How to Switch Energy Supplier When You Move House
You don’t choose your first energy supplier at a new address — you inherit whoever’s already there. Here’s exactly what that means, how fast you can switch away from it, and the deadlines your supplier has to hit for your final bill and any refund.
General information, not advice. This guide explains how things typically work — it isn’t legal, financial or professional advice for your specific situation, and Reloca8 isn’t liable for decisions made based on it. Always confirm current rules directly with the relevant council, provider or government website before acting.
The short version
Moving in puts you on a “deemed contract” with whoever already supplies the property — you can switch away from day one, and it must complete within 5 working days. Take meter readings on both your move-out and move-in days. Your old supplier must send a final bill within 6 weeks and refund any credit within 10 working days after that. And if you’re on the Priority Services Register, you’ll need to re-register with the new supplier — it doesn’t carry over.
What actually happens to your supply when you move in
What you walk into depends on which of two scenarios you’re in. For the vast majority of moves, the gas and electricity connections are already live, tied to whichever supplier served the previous occupant. A genuine new-build with no previous occupant works differently — but both roads lead to the same place, and neither leaves you unsupplied.
Existing supply (most moves)
Typical- The connection is already live, tied to whichever supplier served the previous occupant.
- You're automatically placed on a deemed contract with that supplier, on their standard variable tariff — not a fixed-term deal you ever agreed to.
- It exists purely so the lights don't go out while you sort out what you actually want.
New-build, no previous occupant
Less common- Most new-builds already have a supplier registered by the time you get the keys — the developer typically arranges the connection and an initial account during construction.
- Ask the developer who the current supplier is, or check for mail addressed to “The Occupier.”
- You'll land on the same deemed contract as an existing-supply move, with the same freedom to switch from day one.
- Genuinely no connection at all yet? You'll need one arranged through the local network operator first — usually a connection charge and a longer lead time.
- 1
You're on a deemed contract
Either scenario above lands you here, on the existing or newly connected supplier's standard variable tariff.
- 2
You can request a switch immediately
There's no minimum wait — you can shop around and switch from your very first day at the property.
- 3
The switch completes
Your supplier must finish the switch within 5 working days of you agreeing to it.
How fast you can actually switch
Since 1 April 2024, Ofgem requires switches to complete within 5 working days — down from the previous 15-working-day standard. You also get a 14-day cooling-off period after agreeing to a switch, in case you change your mind. There’s no fixed-term lock-in to escape first: because a deemed contract was never something you signed up to, there’s nothing stopping you switching away the moment you’ve compared deals.
“Suppliers must switch your electricity or gas supply from your old supplier to your new supplier within 5 working days.”
Take meter readings on both days — not just one
The single most useful habit on moving day: read the meters at your old address on the day you leave, and read the meters at your new address on the day you arrive, then send both sets of readings to the relevant supplier. It’s the only record that draws a clean line between what the previous occupant used and what you did — without it, a dispute over an estimated reading is much harder to win.
If you don’t manage to get a reading — or the previous occupant didn’t — you’re not simply stuck with whatever the supplier estimates. As a general rule, when you move out you’re only liable for usage up to two days after you told your old supplier you were leaving; if a final bill charges you for longer than that, or an estimated figure looks clearly wrong, ask the supplier to explain it and correct it, and take it to the Energy Ombudsman if they won’t.
What if the property already has energy debt on it?
The general principle is straightforward: you’re liable for your own usage from your move-in date, not for whatever a previous occupant owed before you arrived. In practice, it’s worth knowing this is genuinely an active area of reform rather than a settled certainty — the deemed-contract system means new occupants sometimes show up as an “unnamed account,” and Ofgem opened a formal call for input on exactly this problem, “Tackling energy debt when moving home,” in December 2025. That call for input closed in January 2026, and Ofgem published a summary of the responses in June 2026 as it works on updated guidance for suppliers — so this isn’t a settled rulebook yet, and it’s worth checking Ofgem’s page directly for whether that guidance has since landed. Meter readings on day one remain your best protection regardless of where it ends up.
The refund deadline most people don’t know exists
If you’re in credit when you move out or switch away, you don’t have to just hope your old supplier gets around to it. Ofgem’s Guaranteed Standards of Performance require a final bill within 6 weeks of the move or switch, and any credit balance refunded within 10 working days of that final bill landing. Miss either deadline, and the supplier owes you £40 in compensation — automatically, not something you have to fight for.
- 1
You move out or switch
The clock starts on your old supplier's obligations.
- 2
Final bill: within 6 weeks
Your old supplier must send a final, accurate bill.
- 3
Credit refund: within 10 working days of that bill
Any balance you're owed should land automatically.
- 4
£40 compensation if either is missed
You don't need to claim it separately — it's an automatic entitlement.
The Energy Price Cap — and why the number always needs checking
The Energy Price Cap limits what a supplier can charge a typical household on a standard variable tariff, and Ofgem reviews and resets it every three months — which means any figure quoted here is, by design, temporary. For the current quarter (1 July–30 September 2026) it sits at £1,663 a year for a typical dual-fuel household paying by direct debit, and it’s about to move again: Ofgem has confirmed it rises to £1,723 a year from 1 October 2026. Because it changes quarterly, always check Ofgem’s current price cap page directly rather than treating any single number as fixed.
One thing worth knowing before you assume the cap is automatically the cheapest option: most suppliers’ standard variable tariffs already track it closely, so being on a deemed contract isn’t the guaranteed bargain it might sound like. When the cap is expected to keep rising, a fixed-rate deal priced below the current cap can genuinely undercut it over the length of the contract — and the reverse is true when a fall is expected. It’s worth comparing a live fixed-tariff quote against the current cap rate for your actual usage before deciding to just let the deemed contract run.
On the Priority Services Register? Re-register at the new address
The Priority Services Register is free extra support for customers in a wide range of circumstances — from age and family situation to health, language and recent life events:
Age or family situation
State Pension age, pregnant, or have young children.
Language
Struggle with speaking or reading English.
Disability or long-term condition
Includes mental health conditions and conditions affecting your sight, hearing, or sense of smell.
Medical equipment
Need to use medical equipment that requires a power supply.
Recovering or in hospital
Recovering from an injury, or need support after a stay in hospital.
Bereavement or job loss
Have been bereaved, or have lost your job.
It’s attached to your account with a specific supplier, not to you universally — moving, or switching suppliers, means asking to be added again.
“If you switch supplier, you'll need to ask to join their Priority Services Register.”
Smart meters after a move or a switch
How your smart meter behaves through a switch depends on which generation it is:
SMETS2 (second-generation)
Now the default- Keeps full smart functionality through a switch — readings, supply and payments carry on normally.
- No action needed on your part when you switch supplier.
SMETS1 (first-generation)
Mostly migrated- Most SMETS1 meters have now been migrated onto the national smart network and keep working through a switch, same as SMETS2.
- A minority that were never migrated can drop back into 'dumb' mode on a switch — manual or estimated readings until it's fixed, not just a brief blip. Ask your new supplier to check if this happens to you.
Either way, the meter keeps recording your actual usage in the background, so your supply itself isn’t affected. If a smart meter genuinely stops working, tightened Ofgem rules from 23 February 2026 mean your supplier must give you a written resolution plan within 5 working days of reporting the fault, or you’re owed automatic compensation.
One less deemed contract to think about
Reloca8 tracks your move-in date, reminds you to take those meter readings, and compares energy deals against your actual usage — so switching away from a standard variable tariff happens on day one, not six months later once you’ve forgotten it’s worth doing.
Start your move checklistSources
Disclaimer. This page is general information, not advice on your specific circumstances. The Energy Price Cap changes every three months — check Ofgem’s page directly for the current figure. Reloca8 is not a law firm, financial adviser, or government body, and accepts no liability for actions taken based on this guide — see our Terms of Service.