Scottish Power, Bulb and Shell Energy have all told Utility Week they will not be following industry peers in furloughing staff.
EDF has said that while it continues to monitor the situation, it has not put any employees on the government-backed scheme.
So far Centrica-owned British Gas, Eon, Npower and Ovo have announced that a combined 11,000 staff have been put on temporary leave.
In response to enquiries from Utility Week, Scottish Power said it was not furloughing any workers, while a spokesperson for Shell Energy Retail confirmed it was not doing so “at this time”.
Meanwhile, challenger brand Bulb, which has more than 1.6 million customers, said rather than reducing headcount it was actively recruiting more staff.
Tom Fraine, head of people at Bulb, said: “Our mission is to help more households lower their energy bills and their carbon emissions, and we are hiring top talent to help us continue to provide a great service to our members.
“We’re looking for developers, data scientists and energy specialists to join us as we bring renewable energy to homes across the country. Our members rely on Bulb to continue to maintain our high standards of service during the Covid-19 outbreak.”
An EDF spokesperson said the vast majority of its employees were “supporting our key responsibilities to keep the lights on and serve our customers”.
It added: “For those employees whose roles have been paused, such as smart meter installers, we are seeking opportunities for them to support the national effort.
“This week we announced a partnership with Boots so around 70 of our smart meter installers can deliver essential prescription medicines to vulnerable patients and households in self-isolation. Others are supporting customers in emergencies. Nonetheless we continue to monitor the situation.”
All staff at EDF remain on full pay regardless of whether they have been redeployed elsewhere in the business or into the local community.
Shell Energy Retail, which last year rebranded from First Utility, added it had stood down some third parties delivering sales or metering services.
These include Smart Metering Systems which will still carry out emergency work but will no longer carry out routine installations for the time being.