Which? names best and worst energy firms as fixed deals return to the market

Octopus Energy, Utility Warehouse and 100Green have been crowned as Which? Recommended Providers in the consumer champion’s annual energy firm survey, as some of the biggest firms - including British Gas, Scottish Power and Ovo Energy - languish at the bottom of the rankings. From September to October 2024, Which? surveyed almost 12,000 energy customers for its annual customer satisfaction survey.

The consumer champion also carried out an in-depth assessment of 16 energy firms’ behind-the-scenes practices and policies to find out which energy firms are falling short and which are powering ahead of the competition. British Gas, Ovo Energy, Scottish Power and So Energy all finished at the bottom of the rankings with overall scores of less than 60 per cent. British Gas, Ovo Energy and So Energy received the lowest overall score of 58 per cent.

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British Gas is one of the UK’s biggest suppliers but underperformed in Which?’s research. Its customer score of 61 per cent was below average, and it is one of only four brands that received just two stars for overall customer service in the customer satisfaction survey - it also received two stars for value for money.

In Which?’s behind-the-scenes assessment of supplier practices, British Gas also performed poorly for the volume of customer complaints it received in the first half of 2024 and for how efficiently it resolved these complaints, for meeting its smart meter targets and for switching.

Ovo Energy is now the third-largest energy provider in the UK but also came at the bottom of Which?’s rankings. It received the lowest customer score of 56 per cent - with customers who responded to the survey awarding just two stars for its overall customer service, value for money and communications sent to customers.

In Which?’s behind-the-scenes assessment of supplier practices, it fared poorly for its handling of customer complaints.

So Energy fared better in Which?’s customer satisfaction survey than British Gas and Ovo Energy - receiving mostly three star ratings across the board and a customer score of 63 per cent. However, in Which?’s behind-the-scenes assessment of supplier practices, it fared poorly for meeting its smart meter targets, switching and limited monitoring of phone lines and emails outside of working hours and the weekend.

Scottish Power scored marginally higher, with an overall score of 59 per cent but its 58 per cent customer score was the second-lowest in the survey. It only received two stars for overall customer service, ease of contact, value for money and customer communications.

On the other end of the scale, three companies scored highly enough to be crowned Which? Recommended Providers (WRPs).

With the highest overall score of 74 per cent, Octopus Energy was named a WRP for the eighth year running.

Just under nine in 10 customers said they were satisfied and would recommend it to others. It scored mostly five stars across the board in the customer satisfaction survey - only dropping to four stars for value for money and customer communications. In Which?’s behind-the-scenes assessment of supplier practices, it scored maximum points for customer support.

Utility Warehouse and 100Green were both named WRPs for the first time. Utility Warehouse received the second-highest overall score of 73 per cent and performed well in both the customer satisfaction survey and behind-the-scenes assessment of supplier practices. Customers particularly appreciated its overall customer service, awarding it five stars in this area.

Commenting on the Which? survey findings, Stuart Burnett, CEO of Utility Warehouse, said: “Being rated by Which? as a Recommended Provider is a huge milestone for us, and it’s great to see our efforts recognised like this. We’re proud to champion a better way by offering a real alternative to the status quo and providing a service which is built on putting people first”.

100Green received an overall score of 70 per cent. It received the second-highest customer score of 76 per cent and five stars for overall customer service. It also performed well in most areas of Which?’s behind-the-scenes assessment of supplier practices, especially for its handling of customer complaints.

Over the last year, energy prices have slowly stabilised and fixed deals for slightly lower than the price cap have started to return to the market. With the price cap predicted to increase slightly again in April, switching to a fixed deal could well be the best way for consumers to cut costs over the next six months.

However, as many deals hover around a similar price point, customer service will still be a major factor people use when deciding which supplier to switch to. Which?’s research clearly shows that while some firms are offering stellar customer service, others are falling wide of the mark.

Any suppliers who are not up to scratch should take this opportunity to up their game before unhappy customers vote with their feet and switch to a cheaper deal and supplier with better customer service.

Commenting on the findings, Emily Seymour, Which? Energy Editor, said: “Our research shows that while some energy firms are powering ahead of the competition, others are letting down their customers badly - and that’s unacceptable for such a vital service.

“Some big energy firms - including British Gas, Scottish Power and Ovo Energy - underperformed in our research. Any firms falling short urgently need to up their game to ensure they are providing the service and value for money that consumers rightly expect from their energy supplier.

“If people are unhappy with their provider, we’d recommend shopping around to look for a cheaper deal and switching to a supplier with better customer service.”