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Five weeks until the big heating switch on

9th September 2014 Print

Last year, half of Brits turned the heating on around the 13th October – with only five weeks to go until the 2014 ‘big switch on’, MoneySuperMarket.com is urging consumers to switch suppliers now and save up to £205 in time for the return of cold weather.

Stephen Murray, energy expert at MoneySuperMarket.com, said: “Between now and when we start to flick on the heating, a number of cheap fixed rate energy tariffs expire, leaving customers facing a potential bill shock. For example, customers of M&S Energy’s Fix & Save September 2014 product will face a hike of £205 for the next year if they don’t switch by  30th September. Given the switching process still takes around six weeks to complete, people need to act now to avoid higher bills and save money once colder weather hits.

“The current cheapest tariff available is Extra Energy Fresh Fixed which costs on average £991 and is fixed until October 2015. However, this does come with an exit fee of £25 per fuel if you switch to a cheaper tariff before the end date. Households would have more freedom to switch if they choose a tariff with no exit fee such as Scottish Power Online Fixed Price Energy October 2015 which has an average bill of £1,048. Even those who have never switched can stand to save up to £125 on average by taking just five minutes to compare energy deals.

“There are other ways households can be proactive in cutting their energy bills. As well as switching to the best deal, making simple changes around the home to cut consumption can result in significant savings over the year. As we’re moving towards the colder and darker autumn and winter seasons, energy use naturally increases and some people may find that this quickly becomes unaffordable, so now really is the time fight back against rising bills.”