Ending. The MSE Big Winter Energy Switch

Last chance to grab our Big Switch energy deals - plus a new cheapest (& top service) fix

As British Gas & others announce price hikes, many can save £270/yr

The MSE Big Winter Energy Switch, our 13th collective, is ending. This is where we leverage our huge user base (10m+ email recipients and 3.8m Cheap Energy Club members) to get firms to provide super-cheap special tariffs. But move quickly - it ends this week and two of the tariffs are already down to the last few thousand.

When we launched the Big Switch, all three deals were cheaper than the market's cheapest. Since then, our cheap 1yr fix has been undercut - so we thought we'd get in on the action and have bagged a NEW cheapest fix.

There couldn't be a better time to switch, with bill hikes looming. The regulator Ofgem's increasing the energy price cap by 10% on average from 1 Apr - 5 of the Big 6 (incl British Gas & Scottish Power on Tue) have now announced typical £100+/yr price rises, and we expect others to follow.

Don't wait for the hikes to hit - act now. It can mean BIG savings, as Fiona tweeted: "Switched to Green Network Energy - did my research on the company as I had never heard of them. I am now saving over £300/yr."

Here's the new cheap deal - it's likely to go fast.

• Only 10,000 available. Exclusive MSE Octopus deal: Cheapest 1yr fix - top service and 100% renewable elec. Octopus Energy - £959/yr for typical usage, incl MSE cashback.
  
  This Exclusive Octopus 12M Fixed February 2019 v3 tariff is the new cheapest 12mth fix on the market on typical use, factoring in £25 MSE dual-fuel cashback - on average, over £270/yr less than a Big 6 standard tariff (see the savings point below). Octopus Energy is a mid-sized firm with 500,000 customers and one of the best for service, scoring 85% 'great' (from 289 votes) in our latest poll. We've worked with it in previous Big Switches and it's done well.
  
  It's 100% renewable electricity and either dual or single fuel (incl Eco 7). It's a monthly direct debit tariff, for new customers on paperless billing. You can take it with you if you move home.

It's the cheapest fix of any length on the market right now and beaten only by a variable tariff at a typical £930/yr from tiddler Utility Point, on which we've no feedback - as that deal's a variable, prices can change at any time with 30 days' notice.

We have Big Switch deals in three categories. The collective runs until Fri - but some will likely run out sooner.

IMPORTANT: Collective switch rules mean you must go via our Cheap Energy Club comparison (all links do) and have been a member of either our Cheap Energy Club or this email list (on the same address) by noon on 5 Feb.

1. Only 4,000ish left. MSE Big Winter Switch Winner: Cheapest Big 6 fix & it's for 16mths. EDF Energy £999/yr on typical usage, incl MSE cashback - existing EDF customers can get it too.

The special MSE EDF Simply Fixed Jun20v2 tariff is good for anyone wanting a name they know. It's the cheapest Big 6 deal on the market and the rate is locked in until 30 Jun 2020 - giving you longer certainty on the rate (not the price, that varies with your usage).

It's available dual fuel, elec-only, incl Eco 7, for new and existing customers (so it's a no-brainer for anyone on an EDF standard tariff) and you can pay monthly by direct debit or via cheque/cash (though that's costlier). You can take it with you if you move home.

EDF is the highest-rated Big 6 customer service provider from our polls, although it's still only 42% 'great'. There are 8,000 'fuels' available, but as most switches are dual fuel we estimate that's only about 4,000 switches left.

2. Ends 22 Feb. MSE Big Winter Switch Winner: Cheapest two-year fix and it's a Big 6. E.on £1,037/yr on typical usage, incl MSE cashback - existing E.on custs can get it too.

The E.on Fix 2 Year MSE Collective Feb 2019 tariff is the cheapest longer fix on the market, giving you certainty on the rate (not the price, that varies with your usage) for two winters, ie, until roughly the end of Feb 2021 - useful for anyone who doesn't want to switch too often.

It's available dual fuel, elec only and Eco 7, for new and existing customers. Existing E.on customers who switch to it won't be charged early exit penalties. You can pay by direct debit or via cheque/cash (though that's costlier). You can take it with you if you move home.

E.on's customer service is the third best of the Big 6 - but that's only 35% 'great', according to our polls.

3. Only 4,000ish left. MSE Big Winter Switch Winner: Cheap 1yr fix (and 100% renewable elec). Green Network Energy - £967/yr for typical usage, incl MSE cashback + enhanced MSE service.

This GNE MSE Exclusive Green 12mth Fix v2 tariff was the cheapest 1yr fix out there when we launched. And while others, including Octopus above, are now cheaper on average, it may still win for some as your price depends on region and usage - do a fixed-deal comparison to check.

As it's a fix, the rate's locked in for a year. It's a dual fuel (incl Eco 7), 100% renewable elec, monthly direct debit tariff, for new customers on paperless billing. You can't take it with you if you move home.

GNE is a mid-sized company owned by a large Italian energy firm, with 240,000 UK custs. We've run deals with it before and they've gone well. Its customer service rating was a healthy 69% 'great' in our last poll (though from only 52 votes). It's also agreed to enhanced MSE customer service, basically meaning if it doesn't sort an issue for you, we can get involved.

Since 1 Jan, there's been a price cap in place for all standard tariffs. It varies by region, but was set at an average £1,137/yr for someone on typical use (more if you use more, less if you use less).

But that only lasts until 31 Mar. On 1 Apr, it's going up 10% to a typical £1,254/yr - and 5 of the Big 6 have already confirmed they're increasing the price of their standard tariff to the max allowed.

While we've factored that in to the calculations above (hence our £1,235/yr price, which takes the current and future price cap into consideration), we are not allowed to use that figure in our Cheap Energy Club comparisons. Instead, where we've details of a price rise, we've used that figure in CEC to give a more accurate comparison - where we don't know, savings will still be underestimated.

Here's a quick Q&A - for many more, see the full Cheap Energy Club FAQs.

Q. I live in Northern Ireland - can I get these deals? Unfortunately not, these are for Eng, Scot & Wales only. No UK-wide comparison sites include NI, but see Cheap NI Electricity or the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland's tool.

Q. Does MSE make money from this? Yes. Like all energy comparison sites, we're paid each time you switch through us, yet we give you about half (that's £25 dual-fuel, £12.50 single-fuel cashback).

This is money you wouldn't get if you went direct (not that the fixes above can be got directly anyway). Thus it's a win-win. The rest helps cover our costs and hopefully makes us some profit.

Q. What info do I need to switch? It's best if you have a bill and input kilowatt hours (kWh) into Cheap Energy Club, rather than cost. But don't worry if you don't know your usage - the tool can guesstimate for you. While the answer won't be perfect, the sin of inaction is bigger than the sin of inaccuracy.

We've lots more help in our Cheap Energy Club FAQs, incl...

Switching with smart meters | Why's the price risen when I'm fixed? | Reclaim credit | Switching in debt help | Switching if I've solar panels | How direct debits are set | I've an independent gas transporter, can I switch? | Can I pick a switch date? | How do you compare my rates?

Over to Martin: "It's the last show of the series, and likely my last-ever show on PPI reclaiming, as the next series will be after this August's deadline. So if you've had a loan, overdraft, credit card, mortgage or catalogue debt in the last 30 years, then this is a must-watch, even if you failed to reclaim PPI before. Plus I'll also be covering the changes to millions of people's pensions.
 
"And if you missed last week's show on five hidden refunds that had a huge response, you can watch it on the ITV Hub."