Figures from Electralink, and released by Citizens Advice Scotland, have revealed that there is ‘huge variation’ across Scotland in the rates at which households switch their energy supplier. Residents of local authorities in the north tend to switch energy supplier much less frequently, despite potential savings being available. The switching rate in Scotland in 2018 was around 18.2% slightly less than the 1 in 5 UK average, according to figures published by Energy UK on 21 January.
Neil Mearns
To keep reading, please log in to your account
Related thinking
Home supply and services
Switching duck: electricity switches to remain subdued in the near future
In November 2021, switching levels plummeted in response to rising tariff prices and a lack of market choice. By January 2022, domestic switching reached its lowest level on record, falling 80% on January 2021. This 'Chart of the week' checks in with the options, if any, available to households wanting...
Home supply and services
No easy fix: tariff prices remain high
In response to the unprecedented increases in global gas prices, Ofgem announced last week time limited measures “to help stabilise” the supply market. This includes a requirement for all domestic suppliers to offer existing customers the same tariffs available to new customers from 14 April, echoing changes made by the...
Home supply and services
Chart of the week | Green hair, green branches, green skin, green tariffs?
In this 'Chart of the week', we look at how prevalent green supply has become, unpick some of the drivers behind this, and look at the challenges now facing consumers, suppliers and policy makers confronted by a sea of green. Over recent years, we estimate the percentage of households with...
Commercial and market outlook
Chart of the week | Nearly 6mn customers switched electricity supplier in 2020
This article was originally published as part of a larger piece in Energy Spectrum, published on 25 January 2021. To find out more about a subscription to Energy Spectrum, contact Nick on n.palmer@cornwall-insight.com. This week's 'Chart of the week' discusses the latest electricity switching figures from Energy UK, published on 21...
Home supply and services
Chart of the week | Is switching recovering after lockdown lows?
Energy UK’s electricity switching statistics for October show that there were 591,156 supplier switches during the month. This figure is down 6% on October 2019, and is the lowest switching seen in an October since 2016. Yet, switching has reached a high for 2020 despite COVID-19, even though that high...
Home supply and services
Chart of the week | Switcheroo: COVID-19 sees dates shift for Faster Switching
Like most industry workstreams, the Switching Programme has experienced a delay due to the reprioritisation of activities under COVID-19. This 'Chart of the Week' looks at how the programme had to slip to allow parties relief from its requirements.
Home supply and services
Chart of the week | Suppliers adopt winter weighting to reduce debit balances
Typically, 75% of gas demand and 57% of electricity demand is in the winter months. Over the last two to three years we have seen an increase in the number of suppliers implementing a winter weighting to their direct debit payments, whereby they charge customers more for energy over the...
Home supply and services
Chart of the week | I want to break free – Ofgem’s Collective Switch results
On 27 September, Ofgem published the final results of its five collective switch trials, which was administered by energyhelpline, held between February 2018 and April 2019. The trials were designed to test switching among disengaged customers and assess the impact of the default tariff cap on switching. Our Chart of the Week explores...
