Ovo Energy has topped the Which? best to worst list of energy suppliers for the second year running with a customer score of 78 per cent. Newcomers Places for People Energy and Ebico make up the second and third highest scores, achieving 76 and 75 per cent respectively.
Generally, smaller energy companies performed better in the Which? chart compared to big six firms. They were perceived to offer better value for money and customer service.
Reacting to the survey findings, Justin Haines, customer services Director at OVO Energy, said the company was “thrilled”.
“Unlike the Big Six who inherited millions of their customers, every single one of our customers has actively chosen us because of our fair, transparent pricing and table topping service,” he said.
Npower sits at the bottom of the list of suppliers for England, Scotland and Wales for the seventh year in a row with an overall score of 44 per cent. The rest of the big six occupy the lower end of the table, receiving lower scores than many small suppliers: Eon (57 per cent), British Gas (56 per cent), SSE (56 per cent), EDF Energy (55 per cent) and Scottish Power (50 per cent).
In Northern Ireland, Electric Ireland claimed the top spot with a customer score of 80 per cent followed by Budget Energy with 76 per cent.
The Which? survey also showed that price was the most important consideration for choosing an energy supplier. This reflects evidence on the top switching motivations for consumers in other research, including Utility Week’s recent switching survey.
Which? has called upon the Big Six to “urgently step up their game” to match the leading customer satisfaction rates of smaller providers and engage customers stuck on poor value deals.
“If nothing is done, then the energy companies will have no one to blame if the Government and the regulator have to step in to ensure this market starts working for consumers.” Said Which? magazine editor Richard Headland.