The latest electricity switching figures – the first covering the coronavirus lockdown – show a 4.3 per cent year-on-year drop for March.
The figures, supplied by Gemserv for Energy UK, show 589,297 customers moved to a new supplier last month.
Despite the drop in March, activity for the year so far is up 10 per cent compared to the same point last year, with 1.6 million switches in total.
In March, of all switches:
- 35 per cent were from larger to small and mid-tier suppliers
- 16 per cent were from small and mid-tier to larger suppliers
- 26 per cent were between larger suppliers
- 23 per cent were between small and mid-tier suppliers
The net gain by small and mid-tier suppliers was 109,606 – or 19 per cent of all switches.
The data now counts Ovo – including the domestic business of SSE – as a large supplier, with the non-domestic business of SSE now considered a small and mid-tier supplier.
Audrey Gallacher, Energy UK’s interim chief executive, said: “While switching can be a way to save money, the best way to save money in the longer term is through energy efficiency. So, while we are managing the challenges thrown at us from the current lockdown, I’d encourage people to consider whether they could be saving money by being more energy efficient. Simple measures such as switching lightbulbs, reducing energy use or doing some minor adjustments around the home, like draught proofing doors and windows, can help save you money off your bill and help the environment at the same time.”
Recently published figures from Electralink showed around 712,000 customers initiated a switch during March 2020 – a nearly 8 per per cent decrease when compared to the same month last year.