One in three families pay £1k extra on energy bill… as they haven’t switched supplier in 5 years

A THIRD of families have not switched energy supplier in the past five years — costing them about £1,000.

And one in ten have not switched for more than 15 years, costing them at least £3,000 more than if they had sought a cheaper deal, a poll by EnergyHelpline found.

Research shows energy suppliers get more than £5billion a year from customers paying over the odds.

In June, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said there would be an Ofgem-controlled database of consumers who had not switched recently to allow them to be contacted by other suppliers for the best deal.

In its final report on a two-year investigation into the energy sector, the CMA warned that 70 per cent of people were on the more expensive “default” standard variable tariff.

These cost about £300 more than the best deals on the market.