading for the point when you move in.

Call the supplier as soon as you move into your new home. They will usually start a new account and place you on the standard tariff, so it will be worth providing as much information about your household usage as possible, just in case you can get a better price.
If you do not know the current gas supplier for your new property, you can call the Meter Helpline on 0870 608 1524. They should be able to provide the most recent information on your supplier.

In the case that you do not know the name of the current electricity provider, look for the contact information for your local electricity distribution company. You should be able to find this online. If the property has a prepayment meter, you may also need to have a new top-up card delivered.

How do I switch energy suppliers when moving house?

Depending on where you are moving to, you could find that the local energy rates are quite different to what you are used to. As such, it will be worth looking to see if you can get a better deal for your new address.

There are a number of useful price comparison websites that can help with this, such as the Meter Point Administration Service. That said, these websites are not always 100% accurate. Certain providers may not be included in their searches, or the information may be out of date. Because of this, it will be useful for you to try and contact suppliers directly in order to make sure that your quotes are accurate.

If you are moving to a rental property, you will need to check the terms of your contract before trying to change your energy supplier. Breaking the contract could cause you to come into conflict with the landlord, so do not take any chances!

Once you have chosen a new supplier, they should be able to arrange the switch on your behalf. They should also provide you with a date for the switch, so you may want to take time off work to be present if necessary.

You should also be sure to get an accurate meter reading on the switch date in order to avoid any unnecessary fees. Give this to both your new and old suppliers, then settle your final bill as quickly as possible.

Lowering the energy bills in my new home

If you want to know about the energy efficiency in your new home, start by checking the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). You should have been given a copy of this already; the rating, from A to G, will let you know just how efficient your new home is. The better your rating, the less you will need to spend on energy.

Luckily, your EPC should also provide you with some ideas on how to boost the energy efficiency of your home. You could contact your energy supplier to ask if they can fund improvements like wall or loft insulation, double glazing or even solar panels. Most suppliers have green targets, most of which are met by investing in home improvements for their customers. You may even choose to invest in these improvements yourself; remember, they could pay for themselves thanks to the amount you’ll be saving on your energy bills!