Following our overview of standard variable electricity rates, we had a deep-dive into all the available tariffs from all suppliers. Now we combine the best tariff from each supplier to show what the best rate is among the big six electricity companies. It appears you can save up between 45 and 70 pounds per year by switching from the best rate of one individual supplier into the overall best rate among all big six suppliers.
The following table shows the best rates per kWh for each of the big six suppliers, with links to reviews and rates for all of their available tariffs:
Big Six – Overview of best Electricity Price per kWh (December 2013)
| Supplier | Best Tariff | Fixed Till | Standing Charge |
Unit Rate |
Low User |
Medium User |
High User |
| British Gas | Fix and Fall | Feb 2015 | 26 | 12.39 | 16.9 | 15.3 | 14.3 |
| EDF Energy | Blue+Price Promise | April 2015 | 19 | 12.64 | 15.9 | 14.7 | 14.0 |
| nPower | Price Fix | April 2015 | 0 | 14.87 | 14.9 | 14.9 | 14.9 |
| Eon Energy | Energy Fixed 1 Year | December 2014 | 24 | 11.77 | 16.0 | 14.4 | 13.5 |
| SSE Energy | 1 yr Fixed Price | December 2014 | 15 | 13.08 | 15.7 | 14.7 | 14.1 |
| Scottish Power | Online Fixed Price Energy | February 2015 | 34 | 12.03 | 18.0 | 15.8 | 14.5 |
Note: price in pence per kWh based on yearly usage of Low (2100 kWh), Medium (3300 kWh) or High (5100 kWh) electricity user based in London postcode.
Review of best electricity tariffs based on price / kWh:
- Low user: best use nPower Price Fix April 2015 – 14.9 pence, save 66 pounds versus worst supplier (Scottish Power)
- Medium user: best use Eon Energy Fixed 1 Year December 2014 – 14.4 pence, save 46 pounds versus worst supplier (Scottish Power)
- High user: best use Eon Energy Fixed 1 Year December 2014 – 13.5 pence, save 70 pounds versus worst supplier (nPower)
The fact that nPower has got the best rate for low users and the worst rate for high users is caused by their fixed rate without standing charges. Low users pay a great rate and no standing charges, whereas high users pay a not so great rate. It shows that estimating your actual usage is key in finding the best electricity supplier.
Furthermore, savings of 45-70 pounds are useful, but with solar panels you could get an annual return of up to 900 pounds per year. Hence our advice stays: don’t switch (supplier) but swap (to solar panels).