Bristol Energy has stopped, all customers will be transferred to British Gas.

At Papernest, we pride ourselves in matching every household that uses our service with the perfect energy tariff.

What can customers do?

Right now it is just a matter of waiting until you get contacted by British Gas. Which should have happened by now or will happen soon. With them, you can discuss the terms of your contract.

What happened to Bristol Energy?

Energy costs have been rising exorbitantly in recent months as a result of the energy crisis. However, suppliers could not raise the prices they were charging to customers because of the energy price cap. This has led a lot of companies to incur losses on each customer. Only the larger companies with large reserves were able to withstand these losses, and Bristol Energy, unfortunately, officially went bust on the first of January 2022.

Will my energy supply be interrupted?

No you will not be cut off from supply. Ofgem has set up procedures for automatic transfers for customers at suppliers that go bust. In this way, you will be guaranteed to continue to receive your gas and electricity.

Do I pay any bills that I receive from Bristol Energy?

Yes you have to. You will keep paying to Bristol Energy until the transition has been completed. British Gas will be in touch with you when that has happened. From that moment onwards you will start paying British Gas. British Gas will also be in touch on any credit or debit that is open at your account and how that will be handled.

Can I remain with the same contract at British Gas?

In general this is not the case. Often when you are automatically switched from supplier, you receive a ¨deemed¨contract which you cannot choose. In some cases, you can be in touch with British Gas to see what options you might have.

How and when will British Gas contact me?

Normally this takes around a few weeks. If British Gas have not been in touch yet in a very long time you can also contact them yourself.

Will my bills go up at British Gas?

Prices on the energy market are soaring following the Ukraine war and the energy crisis. The recently updated Energy Price Cap saw a sharp increase in the maximum chargeable tariff. This implies that it is very likely that your bills are going to be higher after the switch. We continue below with the tariffs that British Gas charged in the past period.

British Gas tariffs

British Gas offers a wide range of plans to their customers. In this section, we outline the prices for the most common plans.

British Gas average annual total tariff costs

In this section you can see the average annual total costs at British GasBritish Gas plans. These numbers are calculated with the assumption of a standard meter and dual fuel consumption!

Below you can find the cost information associated with these tariffs.

British Gas Variable Rate Tariffs

British Gas currently offers 1 variable rate. Variable plans give you the opportunity to freely switch to different suppliers without any costs. However, your rates might fluctuate based on the market rates, which could mean paying higher prices.

The costs associated with this tariff can be seen here:

Prepayment and Economy 7 rates

British Gas also has several options for other types of contracts such as prepayment rates and Economy 7 rates. On the following page you can have a look at the fixed rates, prepayment energy rates and economy 7 rates of British gas.

Am I allowed to switch supplier?

You are free to switch supplier. Note that at the moment, the energy market is very heated due to the Ukraine conflict escalating. Many suppliers actually do not take new clients currently or charge very high prices if you do decide to switch.

Do I have to stay with British Gas?

If you like to switch there are possibilities to switch from British Gas. However, switching to better rates will be extremely hard at the moment. Also, as British Gas is one of the largest supliers, it is not likely that they will get busted any soon. Therefore, it might be a good option to remain at British Gas until the energy market´s situation has gone back to normal.

What happens if I was in the process of switching suppliers when Together Energy went bust?

Nothing should happen. Your old and new suppliers will finish the transfer process as normal.

What made Bristol Energy different?

Bristol Energy was one of a number of municipally-owned energy companies across the country. Municipally-owned energy companies are advantageous to energy consumers who care about ethics and renewability. Because they are completely beholden to their customers rather than taxpayers, they can potentially deliver green energy at better prices than their privately-owned counterparts. As well as offering 100% renewable energy, Bristol Energy offered carbon-neutral biomethane gas. This came from Bristol’s municipal sewerage systems. Or, as Bristol Energy playfully called it, "poo power".

Like many municipal energy suppliers, Bristol Energy was bought by a private company in late 2020. Nonetheless, the Bristol Energy brand was not affected. It still retained the same tariffs, prices, and strong focus on delivering clean energy and supporting local communities.

Who were Bristol Energy?

Bristol Energy was founded in 2015 as a direct response to the rising prices and profiteering of private energy companies. It was committed not only to delivering renewable energy but combating fuel poverty, and investing in community projects. To date, the brand had added £12,000,000 of social value back to the city.

Who owned Bristol Energy?

Bristol Energy was owned by Together Energy. Despite this, the brand remained active, and Bristol Energy was no less committed to its green energy and social targets.

Were Bristol Energy any good?

Despite their new ownership, Bristol Energy was still an excellent choice or those looking for an affordable, renewable, ethical energy supplier. Bristol Energy still strived to deliver on its promises to its customers in the wake of the acquisition by Together Energy. With green energy at reasonable prices and a strong investment in local communities, customers know that the money they spent on their energy was doing real good.

Was Bristol Energy really cheaper?

Bristol Energy certainly had the potential to be cheaper than you’re currently paying for your gas and electricity. Your annual spend on all of its current tariffs will be below the Ofgem energy price cap which currently sits at £1,977 per year for both gas and electricity. It’s definitely worth considering a fixed-rate tariff at present as variable-rate plans may rise in line with the price cap.

Bristol Energy: what other services did they offer?

Bristol Energy was deeply invested in using "profits for purpose". As well as delivering energy, it was also heavily invested in supporting community projects in and around Bristol, supporting the growth of local businesses, creating jobs, and supporting ambitious initiatives to combat fuel poverty.

Did Bristol Energy do business tariffs?

Bristol Energy had previously offered business energy tariffs. However, since the acquisition by Together Energy, Bristol Energy’s business customers had been moved to Yü Energy. You can get a business energy quote from them by clicking here.

Did Bristol Energy have smart meters? What smart meters did they offer?

Yes, Bristol Energy offered smart meters to both new and existing customers.

A smart meter can be a fantastic way to reduce your energy spend as it transmits your usage data directly your supplier without the need to take or submit meter readings of your own. You also get an In Home Display (IHD) device to help you to better track your usage in real-time.

Bristol Energy offered both first-generation SMETS1 meters and second-generation SMETS2 meters, depending on where you live.

Traditionally, the disadvantage of first-generation smart meters is that they cease to transmit your usage when you switch energy suppliers. However, Bristol Energy was working on a remote upgrade to mitigate this which should have been out rolled out to all customers by the end of 2021.

Bristol Energy customer reviews: What did their customers say?

Let’s take a look at what Bristol Energy’s customers have to say about the brand.

At the time of writing, Bristol Energy’s Trustpilot page has a total of 1,856 customer reviews, and an aggregate customer score of 3.4 out of 5. This puts them in the middle of the "Average" band.

Reviews are a very mixed bag. Of the 1,856 reviews left by customers:

• 977 (53%) were "Excellent"
• 300 (16%) were "Great"
• 97 (5%) were "Average"
• 80 (4%) were "Poor"
• 402 (22%) were "Bad"

Although reviews are fairly mixed, a 69% majority of customers gave Bristol Energy a rating of either "Great" or "Excellent".

Positive reviewers focus on helpful and patient customer service staff, good value for money, and ease of managing their account online. Some reviewers mention specific members of the customer service team by name, which tends to indicate that someone has gone above and beyond.

Negative reviews, on the other hand, point to length issue resolution, difficulty getting in touch with the customer service team, miscommunications, and billing errors. To their credit, Bristol Energy have responded to 97% of negative customer reviews in the platform, typically providing a response within 24 hours.

How green was Bristol Energy?

Bristol Energy was one of the UK’s many green energy suppliers, exclusively delivering 100% renewable energy. The brand was invested in a combination of direct power purchase agreements, purchases from local renewable generators (via Feed in Tariffs and the Smart Export Guarantee), green energy certificates and investment in low-carbon solutions.

Bristol Energy energy fuel mix

Bristol Energy offered 100% renewable energy from a combination of wind, solar and hydropower. It did not, however, list the exact percentages of this on the website.

Contacting Bristol Energy

The Papernest team understand that while cheap, renewable energy is attractive, it’s of little consolation when you’re having trouble getting in touch with your supplier. Nobody wants to spend their precious time waiting on hold to speak to a customer service advisor.

If you want to be in touch on the automatic switch you can contact Bristol Energy by calling 0808 281 2222. Lines are open from 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday.

Or, if you prefer, you can email them at customercare@bristol-energy.co.uk.

Our energy industry experts can take the time to find the perfect Bristol Energy tariff for your household’s unique needs. We’ll even manage your switch from end-to-end, so you can enjoy cheaper, greener energy faster and 100% hassle-free.

Want to know more?

Call us today on 0330 818 6225.

We’re available from 8am to 6pm.

Would you like to know more about energy suppliers in the UK? Great! Check out these related articles

1. British Gas
2. Scottish Power
3. Eon
4. Octopus Energy

FAQ

I was in the process of switching, should I do anything?

Unless your old or new supplier contacts you, you don´t have to do anything for now. The switch will be processed like normal.

I am in debt at Bristol Energy, what should I do?

Most likely British Gas will take over the existing debt. Meaning that you will have to pay the same amount back to British Gas rather than Bristol Energy.

Will my rates go up at British Gas?

The energy crisis and the Ukraine war has forced energy suppliers to charge higher prices. The price cap has increased by 54% which means your rates at British Gas will be higher than your previous contract.

Do I have to stay at British Gas?

You are free to switch to a different player. However, in the current market it is very good to find better rates when switching.