How long switching energy supplier takes

Switching energy supplier normally takes about three weeks from the day you agree a new contract. The first 14 days are a cooling-off period, during which you can cancel without penalty. Only after that does the switching clock start, and since 1 April 2024 suppliers have five working days to move you from your old supplier to your new one¹.

That gives a typical total of around 21 days. Independent guidance puts the whole process at about 21 days once the cooling-off period is over², and one provider describes the account switch as taking a total of 17 days including a two-week cooling-off period³. The difference is mostly in how each counts the days.

The supply itself is never interrupted. What changes is who bills you, not the gas or electricity coming into your home. If the switch runs past the five-working-day deadline, you are owed £40 compensation from your new supplier⁴.

The 14-day cooling-off period comes first

Every energy switch begins with a cooling-off period of 14 days, starting the day after you agree the new contract¹. During this window you can cancel the switch without penalty⁵. The supplier must allow it, and it is not something you can give up to speed the process along.

This is not unique to energy. A 14-day cooling-off period is the minimum a seller must give you for a service arranged at a distance, and it is the standard that applies to services bought online, running from the day you place your order⁶. The same 14-day minimum appears across consumer law, from credit agreements to building work contracts⁸. Energy sits inside that wider framework rather than having a special rule of its own.

What matters for timing is that the cooling-off period and the switching deadline are two separate things. The five-working-day deadline does not start until the cooling-off period has ended¹. So the earliest a normal switch can complete is 14 days of cooling-off plus five working days of switching.

If you change your mind after the tariff has already been switched, there is still a 14-day cooling-off period in which you can act¹⁰. Cancelling after the 14 days is different: an early termination charge may apply, so the terms of the tariff you agreed are worth reading before the window closes¹¹.

Five working days: the deadline once cooling-off ends

Once the cooling-off period is over, the switch itself has a hard deadline. Energy suppliers have five working days to move you from your old supplier to your new one, a standard that has applied since 1 April 2024¹. Before that date, suppliers had 15 working days to complete a switch, and only those signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee were bound by the shorter target¹.

If the new supplier misses the five-working-day deadline, you are owed £40 compensation from them⁴. The same £40 figure applies in a different situation: if your old and new suppliers take more than 20 working days to decide whether a switch was made in error, you get £40 from each of them¹.

There is a separate set of deadlines for switches that should never have happened.

Gas or electricity: how long each switch takes on average

Gas and electricity are registered separately, and the two have historically taken slightly different times to move. Industry figures from 2021 put the average gas switch at 18 days and the average electricity switch at 16 days¹². Both sit inside the same overall timescale, so the gap is a matter of days rather than weeks.

Switching is common. More than 250,000 consumers switch energy provider each month¹³. In a survey covering February and March 2023, 56% of consumers said they had switched energy supplier at some point, with 21% having done so in the previous year and 35% more than a year earlier¹⁴. Among people who had changed provider in the four years to 2021, 86% said switching supplier is easy¹².

The practical preparation is simple. You need to know how much energy you use and the name of your current tariff, both of which should be on a recent bill¹⁵. Fixed-energy deals usually last one or two years, and checking your tariff about once a year is the usual rhythm¹⁵. Some tariffs require one month's payment, or even two in some cases, before they start supplying your gas and electricity, so the first payment can fall before the switch completes¹.

If you have both gas and electricity, taking them from the same supplier may work out cheaper¹⁶. That is a general point about how dual-fuel accounts are priced, not a recommendation for any particular supplier.

Switching when you owe money or use a prepayment meter

Debt does not automatically block a switch. You have the right to switch supplier if you have been in debt to your current supplier for less than 28 days¹⁷. The same right applies to prepayment meter customers in that position¹⁷.

If you pay by Direct Debit or when you receive a bill, you can still switch when you have owed your supplier money for less than 28 days, and the debt is added to your final bill⁴. The restriction bites at 28 days or more: if you have a credit meter and have owed money to your current supplier for 28 days or more, the switch can be blocked¹⁸.

If money is tight, free and impartial help is available. National Debtline and Age UK both provide debt advice at no cost²⁰, and StepChange offers guidance on understanding energy bills¹⁹. None of these services charges for the help they give.

Do I need to tell my old supplier that I am switching?

No. Your new supplier arranges the switch and notifies your old one, so you do not need to contact them to start it. The one situation where you do need to make contact is if you are moving home: tell your energy supplier at least 48 hours in advance, and ideally more¹. Some suppliers may let you start the process earlier.

Your supplier is required to contact you 42 to 49 days before the end date of your fixed-term tariff, telling you it is ending and that you can switch without a fee²¹. That notice is your cue to compare what is available before the tariff rolls onto a more expensive default.

If you are moving into a new home, you do not have to stick with the existing energy supplier²². The account is yours to arrange, and the switch follows the same 14-day cooling-off period and five-working-day deadline as any other.

What can go wrong, and what protects you

The main risk is delay. If the switch runs past five working days, the £40 compensation from your new supplier is automatic in principle, but you may need to ask for it⁴. If a switch was made in error, the process is different: you contact the supplier, receive written confirmation within five days, and confirmation of your return to the original supplier within 20 working days²¹.

There is also a wider protection around how the switch is sold to you. Misleading information during the sales process is a recognised complaint category, and price comparison sites are subject to unfair contract terms rules¹¹. If a switch was arranged on the basis of something that was not true, that is a complaint in its own right.

If something goes wrong and the supplier does not put it right, you can complain formally²¹. If the complaint is not resolved, the Energy Ombudsman can look at it²¹. For a delayed switch or a late final bill specifically, there is a defined route to compensation⁴.

The rules differ slightly across the UK in how complaints and advice are handled. In Northern Ireland, the Consumer Council provides complaint help¹⁴. In Scotland and Wales, Citizens Advice and Shelter Cymru offer free guidance on energy and debt². The switching timescales themselves apply across Great Britain.