New. MSE Big Energy Switch Event 8
Switch NOW and save typically £300/year

Don't worry, we'll make it EASY & SIMPLE with a choice of 25,000 EDF cut-price tariffs and the market's lowest prices with reliable service

Winter is coming. It's time to ensure you're on the cheapest possible energy deal, before your usage ramps up. So my team have been beavering away to try to negotiate cheaper than the market's cheapest for this Big Switch Event.

We didn't manage that, but did get a special cut-rate EDF deal for the first 25,000 switchers - which is the cheapest Big 6 tariff (something many of you told us you want). The problem is that price pressures are still on the up - which is why it's safest to act quickly - and why no suppliers bid to give us a deal that'll allow 100,000s to lock in at a below-market rate.

The cheapest deals are with small new providers so I also want to run through my picks of those too, plus a long, cheap fix from Ovo Energy that I think's an all-round winner.

Yet whatever you do, take some action - it's worth it. As Simon tweeted: "@martinslewis I've used your tips on almost everything, except energy. Gave it a go today and I'm £639/yr better off", and Jim: "Just used Cheap Energy Club with @moneysavingexp and saved £472/yr. Cheers guys and girls."

How to pick the right deal for YOU

The explosion in the number of new, often small energy firms has made picking a new deal daunting. I'm going to try to help you through that decision. In practical terms switching isn't a biggie. No one visits your home. It's the same gas, same electricity, even same safety - the only change is price and service.

The following don't apply if you're on prepay or in N. Ireland. More on that below...

•	The very cheapest deals are from small firms with no or poor feedback. - Cost for typical usage: £824/yr - How to find YOUR cheapest of these: Your winner depends on location and usage so use our Energy Club comparison of the whole of the market. The energy market's swamped with new small firms with super-cheap tariffs designed to bring in new customers. In our poll a fortnight ago, you told us that small firms you've not heard of was your biggest energy switching turn-off. And sadly I've regularly seen tiddler firms launch with low prices, which see huge numbers stream in that they can't cope with. The current four or five cheapest tariffs starting at £824/yr are all so new we've almost no feedback on them, or what we have isn't great. So why not scroll down your results list to find ones with better service that aren't that much costlier? I've listed three below that have been around a bit longer, so we've some feedback, but from an admittedly still-small sample size. To make it easy to see these, use our special TOP PICKS comparison. - Toto Energy: £838/yr on typical use incl £25 MSE cashback. It launched in Oct 2016, we've little MSE feedback, but it's rated 7.9/10 from 800+ reviews on the website Trustpilot. The tariff is variable, so it could be increased, and there's an early exit fee. - Bulb Energy: £842/yr incl £25 MSE cashback. A big small 'un, with 100,000 customers. Only 27 votes in our poll, but 93% rated it 'great', plus it has 2,500 Trustpilot ratings at 9.8/10. The tariff is variable, but there's no early exit fee. - Tonik Energy: £854/yr. A one-year fix, giving you peace of mind of no rises. We've little MSE feedback but of 300+ Trustpilot reviews it's 9/10.
•	Very cheap TWO YEAR fix from Ovo - a company 89% rate 'great'. - Cost for typical usage: £883/yr (incl £25 MSE cashback split over 2yrs) - How to find if it's YOUR cheapest: Do a normal comparison, or for ease use our special TOP PICKS comparison which shows only our selected top picks. This is a very strong deal, that's only just launched. It's especially good for those who find switching a hassle, as the rate is cheap and fixed for 2yrs, so there's no need to act again until then and it covers you for two winters' usage - if prices rise it could look very nifty then. Better still it's from Ovo, a mid-sized firm with 700,000 customers which is constantly one of the top performers in our customer service poll. Last time 89% rated it 'great', just 3% 'poor', from a strong sample of 569 votes. If lots of you go and get this tariff, the way fixes work it's possible Ovo may limit the number available, so get in quickly. Here's brief info... - It's for new AND existing Ovo customers. - It's available for dual-fuel & elec-only, incl Eco 7. - New customers get £25 dual-fuel (£12.50 elec-only) MSE Cheap Energy Club cashback - Existing customers can get it but need to switch directly with Ovo. - The rate (not cost, that depends on use) is fixed for exactly 2yrs from when it starts supplying you. - You must pay by monthly direct debit. - If you move home you CAN'T take it with you. - You pay exit fees of £30/fuel if you leave early. - The Warm Home Discount is available with it.
•	Cheapest Big 6 good service deal - the MSE Big Switch Winner. - Cost for typical usage: £890/yr (incl £25 MSE cashback) - How to find if it's YOUR cheapest: Do a Cheap Energy Club comparison then in the results, use the BIG NAMES FILTER. When I show people how to switch on my TV roadshows, again and again they say "I only want a firm I've heard of" and our recent site poll backs that up. So when EDF, which we've seen many switch to recently, bid to give us a reduced deal, even though small firms beat it, I thought we'd still give it as an option. The EDF MSE Simply Fixed September 2018 deal is on average the cheapest from the Big 6, saving someone on a typical standard tariff £260/yr incl cashback, with no price rises guaranteed for a year. Whether it beats other Big 6 tariffs depends on your region and use, so we send you through our comparison to get it so you can see (use the filters to only see other big-name tariffs). Here's quick info... - It's limited to 25,000 dual-fuel (or 50,000 single-fuel) switches until at the latest Thu 28 Sep, so go quick. - It's for new AND existing EDF customers. - It's available for dual-fuel & elec-only, incl Eco 7. - You get £25 dual-fuel (£12.50 elec-only) MSE Cheap Energy Club cashback. - The rate (not cost, that depends on use) is fixed until 30 Sep 2018. - You can pay by direct debit, or quarterly cash or cheque. - If you move home you can take it with you. - You pay exit fees of £35/fuel if you leave early. - The Warm Home Discount is available with it. - How's customer service? Sadly we couldn't get EDF to provide boosted customer service for this deal, but it usually does well in our polls. It's the best of the Big 6 - 64% voted its service 'great' and only 10% said 'poor' (445 votes).
•	Don't want to switch firm? Find YOUR CURRENT PROVIDER'S cheapest deal. - Cost for big-name typical usage: £890/yr - £1,082/yr (incl £25 MSE cashback) - How to find YOUR cheapest of these: Use our Cheap Energy Club 'My Current Supplier' comparison which filters out all but your existing provider's best tariffs. I'm often asked questions like "I'm with Npower - is it cheap?" I can't answer that, as what you pay depends on which of a firm's tariffs you are on. Npower for example has the most expensive standard tariff at £1,187/yr, yet it also offers one of the cheapest Big 6 fixes at £924/yr. In fact EVERY Big 6 provider has a cheaper deal than its standard tariff - so through gritted teeth let me say, if you're loyal to your existing firm and don't want to change, at least switch tariff. You can use our special 'My Supplier' comparison link to find yours (and also usually get the £25 MSE dual-fuel, £12.50 single-fuel cashback). Or if not, just ring your provider and ask if you're on its cheapest deal (no cashback).Of course EDF customers can switch to our cheap EDF collective tariff.

Prepay tariffs, green deals and Northern Ireland.

The options I've put above cover the majority of energy users, but you may have special requirements or be unable to access them. If so, here are some quick tips...

- Prepay customers can still switch and save: Try our prepay comparison - savings are smaller, typically £70/yr, but it's worth doing. For bigger savings see if you can switch to a credit meter. Full help in cut the cost of prepay energy.

- Want a green tariff? We didn't get any cheap green bidders for our collective this time. Yet do an Energy Club comparison and when the results come up, click '100% renewable' in the filters to see your choices.

- Northern Ireland: No UK comparisons, including us (we're working on something in the background), include Northern Ireland, but you can use the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland's tool.

Energy FAQs
For more, see the full Cheap Energy Club FAQs

Q. I'm on last Sep's British Gas collective - what should I do? That was a stunning deal - for someone on typical use, it's £100/yr less than today's market cheapest. So when it ends in a few weeks your costs will rise, and by nearly 50% if you do nothing. To reduce that rise, switch to one of the options above (we tried to get British Gas to give us a retention deal but it wouldn't).

Q. Does MSE make money from this? Yes. Like all energy comparison sites, we're paid each time you switch through us, but we aim to give you about half in cashback (money you don't get if you go direct). The rest helps cover our costs and hopefully makes us some profit. We've had to drop the cashback from £30 to £25 recently as suppliers give us less. For more see MSE Jason's blog.

Q. What happens if my supplier goes bust? New rules that came in last year mean your energy credit is protected and your energy stays on as you'll be transferred to another supplier; though you could lose any cheap deal you're on.

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. Yet DON'T WORRY if you don't know your usage, Cheap Energy Club can help you guesstimate. While the answer won't be perfect, it's usually far better than doing nowt.

Q. How does Cheap Energy Club work? It does 3 things:

1) We show your exact price and saving and compare to ALL market tariffs.
2) You get £25 dual-fuel cashback (£12.50 single-fuel) if we can switch you. It's sent roughly 60-90 days later.
3) We check for better deals. You set a 'trigger saving', eg, £150/yr, then we alert you if you can save this by switching again.

Quick FAQs

Q. Can I switch if with an independent gas transporter? Yes, see IGT help.
Q. I'm in credit - will I get it back if I switch? Yes. See Reclaim credit.
Q. I'm in debt - can I switch? Yes, usually - see Switching in debt help.
Q. Can I switch if I'm renting? Yes. See our renters' switching info.
Q. Can I see the standing charge and kWh costs? They vary by region, so we display YOUR exact cost in the Cheap Energy Club comparison result.
Q. Can I switch if I've solar panels & a feed-in tariff? Yes. Solar & FIT info
Q. I'm on a smart meter. Can I switch? Yes, but you may lose functionality. Smart meters & switching info
Q. Is paying by direct debit cheapest? Yes, but do regular meter readings.
Q. Can suppliers put my price up on a cheap fix? The rate's fixed, but if it's estimated you'll use more, the direct debit can rise. See Fight Unfair Direct Debits.
Q. Can I pick a date for when my switch will happen? No. Sadly, providers don't let you do this. See Switching FAQs.