UK Energy Supplier Exit Fees
We've packed everything you need to know about early exit fees here so you will know exactly how exit fees work and which energy companies charge per fuel exit fees on their energy tariffs.
What is an early exit fee?
On fixed term energy tariffs exit fees are usually applied. An exit fee is a fixed amount you pay per fuel (ie gas and electricity) should you want to leave your current energy provider to switch to a better deal elsewhere.
These fees are only attached to fixed rate energy tariffs that usually span 1, 2 or 3 years. Fixed price energy is where the daily standing charge and the kWh unit rate for your gas and electric is fixed for a period of 12 to 36 months. The total amount you pay will still vary depending on how much energy you use but the price you pay for that energy will remain fixed.
Should you decide to switch away from a fixed deal before it ends then you may be charged an early exit fee for doing so.
Variable rate tariffs do not have exit fees as the rates can vary over time.
Why do exit fees exist?
The reason exit fees are attached to most fixed energy deals is because the energy supplier has to ensure they purchase enough energy ahead of time to cover your usage over the fixed period. Essentially the supplier is paying up front.
If you left early the supplier would still be obliged to buy the energy from the energy market and would therefore usually be out of pocket.
The exit fee is there to discourage you from leaving early before the end of the fixed term. It's a leaving fee you will be charged if you leave your current supplier before the agreed period.
Energy supplier exit fees
The table below shows the early exit fees for many of the UK energy suppliers. It shows the main fixed tariffs for each supplier so you can see how many years they offer fixed energy for and how much they charge per fuel as an early exit fee.
Exit fees are stated per fuel, this means there is a fee for electricity and a fee for gas. When you take out a tariff with both gas and electricity it is referred to as a dual fuel tariff.
| SUPPLIER | 1 Year Fix | 2 Year Fix | 3 Year Fix |
| Orbit Energy | £30 | - | - |
| Neo Energy | - | - | - |
| Green | £36 | £36 | £72 |
| Hub Energy | £30 | - | - |
| Avro Energy | £0 | - | - |
| Utility Point | £30 | £30 | - |
| Goto Energy | £40 | - | - |
| People's Energy | £30 | £45 | - |
| London Power | £0 | £0 | - |
| PFP Energy | £0 | - | - |
| OVO Energy | £30 | £30 | - |
| SSE | £0 | £0 | - |
| Pure Planet | £30 | - | - |
| Shell Energy | £30 | £50 | £30 |
| Utility Warehouse | £25 | - | - |
| Bristol Energy | £0 | £0 | - |
| Together Energy | £30 | £40 | £50 |
| Outfox The Market | £0 | - | - |
| British Gas Evolve | £0 | - | - |
| British Gas | £30 | £40 | - |
| Zebra Power | £30 | £30 | - |
| So Energy | £5 | - | - |
| Octopus Energy | £0 | - | - |
| Affect Energy | £0 | - | - |
| Co-op Energy | £0 | - | - |
| M&S Energy | £0 | - | - |
| Scottish Power | £60 | £0 | - |
| ESB Energy | £60 | £60 | £60 |
| E.on | £30 | £0 | - |
| EDF Energy | £70 | £0/£30/£60 | £30 |
| Good Energy | - | £0 | - |
| MoneyPlus Energy | £50 | - | - |
| Green Energy UK | - | £0 | - |
| Bulb | - | - | - |
How much are early exit fees?
Fees vary by supplier but for those that have fees the prices range from £5 per fuel (£10 dual fuel) with So Energy on a 1 year fix to £72 per fuel (£144 dual fuel) on a 3 year fix from renewable energy supplier Green.
Energy suppliers with no early exit fees
Most energy suppliers in the UK charge exit fees but there are a growing number that offer fixed price energy tariffs with no exit fees.
Exit fees can vary as some suppliers charge higher fees for longer fixes whilst others have higher fees for shorter fixed periods. Come suppliers don't offer fixed price tariffs like Bulb and Neo Energy whilst others only offer fixed for certain periods.
One year fixed energy tariffs with no exit fees are available from Avro Energy, London Power, PFP Energy, SSE, Bristol Energy, Outfox the Market, British Gas Evolve, Octopus Energy, Affect Energy, Co-op Energy and M&S Energy.
Two year fixed price energy without fees is available from London Power, SSE, Bristol Energy, Scottish Power, E.on, Good Energy and Green Energy UK.
There are no 3 year fixed energy tariffs that do not have early exit fees. The lowest fees for long term fixes are from Shell Energy and EDF at £30 per fuel.
If you use an energy comparison tool you can search for energy deals that have no exit fees.
Do exit fees make it harder to switch?
Having exit fees does not make it harder to switch suppliers but it may make it less attractive due to the lower potential savings. If you find a cheaper energy deal that is £50 cheaper but you have to pay your existing supplier £60 in exit fees to leave it won't make financial sense to do so.
You may have a supplier that you are currently with that is so bad that you would prefer to leave despite the cost. In this case you should consider to switching to a variable rate or a fixed rate without early exit fees so you don't end up in the same predicament.
There are arguments either way for fixing your energy, is it a good idea to fix energy prices?
Ofgem 49 day exit fee rule
You have a switching window from 49 days before your current supplier contract ends where you can switch without penalty. So if you are within 49 calendar days from the end of your 1, 2, or 3 year fixed energy deal that does have exit fees you can switch during this time and you don't have to pay the exit fees.
Orbit Energy Exit Fees
Orbit Energy does have exit fees but they only offer a 1 year fixed rate tariff which incurs a £30 per fuel exit fee.
NEO Energy Exit Fees
Small supplier Neo Energy does not have exit fees as their tariffs are variable rates. Interestingly NEO doesn't tend to change its prices very often so it has been a good variable rate tariff. We tracked the price of their NEO 4.1 tariff from October 2020 until April 2021 and it remained at the same price for more than 6 months costing £72.94 per month for the average household.
The Neo 4.1 tariff has been one of the best cheap energy deals over 2020/21. Whilst they are cheap their ratings are not great so be sure to take a look at the NEO Energy reviews first.
Green Exit Fees
Renewable supplier Green has quite high early exit fees as they are a low cost green energy company with tight margins. They supply renewable electricity and offset gas (on some tariffs) with prices usually in the top 10 lowest with good ratings (Trustpilot 4.3/5) so people who switch to them have usually done their research.
Their exit fees are £36 per fuel on their 1 and 2 year fixed rates and £72 on their 3 year fix. They do have a variable rate which does not incur exit fees.
Hub Energy Exit Fees
Hub Energy (former Gulf Gas and Power) have a 1 year fixed rate tariff with the standard £30 early exit fee. Hub is another small supplier with Good reviews (Trustpilot 4.5/5) and low prices since they rebranded as Hub with top 10 cheapest gas and electricity prices so far in 2021.
Avro Energy Exit Fees
Avro Energy does not have exit fees with their 1 year fixed rate tariff and they do not offer longer term fixes. Avro Energy tariffs are very good value and they have an excellent (Trustpilot 4.6/5) customer track record. They are one of the few energy companies you can't go wrong with if you are after good value and good customer service.
Utility Point Exit Fees
A 1 and 2 year fix is offered by Utility Point with the same £30 per fuel early exit fee applied to both. Their reviews (Trustpilot 3.3/5) mean that they are not as good as some other suppliers with similar pricing although they are competitive with tariffs regularly making it onto our cheap gas and electric deals.
Goto Energy Exit Fees
There is only a single 1 year fix on offer from Goto Energy with a higher than average £40 per fuel early exit fee. They do have a variable rate that have appeared in our list of cheap energy deals but their fixed rate is currently more expensive.
People's Energy Exit Fees
Ethical energy supplier People's Energy have a 1 year fix with a £30 per fuel exit fee and their 2 year fix has a £45 per fuel early exit fee. Peoples Energy has a reasonable customer review rating (Trustpilot 3.9/5) and their fixed rate tariffs are often some of the lowest priced.
London Power Exit Fees
The London Power energy company only supplies to London households but they have no early exit fees for the 1 year or 2 year fixed deals they offer. They are a well rated ethical supplier acting on energy poverty and offer deals that are sometimes in our list of best energy deals.
PFP Energy Exit Fees
Only a 1 year fix is offered by PFP Energy but they have quite an expensive £40 per fuel early exit fee attached to their tariff.
OVO Energy Exit Fees
There is a £30 per fuel early exit fee on both OVO Energy's 1 and 2 year fixed price energy tariffs.
SSE Exit Fees
SSE do not have exit fees on the 1 and 2 year fixed rates tariffs they offer.
Pure Planet Exit Fees
Energy supplier Pure Planet offers a 1 year fixed rate tariff with the standard £30 per fuel early exit fee.
Shell Energy Exit Fees
Shell Energy offer a 1,2 and 3 year fixed rate where their 1 and 3 year fixes incur a £30 per fuel early exit fee whilst their 2 year fix carries a hefty £50 per fuel exit fee.
Utility Warehouse Exit Fees
Utility Warehouse offer a 1 year fix with a £25 per fuel early exit fee.
Bristol Energy Exit Fees
Ethical supplier Bristol Energy offers a 1 or 2 year fixed rate tariff with no early exit fees.
Together Energy Exit Fees
Together Energy early exit fees are £30, £40 and £50 per fuel respectively for their 1,2, and 3 year fixed energy rates.
Outfox the Market Exit Fees
There are no early exit fees on the 1 year fixed energy tariff from Outfox the Market.
British Gas Evolve Exit Fees
There are no early exit fees on the 1 year fixed rates from British Gas Evolve.
British Gas Exit Fees
British Gas charges a £30 per fuel early exit fee on their 1 year fixed rates and £40 per fuel on their 2 year fixed.
Zebra Power Exit Fees
There is a £30 per fuel early exit fee on Zebra Power's 1 and 2 year fixed rate tariffs.
So Energy Exit Fees
Where suppliers charge exit fees So Energy has the lowest priced per fuel early exit fee at only £5 per fuel on their 1 year term fix.
Octopus Energy Exit Fees
There are no early exit fees on the Octopus 12m fixed tariffs on offer from Octopus Energy, one of the highest rated energy companies.
Affect Energy Exit Fees
Affect Energy do not have early exit fees on the 1 year fixed rate energy deals they offer.
Co-op Energy Exit Fees
Co-op Energy do not have an early exit fee for the 1 year fixes they offer.
M&S Energy Exit Fees
M&S Energy (also owned by Octopus) has no early early exit fees on their 1 year fixed rate tariffs.
Scottish Power Exit Fees
There is a hefty £60 per fuel early exit fee on the 1 year fixed rate tariffs on offer from Scottish Power but their 2 year fixed rate has no exit fees.
ESB Energy Exit Fees
ESB Energy offers a 1 to 3 year fixed rate tariff which all carry a high £60 per fuel early exit fee.
E.on Exit Fees
There are no early exit fees on E.on's 2 year fixed rates but the standard £30 per fuel early exit fee on their 1 year fix.
EDF Energy Exit Fees
EDF Energy has the most expensive early exit fee for a 1 year fix at £700 per fuel. There are 3 options for their 2 year fix that carries with no exit fees or a £30 per fuel and £60 per fuel early exit fee dispensing on the cost of the tariff. Their 3 year fix has a £30 per fuel early exit fee.
Good Energy Exit Fees
Good Energy only offers a 2 year fixed rate where there are currently no early exit fees attached.
MoneyPlus Energy Exit Fees
MoneyPlus Energy has quite a high £50 per fuel early exit fee on the 1 year fixed rates they offer.
Green Energy UK Exit Fees
Green Energy UK like Good Energy (both recognised green energy suppliers) only has a 2 year fix for which they do not charge an early exit fee.
Bulb Energy Exit Fees
Bulb are one of the few UK suppliers that do not offer fixed rates and are one of the few companies to only ever have a single tariff, their variable rate Vari-fair tariff.