Why People Don’t Switch Energy, and It’s Not Exit Fees

Why people don’t switch energy, according to our calls

Ask why people don’t switch energy and most guesses land on exit fees. Our own call records point somewhere else. On calls to people who asked us to compare energy, the outcome “happy with current supplier” was logged almost nine times as often as “customer in contract”.

That matters, because one of those reasons is a rule you can check and the other is a feeling. Suppliers are quite comfortable with feelings. The Do-Nothing Default runs on them.

This guide sets out why people don’t switch energy, going by our figures, then what the rules on exit fees actually say, and how to tell whether “happy” means you are on a good deal or just a quiet one.

What did our calls actually show?

“Happy with current supplier” was logged on 6,283 call outcomes, against 717 for “customer in contract”. These come from calls our call centre partner made to people who asked Switcheroo to compare energy, from November 2025, out of about 46,000 call outcomes in total.

The 6,283 is made up of three outcome codes that all mean the same thing: 3,409, 2,066 and 808.

One thing to be clear about. These are calls, not people. The same household can be called more than once, so a share of calls is not the same as a share of households, and we have not presented it as one.

So when people don’t switch energy, being tied into a contract is a small part of it, at least on these calls. Contentment, or something that sounds like it, is the big part.

Are exit fees stopping you from switching?

For most people who don’t switch energy, exit fees are probably not the reason. Ofgem’s switching guide says you may have to pay your previous supplier an exit fee if you were on a fixed rate tariff and chose to leave before it ended. That is the case it describes. If you are not partway through a fixed deal, an exit fee is not what is holding you back.

Even on a fixed deal, the end of the term is protected. Under Ofgem’s licence conditions there is a switching window in the last 49 days of a fixed term contract, and you can switch away inside it without paying a termination fee. Ofgem defines the switching window as the period in which a customer is eligible to switch supplier in response to an end of contract notification, in which they will not be subject to any termination fees.

Your supplier also has to tell you before your fixed deal ends, so the date should not take you by surprise.

If you don’t switch energy because you are midway through a fix, the fee is on your tariff details, so it is a number you can check rather than guess. Our guide to energy exit fees and when they are worth paying goes through how to weigh one up, and fixed price energy tariffs explained covers what you sign up to in the first place.

Happy with your supplier, or happy not to think about it?

If you don’t switch energy because you are happy with your supplier, that is a perfectly good reason to stay. Ofgem itself says the best option may be with your current supplier.

The trouble is that “happy” can mean two different things. It can mean the service is good and the price holds up when you compare it. Or it can mean the bills are paid, nothing has gone wrong lately, and checking feels like a job for another day.

Only the first one is a decision. The second is the default doing its work. If you don’t switch energy because nothing has gone wrong, you may never have put your tariff next to what else is on offer, and there is no shame in that.

Our figures cannot tell you which kind of happy any one call was. What they do show is that “happy” ends far more of these conversations than contracts do. If you don’t switch energy for that reason, it is worth a second look.

How to check before you decide to stay

Even if you don’t switch energy in the end, it is worth knowing where your tariff stands. You do not need to switch to find out, you only need to compare. Ofgem lists the details a new supplier will need, and they are the same ones you need to compare fairly:

• your postcode
• the name of your current supplier
• the name of your current tariff
• the amount you pay for your energy per unit in kilowatt hours (kWh)
• the amount of energy you use each year

All of these are on your bill or in your online account. With them in hand, you can see whether your current deal is still competitive for your usage. If it is, staying put is a choice you have made on purpose. If it is not, you have found the gap.

If you do go ahead, the switch itself is protected. Ofgem says suppliers must switch your supply within 5 working days, and if they do not, your new supplier must pay you £40. You can also cancel your switch within 14 days if you change your mind, which our energy cooling off period guide explains.

Roo would tell you it takes a minute. The realist in us says it takes about as long as finding your last bill, which for most of us is the hard part.

Compare energy deals

Frequently asked questions about why people don’t switch energy

Sources

• Switcheroo data from our call centre partner: calls to people who asked us to compare energy, about 46,000 call outcomes, from November 2025. Supports the 6,283 and 717 call outcome figures.
• Ofgem, Switch your home energy supplier. Supports the exit fee rule on fixed tariffs, the details a new supplier needs, the 5 working day switch, the £40 payment and the 14 day cancellation right.
• Ofgem, Energy terms explained. Supports the definition of the switching window and the right to switch inside it without a termination fee.
• Ofgem, Guide to the customer communications rule changes. Supports the 49 day switching window and the end of contract notification rules.

Checked 10 November 2026.