E.ON Energy

About E.ON

E.ON Energy UK is a subsidiary of E.ON SE, which is a German utilities company based in Essen. It is one of the largest providers of gas and electricity in the UK, with nearly four million customers. In 2019, E.ON acquired Npower, with both businesses retaining their separate brands, although some Npower customers have been moved over to E.ON Next tariffs.

Pricing and Tariffs Information

E.ON have a number of different energy tariffs which they provide for single and dual fuel customers who pay monthly, including:

• Fix Online v47: This is a 12-month fixed rate contract, which is only available for customers who purchase it online. It comes with a no price rise guarantee for the duration of the contract, as well as a direct debit discount, smart meter installation and access to a discount of 25% for boiler cover.
• Fix 2 Year v14: This is E.ON’s standard fixed tariff, which comes with a two year contract with no price rises guaranteed. They will also install a smart meter for you.
• E.ON EnergyPlan: Their standard variable tariff does not bind you to any contracts, and the prices can go up and down in line with changing wholesale costs for energy. It is also their most expensive plan, on average.
• E.ON Charge v4: This is a more specialised tariff aimed at customers who own an electric vehicle. It is a fixed rate tariff and comes with a 12-month contract. After six months of taking the tariff with E.ON, a reward equalling 850 miles of travel in your EV will be credited to your account.

How do E.ON customers rate their supplier?

Ratings given are out of ten.

	Value for Money	Customer Service	Complaints Handling	Bill Accuracy	Would Recommend	Overall
	6.6	6.5	6	6.9	62%	6.4

*Based on a survey of 183 E.ON customers conducted November 2020

E.ON Next

E.ON Next is a newly formed energy supplier, which operates as part of the E.ON group. All their tariffs come with 100% renewable electricity.

They have a number of tariffs available, including the Next Climate+ plan, which offers carbon offset gas alongside 100% renewable electricity, and they promise to plant five trees for every year which you are on the tariff.

The new energy supplier also has a dedicated team of energy specialists to help you with any issues that you may have with your gas and electricity supply, and they put a big emphasis on the quality of their customer service.

E.ON and Npower

In November 2019, E.ON acquired Innogy, the parent company of Npower. The plan has been to move over all Npower customers to the E.ON family of businesses over the course of two years, with over two million Npower customers being migrated to E.ON Next tariffs in May 2021.

The acquisition has made E.ON Energy the second largest provider of gas and electricity in the UK, behind British Gas.

Smart Meter Installations

E.ON are one of the biggest proponents of smart meter installations in the UK, with many of their tariffs including an agreement for smart meter installation in line with the government’s nationwide rollout.

In 2017, E.ON suggested that they would be ending standard variable tariffs for customers who installed a smart meter. Standard variable tariffs are often some of the worst value deals that energy companies offer to customers, and by offering to end these tariffs they hoped to encourage customers to take up the chance of having a smart meter installed when they could.

E.ON PAYG Tariffs: How do they compare to other providers?

E.ON offer two tariffs for customers with prepayment meters:

• EnergyPlan with Prepayment: This is their standard variable plan for homes with standard prepayment meters. There is no contractual obligation, and the meters in your home can be topped up at any local Paypoint, Payzone or Post Office store.
• EnergyPlan with Smart Pay As You Go: This is their variable Pay As You Go tariff for customers who have smart prepayment meter in their home. With a smart prepayment meter, you can top up your account online, as well as at your local Paypoint or Payzone store.

E.ON’s PAYG tariffs offer greater flexibility than their nearest competitor, British Gas, as you can top up credit at either Paypoint or Payzone stores, whereas British Gas customers can only use Payzone stores to add credit.

Their prepayment deals aren’t quite as cheap as some of their competitors, with Ebico Living currently offering the cheapest PAYG deal for most customers in the UK. However, prepayment meters are usually far worse in terms of value for money for the energy you get. For cheaper deals, consider switching to a standard meter if the option is available to you.

Exit Fees and Contracts

E.ON Energy does not have standard rates for exit fees across the tariffs that they offer, and whether you will have to pay an exit fee for breaking a contract early depends on what tariff you are on. None of the E.ON Next tariffs come with exit fees, and the Fix 2 Year v14 tariff does not have any exit fees either. However, the Fix Online v47 tariff comes with exit fees worth £30 per fuel, making it cost £60 to break the contract for dual fuel customers.

Fuel Mix

By standard, E.ON now offer all residential customers electricity from renewable sources. Since 2009, the energy firm has invested over £3bn into renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass and hydroelectricity. With some older accounts, and business plans included, their overall fuel mix does include some fossil fuels, however, and breaks down as follows:

Coal

2.6%

Natural Gas

30.5%

Nuclear

3.5%

Renewable*

61.2%

Other

2.2%

*Wind
Solar
Biomass
Wave and tidal
Hydroelectric
Geothermal