CHESTER, England, January 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• Moving from the traditional energy supplier in your area could save you around £300 a year^[1]
• Bill payers in the South East can save the most - £385 or 27 per cent
• Cold weather comes as all price hikes from the 'Big Six' take effect

UK households could reduce their annual energy bills by more than a fifth (21 per cent) by moving from their traditional energy supplier to the cheapest available product - an overall saving of £3.8 billion for the nation and a potential saving per household of £300 a year.^[1]

Research by moneysupermarket.com, the UK's number one comparison site, also reveals the regional differences in the savings to be made by switching to the best deal. Of the UK's 14 energy regions, bill payers living in the North Wales and Liverpool region who are still customers of their original energy supplier have the highest average annual bills of £1,444 for their gas and electricity. The cheapest energy bills paid by those who have never switched are found in the East Midlands where the total dual fuel bill is £1,385, a difference of £60.  However, it is bill payers living in the South East who can make the biggest saving - £385, or 27 per cent.^[1]

The recent cold and snowy weather will have added pressure to households already facing costly bills from the busy Christmas period, making the need to save money by switching tariff even more important for bill payers. Households who have never changed their energy deal could save an impressive £300 a year on average if they moved from the original (incumbent) provider's standard tariff and opted for the best value deal. If all the households who've yet to change to the best possible deal, made the switch the nation could collectively save £3.8 billion on its energy bills.^[2] 

Clare Francis, Editor-in-chief at moneysupermarket.com, said: "The current cold snap has no doubt caused many households to dial up the thermostat, but there is obviously a price to pay for this. Price hikes, the festive period and the cold, snow-filled weather are a perfect storm for costly bills piling more pressure on hard-pressed families. But it's not all bad news as some of that money can be clawed back.

"Firstly, if you haven't changed your energy deal in the past 12 months, chances are you'll be paying more than you need so look to see if you can make savings by switching to a cheaper tariff. We recommend going for a fixed online deal as that will protect you in case we see another round of price hikes this year. If you're currently on a fixed price plan, remember to switch when it comes to an end.^[3]

"As well as saving money by switching tariff it's also worth thinking about how you use energy at home. Making simple changes such as doing your washing at 30 degrees rather than 40 or 60, and turning appliances off as opposed to leaving them on standby, can result in significant savings over the year."

Notes to editors:

^[1] Incumbent (traditional) Vs Best Tariff

                  Incumbent                           Incumbent Incumbent
      Region       Tariff           Best Tariff         v Best    v Best
                                            Potential  Potential
                                             Saving     Saving
                 Total (GBP)     Tariff    Bill (GBP)     GBP        %
                              British Gas
                                 Online
                                Variable
                                February
    Eastern      GBP1,405.53      2014     GBP1,111.99 GBP293.54  20.88%
 
                              British Gas
                                 Online
                                Variable
    East                        February
    Midlands     GBP1,384.64      2014     GBP1,097.14 GBP287.50  20.76%
 
                              E.ON Energy
    London       GBP1,400.57    Discount   GBP1,120.49 GBP280.08  20.00%
 
                              British Gas
                                 Online
                                Variable
    North Wales                 February
    & Liverpool  GBP1,443.64      2014     GBP1,137.76 GBP305.88  21.19%
 
                              E.ON Energy
    Midlands     GBP1,433.43    Discount   GBP1,117.86 GBP315.57  22.02%
 
                              British Gas
                                 Online
                                Variable
                                February
    Northern     GBP1,411.65      2014     GBP1,108.62 GBP303.03  21.47%
 
                              British Gas
                                 Online
                                Variable
                                February
    North West   GBP1,400.45      2014     GBP1,111.10 GBP289.35  20.66%
 
                              British Gas
                                 Online
                                Variable
    North                       February
    Scotland     GBP1,409.14      2014     GBP1,114.76 GBP294.38  20.89%
 
                              British Gas
                                 Online
                                Variable
    South                       February
    Scotland     GBP1,396.36      2014     GBP1,103.94 GBP292.42  20.94%
 
                              E.ON Energy
    South East   GBP1,415.25    Discount   GBP1,029.89 GBP385.36  27.23%
 
                              E.ON Energy
    Southern     GBP1,415.08    Discount   GBP1,124.09 GBP290.99  20.56%
 
                              E.ON Energy
    South Wales  GBP1,412.86    Discount   GBP1,127.26 GBP285.60  20.21%
 
                              E.ON Energy
    South West   GBP1,431.75    Discount   GBP1,136.49 GBP295.26  20.62%
 
                              British Gas
                                 Online
                                Variable
                                February
    Yorkshire    GBP1,397.46      2014     GBP1,098.69 GBP298.77  21.38%
 
    Average      GBP1,411.27               GBP1,110.01 GBP301.27  21.34%
 

^[2] There are 21.6 million homes with both mains gas and electricity to their homes.

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/Compet/Documents1/DRMR%20March%202007doc%20v9%20-%20FINAL.pdf

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/rmr/Documents1/IpsosMori_switching_omnibus_2011.pdf

According to a survey by Ofgem, 59% of gas customers have never switched their supplier while 60% of electricity customers have never switched. Therefore at least 12,724,683 million households have never switched supplier.

12,724,683 x £301 (average potential saving swapping from incumbent to best energy supplier) = £3,830,129,583 or £3.8 billion

^[3] Fixed deals coming to an end

                                                                    Saving by
                                                                    Switching
                                                                    to Market
                    Tariff                                           Leading
       Provider      Name     End Date   Energy Bill after End Date    Deal
                     Unifi
                    Capped
                    Energy
                     April
    Scottish Power   2013    31/03/2013         GBP1,368.45         GBP248.16
                    Capped
                     Price
                    Energy
    Scottish Power June 2013 31/03/2013         GBP1,368.45         GBP248.16
                    Online
                     Fixed
                     Price
                    Energy
                     April
    Scottish Power   2013    31/03/2013         GBP1,368.45         GBP248.16
                     Fixed
                     Saver
                     April
    Scottish Power   2013    31/03/2013         GBP1,368.45         GBP248.16

MoneySupermarket.com compares (at 27^th Dec 2012)