Bulb tariff

bulb tariff

Bulb energy only has one tariff that they offer to customers which is their Bulb Vari-Fair variable tariff. Bulb have no fixed tariffs so if you join them the price you pay can change at any time.

As a domestic energy supplier they supply 5% (Ofgems 2019 4th quarter figures) of the UK domestic market making them one of the largest energy companies outside the Big 6. They are similar in capacity to OVO Energy, Octopus Energy and Shell Energy.

They are a renewable energy supplier and offer 100% renewable energy, offset gas which includes a percentage of green gas. Find out more about Bulb renewable energy and what they do to make their energy green.

Bulb Energy tariff

At the time of writing the cost of their Vari-Fair tariff has a daily standing charge of 20.87p for electricity and 20.44p for gas. This is a little on the high side suggesting Bulb are targeting a slightly above average energy user rather than households that are more frugal with their energy.

The unit cost for electricity is 16.011p per kWh and the gas is priced at 2.720p per kWh. In overall terms compared to the whole of the market this is at the lower end but more expensive than the smaller budget energy companies.

Date Tariff Electricity daily standing charge Electricity pence per KWh Gas daily standing charge Gas pence per KWh
July 2020 Vari-Fair 20.56 14.255 20.44 2.725
December 2020 Vari-Fair 20.87 16.011 20.44 2.720
April 2021 Vari-Fair 20.87 18.092 25.16 2.825

Bulb Energy prices

It's difficult to get a good view of how Bulb compares in the market (take a look at our Bulb vs Octopus Energy) without looking at some examples. The first table shows the cost for a low, medium and high energy user.

Vari-Fair rate in June 2020

Usage type Electricity usage kWh/year Gas usage kWh/year Monthly cost Annual Cost
Low 1,900 8,000 53.21 638.52
Medium 3,100 12,000 76.54 918.48
High 4,600 17,000 105.72 1,268.64

Vari-Fair rate in December 2020

Usage type Electricity usage kWh/year Gas usage kWh/year Monthly cost Annual Cost
Low 1,900 8,000 56.05 672.60
Medium 3,100 12,000 81.12 973.44
High 4,600 17,000 112.47 1349.64

Vari-Fair rate in April 2021

Usage type Electricity usage kWh/year Gas usage kWh/year Monthly cost Annual Cost
Low 1,900 8,000 61.48 737.76
Medium 3,100 12,000 88.98 1067.76
High 4,600 17,000 123.37 1480.44

We took a snapshot of Bulb's prices in June 2020 and again in December 2020 to give you an idea on how much they change their variable rate tariff. It's useful to know as Bulb Energy do not offer fixed rate deals so the price can change at any time.

From June to December in 2020 Bulb increased its prices by 6% with the average bill for a UK householder going from £918 to £973 annually. Compared to the cheapest gas and electricity suppliers we keep track of at Safe Energy Switch where the cheapest available tariff increased by 7% over the same period from £771 to £825 per annum for the average household bill.

Bulb vs Cheapest dual fuel

December 2020 Comparison

Most people are concerned about cost when they are comparing energy tariffs. The table below shows the current cheapest energy deals versus Bulb's Vari-Fair tariff as compared in December 2020.

SUPPLIERTARIFFMONTH £ANNUAL £
PFP EnergyFixed - December 2021 - Green v1 Paperless68.77825.24
Outfox The MarketFix'd 20 19.069.09829.08
Utility PointJust Join UP 12M Fixed Wk4669.60835.20
Utility PointJust Join UP 12M Fixed Wk46 S69.60835.20
GreenAspen71.88862.56
PFP EnergyFixed - December 2021 - Green v1 Paper Billing72.10865.20
London Powermy london fixed yearly plan 12m fixed nov 2020v172.72872.64
PowershopTop Shopper 2020 Issue 372.83873.96
Neo EnergyNEO 4.172.94875.28
Shell EnergyEnergy February 2022 v473.11877.32
BulbVari Fair81.12973.44

As you can see from the table Bulb is about hundred pounds more expensive a year for the average UK household.

Bulb are listed on utility comparison sites which are free to use and will show you how much Bulb would charge you for your personal energy usage projection and you will be able to see what other deals are available in your area.

April 2021 Comparison

SUPPLIERTARIFFMONTH £ANNUAL £
Orbit EnergySpring Vari-Save Extra72.60871.20
Neo EnergyNEO 4.172.94875.28
Outfox the MarketSpring 21 Variable75.86910.32
GreenHawthorn76.36916.32
Hub EnergyHUB Smart Choice Tariff 12 April 22 v176.66919.92
Avro EnergySimple and Super12M77.37928.44
Utility PointJust Up 21 12M Fixed Wk0977.91934.92
Neo EnergyNEO 4.078.81945.72
Goto EnergyStandard Variable78.96947.52
People's EnergyPeople's Energy Fixed Super Tariff Mar 2179.61955.32
BulbVari Fair88.981067.76

Comparing Bulb's April 2021 tariff price to the cheapest available deals for that month you can see that Bulb is £16.38 per month more expensive than the cheapest deal. The price difference has increased since December 2020 where Bulb was only £12.35 per month more expensive than the cheapest deal at the time.

Price is not the only factor when considering switching energy providers. Whilst Bulb does cost more they do provide a much greener tariff compared to the cheapest deals available and they have a much better customer rating.

The best alternative to Bulb for customer service is the current Avro Energy tariff Simple and Super12M which has no early exit fees. Both Avro and Bulb are rated 4.6/5 on Trustpilot.

The best alternative for price is Outfox the Market who are also rated 4.6 but their variable rate tariff costs £13.12 per month less, a saving of £157.44 a year for the average UK household.



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Bulb vs Octopus

In the UK domestic energy market out of all the companies Octopus is closest to Bulb in terms of their target market. They are both similar sizes with Bulb (5%) having a slightly larger market share than Octopus (4%) and have both offered cashback for switching energy suppliers.

What consumers often want to know is which company can they get the best deal from? Which energy company will offer the lowest costing gas and electricity bills?


bulb vs octopus

As you can see the above image taken from the energy comparison site Energy Helpline that Bulb works out cheaper. The tariff 'Flexible Octopus December 2019 v1' is Octopus' lowest cost variable tariff costing £997.46 per year (£83.12 a month) compared to Bulb's equivalent price of £918.52 a year (£76.54 a month) and is just under £80 cheaper.

Octopus do offer other dual fuel energy deals such as the Octopus 12M Fixed February 2020 v1 costing £917.49 which is a 12 month fixed deal with no exit fees so if you include all the Octopus tariffs both energy companies work out at about the same cost.