Region among top energy switchers
MORE than a quarter (27%) of North West consumers switched gas or electricity supplier last year, says a survey from professional services firm EY.
The North West was behind only the East Midlands (32%), the North East (28%) and East Anglia (28%) in a list of 12 UK regions ranked by percentage of consumers that switched energy providers in 2014.
24% of the 2,000 consumers surveyed across the wider UK – 231 of which were based in the North West – switched energy suppliers last year.
The research also reveals that the North West trend is likely to continue, with 76% of regional consumers that switched in 2014 stating that they are likely to switch supplier again in the near future.
New market entrants emerge as the winners from the appetite amongst consumers to secure a better deal for their energy supply. 33% of the consumers in the region currently thinking about switching said they would move to a new entrant, while just under a quarter (24%) would switch to one of the ‘Big 6’ energy suppliers.
Stephen Church, advisory partner at EY in the North West, said: “While levels of awareness around energy prices and the ease at which supply can be switched are admittedly still relatively low among consumers, the situation is improving.
“This is encouraging in light of the early evidence from The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) inquiry into the UK energy market, which shows that many dual-fuel customers of the big energy firms missed out on savings by not switching suppliers between 2012 and 2014.
“The increased focus on living costs, as well as industry and government led campaigns are gradually helping to make shopping around to get a better deal an increasing priority for North West consumers.”
