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What the energy firms don't tell you about saving on energy

Save by getting gas and electricity separately

Getting dual fuel for energy isn't always cheaper

Which? research has found that it can actually work out cheaper to get your gas and electricity from two separate suppliers.

This is despite the dual fuel discount that many suppliers offer - this promises you a deal if you take both gas and electricity from the same supplier.

You can save even more money if you switch supplier. On average, customers who switched with our independent comparison site Which? Switch saved £301 a year.

See how much you could save on your energy bills withWhich? Switch.

Cheapest gas deal and cheapest electricity deal

We found that getting your gas and electricity from different suppliers could work out more than £20 cheaper than the cheapest dual fuel deal on the market.

  • it will cost you £849 a year to get your gas from Daligas (Daligas One FIX 12 paperless) and your electricity from GB Energy Supply (Premium Energy Saver)
  • it costs £870a year for the cheapest dual fuel deal on the market (£913 for the second cheapest).

Small suppliers, like Daligas and Zog Energy, are often the cheapest for just gas.For electricity, iSupplyEnergy and GB Energy Supply are very competitive.

When dual fuel is cheaper

If you want to have the same supplier for your gas and electricity, then going for a dual fuel deal will pretty much always work out a bit cheaper than taking your gas and electricity separately with the same supplier. This is because you would benefit from a dual fuel discount.

Other ways to save on your energy bills include choosing the cheapest way to pay, normally direct debit.

Don't be afraid to switch supplier even if you're on a fixed tariff. Sometimes paying off the exit fee to land a cheaper deal is worthwhile and in some circumstances you can avoid paying an cancellation fee all together. Find out how to avoid paying an exit fee to your energy supplier.

(Our research: all tariff data is from Energylinx and prices quoted are for a medium user (3,200 kWh of electricity and 13,500 kWh of gas a year) paying by monthly direct debit on a standard credit meter. Prices are averaged across all UK regions.)

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