Six million have switched energy deals to spark savings: why not you?

With a couple of clicks you will soon know that you are on a better deal

There are savings to be made on electricity and gas bills (Corbis)

The news from energy watchdog Ofgem that more than six million people switched gas or electricity supplier last year is great news. It’s a certainty that all of them ended up paying less each month for the privilege of heating and lighting their homes.

But while that figure sounds a huge one, it’s still only around a quarter of British homes. Which means that around 75 per cent of households probably paid too much for their energy last year.

I’ve often asked why more people don’t switch. After all, it seems simple to me to go online to one of the comparison sites, put in my details to see what better deals there are and then, with a couple of clicks, knowing that I’m now on a better deal.

Some people ask why they should bother. Reader Ian Mowbray comments: “It is all very well to switch to save money, but, once you have done so and have ended up in another contract for 12 months, that initial saving disappears. Your new energy supplier, then ups the rate and that saving is no longer there.”

That’s a good point. The truth is that once you decide to be a savvy spender, you have to continue to do so. But, again, the online sites make it easy for you by sending reminders that your deal is coming to an end and often pointing out how much you could save by switching again.

Another reader asked where to find comparison sites. The simple solution is to Google them. Or you can go direct to such sites as, CompareTheMarket, Confused, GoCompare, Moneysupermarket and uSwitch. All can be easily found online by adding .com to their name.

Another reader reported a bad experience of switching. Nick Dasey moved to one of the new independent suppliers but says: “During the 11-months-plus I was with them their customer service was appalling”.

I haven’t named the company because I’m hoping that his experience was an isolated event. Also, I don’t want to put you off switching because it really is one of the easiest ways to save a packet.