150,000 sign up to smaller energy firms in wake of price rises
Since the start of October, 150,000 people have signed up to smaller energy firms, according to the BBC. Radio 4's You & Yours programme asked energy companies how many new customers they had gained and how many they had lost since the beginning of October, when the major energy companies announced price rises. Five out of six of the UK's biggest energy companies raised their prices significantly above inflation.
First Utility said it had seen an increase of 100,000 customers but did not reveal how many customers it had lost. Utility Warehouse saw a rise of 35,000 new energy applications, reaching a total of 500,000 customers, while not-for-profit Ebico received an increase in its customer base of 7,000.
Better Energy told the BBC it had seen an increase of 500 per cent by the end of September. However, that still left the gas supplier with fewer than 1,500 in total. There was also customer growth amongst green energy suppliers. Ecotricity gained 5,000 customers from the beginning of October, while Green Star Energy signed up 1,600 new customers.