Electricity & gas in the UK: your rights

The market

In Great Britain you can switch electricity and gas supplier or tariff at any time; Ofgem regulates the market. Northern Ireland has its own regulator and rules; there all households can switch electricity, but gas choice depends on the area.

Energy regulator

Ofgem (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets)

• Utility Regulator — Northern Ireland · uregni.gov.uk

Dispute resolution

Energy Ombudsman · free

Complain to your supplier or network operator first and give them 8 weeks to fix it, unless they send a deadlock letter sooner. Then raise a dispute with the Energy Ombudsman. In Northern Ireland, go to the Consumer Council instead.

Compare prices official

Consumer Council energy price comparison tool (Northern Ireland only; Great Britain has no official comparator)

Switching supplier

Contact the new supplier; it arranges the switch, which must happen within 5 working days or it pays you £40. Leaving a fixed tariff early may cost an exit fee. If you owe money for more than 28 days you must usually repay first.

Price rises

Ofgem resets the price cap every 3 months, so standard variable tariffs can change each quarter; the next change is on 1 January 2027. The notice a supplier must give before other price rises was not confirmed on official pages checked.

Regulated price

Great Britain only: caps the unit rate and standing charge on standard variable tariffs, not your total bill. 1 Oct to 31 Dec 2026: £1,723 a year for a typical Direct Debit home (up 4%). No VAT on electricity from 1 Oct 2026 to 31 Mar 2027.

Help if money is tight

A one-off £150 off your electricity bill for winter 2026 to 2027. In England and Wales you qualify if on 23 August 2026 you or your partner got Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, income-related ESA or Pension Credit; usually automatic. Scotland has its own rules; not in Northern Ireland.

Protection against cut-off

Forcing a prepayment meter on you for debt is a last resort: at least 10 contact attempts, a welfare visit and £30 credit. It is banned if e.g. a child under 2 lives there, everyone is 75+ without support, or someone relies on powered medical equipment.

If your supplier goes bust

If your supplier goes out of business you do not need to do anything: Ofgem moves you automatically to a new supplier and your supply is not interrupted. Afterwards you can switch as normal.

Power cut

Call 105 (free, Great Britain) or your network operator. Outside storms, homes are paid £100 automatically if a cut lasts over 12 hours (24 hours if 5,000+ homes are hit), plus £45 per extra 12 hours. Northern Ireland: NIE Networks 03457 643 643.

Cooling-off period

If you change your mind after agreeing a switch, you can cancel within 14 days. Northern Ireland also has a 14-day cooling-off period.

Smart meter

Great Britain: the government requires suppliers to provide smart meters, installed free when you arrange it with your supplier. Northern Ireland has no smart electricity meters yet; a rollout is planned from 2028.

Solar panels

Great Britain: some electricity suppliers (SEG Licensees) must pay you for low-carbon electricity you export, e.g. from solar panels up to 5 MW. Suppliers set their own rates (always above zero); shop around.

Free energy advice

Free help with bills and complaints: Citizens Advice consumer service 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), energyadvice.scot 0808 196 8660 (Scotland), Consumer Council 0800 121 6022 (Northern Ireland). Join the Priority Services Register for extra support.

Fixed and dynamic contracts

In Great Britain a fixed tariff keeps your unit rate and standing charge the same until the contract ends; a standard variable tariff moves with the Ofgem price cap. Time-of-use tariffs charge different rates at different times; dynamic versions follow the wholesale market. You usually need a smart meter.

• On a fixed tariff you can switch without an exit fee once 49 days or less are left. When it ends you are usually moved to your supplier's standard variable tariff. (citizensadvice.org.uk)
• Dynamic time-of-use tariffs can even have negative prices, when you are paid for using electricity at certain times. (citizensadvice.org.uk)

Energy sharing and communities

In Great Britain, sharing electricity locally between households is still being explored: the government's Local Power Plan (February 2026) plans pilots of local supply models during 2026 and funding so communities can own or buy into clean energy projects.

Heating without the gas grid

Since 27 January 2026 Ofgem regulates heat networks (district heating) in Great Britain: rules on billing, customer service, complaints handling and vulnerable customers. Heat network suppliers are part of the Energy Ombudsman scheme for unresolved disputes. Not in Northern Ireland.

• From 27 January 2026 all heat networks are regulated by Ofgem and must register with the Energy Ombudsman. (energyombudsman.org)
• Ofgem can act on unfair price rises and poor service; customers hit by a service outage can get compensation through the Energy Ombudsman. (gov.uk)
• Heating oil and LPG prices are not covered by the price cap and can change quickly. In Great Britain Ofgem does not regulate heating oil; the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) handles consumer protection. (ofgem.gov.uk)
• In March 2026 the government announced support for low-income heating oil households across the UK and a planned code of practice. Ask your local council what help is available. (gov.uk)

Grants for heat pumps and insulation

England and Wales: the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (run by Ofgem) gives £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump, £5,000 for a biomass boiler, £2,500 for an air-to-air heat pump. Your MCS-certified installer applies for you and deducts the grant.

• Until March 2027 there is an extra £1,500 towards a heat pump if your home is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas. (gov.uk)
• England only: the Warm Homes: Local Grant offers free insulation, heat pumps or solar panels via your council if household income is usually £36,000 or less (or certain benefits/postcodes) and the EPC is D to G. (gov.uk)
• ECO4 runs in Great Britain until 31 December 2026: energy suppliers fund improvements for low-income, fuel-poor and vulnerable households. The Great British Insulation Scheme ended on 31 March 2026. (ofgem.gov.uk)

Charging an electric car at home

If you rent a home or own a flat and have your own off-street parking space, the government's EV chargepoint grant pays 75% of buying and installing a charge point, up to £500. Get a quote from an OZEV-authorised installer, then apply online.

• Eligible: flat owners (including shared ownership) and renters, not homeowners of houses. The parking space must be off-street, private and clearly defined, and your EV must be on the approved list. (gov.uk)
• Since 30 June 2022 home charge points sold in Great Britain must be smart, with pre-set off-peak default charging hours that you can accept, remove or change. (gov.uk)

Back-billing and estimated bills

Great Britain: you do not have to pay for energy used more than 12 months ago if you were not accurately billed for it before, unless you acted unreasonably, for example blocking access to the meter, ignoring payment requests or stealing energy. Your supplier must refund anything wrongly charged.

Prepayment meters

Great Britain: if you cannot afford to top up, contact your supplier; it must offer help and agree an affordable payment plan. You can usually get emergency credit (about £10) and friendly hours credit at night, weekends and bank holidays; you repay both when you next top up.

• Your supplier must work with you on a payment plan you can afford and can give extra credit if you are in a vulnerable situation. If you cannot reach your meter and it cannot be moved, it must be replaced with a different type. (ofgem.gov.uk)
• Your supplier usually won't switch you to credit if you owe it money, but must if prepayment is unsafe or impractical for you (e.g. health, disability, age 75+, young children). You may need a credit check or deposit. (citizensadvice.org.uk)

Energy costs for tenants

Great Britain: if your landlord buys the energy and charges you for it, the maximum resale price applies: they may not charge more than they paid, including your share of the standing charge. If you pay the supplier yourself, you can switch supplier or tariff at any time.

• You can ask to see the bills and contract between your landlord or site owner and the supplier, and challenge charges that look wrong or are not explained. (ofgem.gov.uk)
• Check your tenancy agreement for a clause naming a default supplier before you switch. (ofgem.gov.uk)

Vulnerable and medical customers

Great Britain: join the free Priority Services Register of your supplier and network operator if you have reached state pension age, are pregnant, have young children, a disability or a long-term condition. You get priority help in emergencies, advance notice of planned power cuts, and accessible bills.

• Each supplier keeps its own register: if you switch, or have different gas and electricity suppliers, contact each one. (ofgem.gov.uk)
• Northern Ireland: if you rely on medical equipment, join the free NIE Networks Customer Care Register for priority calls and at least 3 days' notice of planned power cuts. (nienetworks.co.uk)

Grid connection

Great Britain: ask your regional network operator for a new or upgraded connection. By law it must send a quote for a single low-voltage connection within 5 working days, or pay you a set amount for every working day late; the works must be done by the agreed date.

• The payment amounts under these Guaranteed Standards of Performance are updated for inflation every year; the 2026 amounts apply from 1 April 2026. (ofgem.gov.uk)

Consumer organisation

Citizens Advice (Great Britain) / Consumer Council for Northern Ireland