Best energy suppliers for 2024

Electricity and gas are essential services and we spend a fair chunk of our income on them – now more than ever. So you shouldn't have to put up with poor service. 

Our annual energy satisfaction survey covers 16 suppliers in Great Britain. Our most recent results were published in January 2024 based on more than 9,000 energy customers telling us about the service they receive.

We also conducted our own in-depth assessment of firms' practices to find out which are set up in the best interests of their customers. 

The results of both are combined to make our findings as useful as possible to find the companies that are doing their best for customers. 

This time three providers impressed us enough to be named Which? Recommended Providers. For the past few years only one has qualified. The Which? Recommended Providers for 2024 are: Octopus Energy, E and Ecotricity.

Our table below covers Great Britain. If you live in Northern Ireland, see our advice on NI electricity and gas firms.

Cheaper tariffs are hard to find but you can still compare prices and contracts. 

Best energy companies

Below are the results from our customer survey and our unique assessment of company practices. We've combined these to give a total score for each supplier.

We surveyed 9,025 members of the general public in October 2023. We assessed firms' behind-the-scenes practices the same month to compare their approaches to customer service, supporting customers who need it, how they performed against their smart meter targets and complaints data. 

We included 18 firms in total. Even though two companies didn't get enough responses to get scores from our customer survey, the results are still useful to see how your provider compares behind the scenes.

Click the name of each company to read more.

Shell Energy is included in the table but our survey was put out before its purchase by Octopus Energy was complete.

Detailed energy provider score breakdown

The table below shows the full results of both our energy customer survey and our in-depth assessment of suppliers' practices. 

Scroll right to see the star ratings from our customer survey, followed by the ratings from our assessment.

If you live in Northern Ireland, see our overview of NI electricity and gas firms.

What makes an energy company the best? 

To be a Which? Recommended Provider, a company must be among the highest scorers in our annual customer satisfaction survey, and also score well in our unique assessment of its practices.

Our assessment of practices isn't new, but this is only the second time we've factored it into the total score to give you the fullest possible picture.

Here's how we calculate the Which? assessment score:

• 30% customer service
• 30% support for customers who need it, including those in financial hardship, prepayment meter customers and those with additional needs or language barriers
• 30% complaints performance
• 10% performance against their (2022) smart meter targets.

We also used customers' responses on the following to award star ratings:

• Customer service overall
• Accessibility - whether you can engage with your provider how you want or need to
• Quality of communications about energy costs
• How accurate your payments are
• How clear your statements are
• Value for money.

Only customers' satisfaction with their supplier and how likely they are to recommend it determine the customer score. These additional star ratings give you extra insight into the areas that are important for you.

We also continually review and improve our criteria to make sure we're assessing the measures most important to customers. 

To become a Which? Recommended Provider, an energy supplier must achieve a customer score of at least 70%. It must also score above average in our assessment of supplier practices.

Find out more about what it takes to become an energy Which? Recommended Provider. 

Top-scoring energy companies

Utility Warehouse has the highest overall score, and also the top score in our assessment of companies practices. 

But it didn't top our table for customer score. Octopus Energy, E and Ecotricity all placed above it, based on feedback in our customer survey. These three also scored well in our practices assessment and are all Which? Recommended Providers for 2024.

Read more about why we recommend Octopus Energy , E and Ecotricity.

Lowest-scoring energy companies

British Gas has the lowest overall score in this year's assessment. Its customer score from our survey was three percentage points clear of the bottom of the table, and its score in our supplier practices assessment was second-lowest. Find out more about British Gas.

The average customer score was 59% this year, in line with 2022 after a dip last year.

Boost and So Energy were joint second-lowest overall. Boost and Scottish Power sat jointly at the bottom of our customer score table, based on our survey results.

Read more about Boost, Scottish Power and So Energy.

Traditional energy companies

Six energy firms dominated the market for decades until the major changes of the past couple of years. Four of the original six still supply more than half of energy customers today – British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON Next and Scottish Power.

Octopus Energy is now the second-largest supplier for gas and third-largest (after E.ON Next) for electricity. Its dramatic growth since last year is as a result of it taking on 1.5 million customers from failed supplier Bulb. It's set to get even bigger when it moves Shell Energy's customers across this year.

Ovo Energy is currently the fourth-largest supplier. It bought SSE Energy Services domestic customers in 2020.

EDF Energy and E.ON Next are the joint-highest-ranked of the traditional big firms this year, with an overall score of 61%. 

British Gas has the lowest overall score.

Feeling the pinch with energy bills? Read our tips to cut your energy costs.