New online tariff launched by E.ON

Gareth Kloet, Head of Utilities at Confused.com says "Eon's newly launched FixOnline 3 tariff is a new blow to British Gas as it has undercut their brand new Websaver4 tariff to take the top best-buy position after just 48 hours in 11 out of the14 regions for those customers who have an ‘average' consumption.

The interesting thing about Eon's tariff is that it's fixed, whereas BG's tariff is a market tracker (tracking 6% below their standard prices), making it the best solution for customers fearful of a repeat of last year's unprecedented price rises. Fixing allows customers to shield themselves from any future hikes and this tariff also has the added value of 1 clubcard point for every £2 spent.

Both these tariffs however carry exit penalties so customers who are serial switchers might prefer EDF's latest offering Online v5. This tariff is extremely competitive and doesn't penalise customers for switching again at a later date. Unfortunately, the EDF tariff is only available in 10 regions.

The message to consumers is clear - for those willing to take a few minutes to check the tariff they are on, there are pounds to save and rewards to be found. The industry continues to reward the bargain hunters with bigger, better tariffs but these savings will not apply to those who remain with their stagnant original deals. There is nothing to gain from remaining loyal to your tariff and hoping for the best. It is crucial to check the whole market for the best tariff and provider for your own personal circumstances and the simplest, quickest way to do so is through an accredited price comparison site like Confused.com.