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Moving home: how to sort your energy without overpaying

Energy is easy to forget in a house move, and that’s exactly how people end up overpaying at both ends. A few simple steps on the day — and a bit of patience before you commit — keep it straightforward and stop you paying for someone else’s energy.

• Take meter readings on move day — both homes. Read the meters as you leave the old place and as you arrive at the new one, with a photo and the date. This is the single most useful thing you can do: it draws a clean line so you’re billed for your energy and not the previous occupant’s. How to read your meter →
• You’re with someone by default — and it’s rarely the cheapest. When you move in, you inherit whoever supplies the property on what’s called a deemed contract — usually a standard variable tariff, the pricier default. You haven’t chosen it, and you’re free to switch away once you’re settled. Just don’t leave it drifting for months.
• Tell the supplier you’ve moved in. Contact whoever supplies the new home, give them your move-in date and opening reading, and set up an account. If you don’t know who it is, your regional network operator or a quick search of the address can point you to them.
• Don’t rush into a fix. It’s tempting to lock a deal the moment you arrive, but you don’t yet know how this home uses energy — a new boiler, different insulation and a different layout can change everything. Get a month or two of real usage first, then decide calmly. Should you fix? →
• Then check the new home’s real usage. Once you’ve lived in it a little, you can see what it actually costs and whether the deemed tariff is worth leaving. Find the cheapest tariff for your usage →

The overpaying trap in a move is sitting on the default tariff for months without ever checking. Once you’ve a little usage under your belt, Joulely reads the new home’s real numbers and tells you whether you’re on a fair deal — free, impartial, and nothing sold.