Can I switch energy supplier if I'm moving house? (2026 guide)

Affiliate disclosure: this post contains an Octopus Energy referral link. If you use it, both of us get £50 bill credit — the same £50 any Octopus referral earns, just attributed to me. It doesn't change the price you pay. I've moved house twice while with Octopus (September 2023 and September 2025) and handled both switches without a single phone call — the practical steps below are what actually worked.

Moving house is one of the best moments to switch energy supplier. You start a fresh supply contract from day one at the new property, your old supplier loses any hold over you, and there are no exit fees on your old Fixed deal because the contract ends naturally at the move-out date. This post walks through the actual steps for the three main moving scenarios — buying an existing property, moving into a new build, and renting — and covers what to do at the old place too.

The short version

Three things to do, in order:

1. At your old property: notify your current supplier of your move-out date, take a closing meter reading on the day you leave, and provide a forwarding address.
2. At your new property: find out who the existing ("deemed contract") supplier is, take an opening meter reading on the day you move in, and contact them to set up an account in your name.
3. Switch to your preferred supplier as soon as you've got the new account set up — you're not locked into the deemed contract supplier and can switch at any time.

That's it. Below is the detail for each scenario.

Scenario 1: Buying or moving into an existing property

This is the most common case. Someone lived there before you, the property has an existing energy supply, and you're inheriting whoever that previous supplier was.

Before you move

• Get the supplier name from the seller, your solicitor, or the letting agent. They should provide it as part of the move handover. If they don't, you can find your gas supplier by calling 0870 608 1524 (the Meter Number Helpline) and your electricity supplier by calling your local distribution network operator (ENA's find my electricity supplier tool covers most regions).
• Don't switch your energy at the new property yet. You can't legally take over a supply at a property you don't yet occupy. Wait until move-in day.
• You can switch at your current address up to the move-out date if you want to leave that supplier with a clean exit, but it's usually easier to just close the account on move-out.

On move-in day

1. Take an opening meter reading as soon as you have the keys. Photograph both the meter face and the serial number; date-stamp the photo. If there's a smart meter, the in-home display usually shows the reading on the home screen.
2. Identify the supplier if you didn't already. The seller's solicitor should have told your solicitor.
3. Contact the existing supplier within 48 hours of moving in. Set up an account in your name with the opening reading and your move-in date. They'll start billing you from that date — you're not liable for any energy used before move-in if your reading is accurate.

You're now on a "deemed contract" with that supplier. This is usually their default standard variable tariff, often the most expensive option they offer. There's no penalty for switching away — that's the moment to pick your preferred supplier.

Switching to your preferred supplier

Once your account at the new address is set up, you can switch to whichever supplier you want. The switching window under current Ofgem rules is around 14 days end-to-end (5 working days from accepting the quote to the switch going live). You can pick:

• The same supplier you had at your old address if you liked them. Some suppliers offer a "moving home" service that transfers your account to the new address with minimal admin. Octopus does this — when I moved in 2023 and again in 2025, I handled both moves entirely through the Octopus app, including the gas-and-electricity transfer to the new address.
• A different supplier if you want to comparison-shop. MoneySavingExpert's Cheap Energy Club is the easiest way to see live Fixed-deal pricing across UK suppliers for your new address.

Two house-move switches I've actually done

For context on what this looks like in practice: my September 2023 move was a London-to-London flat change, and the deemed contract supplier at the new place was a different supplier than my Octopus account. I gave Octopus the new address, the move-in date, and the opening reading via the in-app chat. They set up the new supply, ran the switch from the deemed-contract supplier, and the new tariff was live within about 12 days. No phone calls.

The September 2025 move was the same process plus the consolidation of my gas (which had been with E.ON Next since Bulb's 2021 collapse) onto Octopus. I added the gas supply to the same in-app request. Both fuels were live with Octopus within about two weeks.

What didn't happen, in either move: phone calls, paper forms, supplier hassle, or the Big Six "we'll call you back in 5–7 working days" loop. The Octopus moving-home flow is, in my experience, genuinely friction-free.

Scenario 2: Moving into a new build

New builds are slightly different because the property may not yet have an established supplier — or it may have one nominated by the developer that you can switch from immediately.

What's typical

Most UK new-build developers nominate a default energy supplier for the property, who becomes the deemed-contract supplier from the moment you move in. The developer usually provides the supplier details in the move-in pack alongside warranty information and council tax registration. Common new-build default suppliers include British Gas, E.ON Next, OVO, and EDF — though it varies by developer and region.

What to do

1. Read the move-in pack for the energy supplier details. If they're not there, ask the developer or the housebuilder's customer-care team.
2. Take meter readings on completion day. New builds often have brand-new smart meters that give a clean opening reading.
3. Set up an account with the deemed-contract supplier as soon as you can. You'll be billed from the completion date.
4. Switch to your preferred supplier once the account is established — usually within a few days. No penalty for switching from a deemed contract.

New-build-specific things to check

• Smart meter type. New builds increasingly have SMETS2 smart meters by default, which work with all suppliers — switching doesn't lose your smart functionality. If your new build has an older SMETS1 meter, switching may temporarily revert it to "dumb" mode until the new supplier completes the data takeover (this is improving but isn't yet seamless across all suppliers).
• Heat-pump or all-electric heating. Many new builds in 2026 are built without gas, with heat pumps or electric heating instead. This dramatically changes which Octopus tariff makes sense — see our Octopus tariff guide for the heat-pump (Cosy Octopus) and EV-charging (Intelligent Octopus Go) tariff options.
• EV charger pre-installation. New builds with pre-installed EV chargers should be paired with an EV-specific tariff (Octopus Go or Intelligent Octopus Go) from day one. Don't sit on the deemed-contract default for months.

Scenario 3: Renting

This is where the rules get the most attention. The short version: if you pay the energy bill directly, you can switch supplier — your landlord can't stop you.

Your rights as a tenant

Under UK consumer law and Ofgem regulations, a tenant who pays the energy bill directly to the supplier has the same right to switch supplier as a homeowner. The landlord:

• Cannot restrict your choice of supplier. If your tenancy agreement says you must use a specific supplier, that clause is unenforceable for energy supply (though it can apply to broadband or insurance).
• Cannot charge you a fee for switching supplier. Some agreements include a "switch-back fee" requiring you to revert to a specified supplier at the end of the tenancy. The switch-back itself is usually fine, but the fee is generally unenforceable too.
• Cannot demand you stay with the deemed-contract supplier. The deemed contract is between you and the supplier — your landlord isn't a party.

When the rules are different

There are a few rental scenarios where you can't switch unilaterally:

• All-inclusive rent. If your rent includes utilities and the landlord pays the supplier directly, only the landlord can switch. You're a sub-customer of the landlord, not a direct supplier customer.
• HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) with shared meters. If multiple bedrooms share one supply on a shared bill split between tenants, the contract is usually with the landlord or the head tenant. Individual room switches aren't possible.
• Prepayment-only meters. You can still switch supplier on a prepayment meter, but if your tenancy agreement specifies the meter must be prepayment, you can't unilaterally change the meter type to credit.

Practical steps for renters

1. Take an opening meter reading on move-in day — same as any other move.
2. Set up an account with the deemed-contract supplier in your name (don't leave it in the landlord's name; they may keep it under their account by default).
3. Switch to your preferred supplier at any point. You don't need landlord permission.
4. At end of tenancy, take a closing reading and notify your supplier of your move-out date as you would in any move.

The only thing worth flagging to your landlord is if your tenancy agreement has a "leave the property on a specified supplier" clause. You can comply by switching back to the named supplier in the final week of the tenancy if you want to avoid any deposit dispute — though as noted above, the switch-back fee itself is usually unenforceable.

For a full tenant-focused breakdown, see Citizens Advice on switching energy supplier as a tenant.

Closing your old account properly

Whichever scenario you're in for the new property, the old-property close-out matters too. Three steps:

1. Notify your current supplier of your move-out date. Most suppliers want at least 48 hours' notice. Many allow you to schedule the close-out 2–4 weeks ahead. Octopus does this through the in-app chat or website with no phone call needed.
2. Take a closing meter reading on the day you move out. Photograph the meter face. Date-stamp the photo. Provide it to the supplier the same day.
3. Provide a forwarding address. The supplier will send your final bill (or refund any credit balance) to that address. If you've moved within the same supplier's service area, the new account in your name should be linked to your old one automatically.

If you skip these steps, you can be billed for energy used at the old property by the new occupants until they set up their own supply. This is fixable but takes time and paperwork.

What about credit balances?

If your old account is in credit when you close it (paid more on direct debit than you used), the supplier owes you the balance back. They should refund automatically to the bank account that paid the direct debit, usually within 4–6 weeks of the final bill being settled. If it doesn't arrive, contact the supplier — credit balance refunds are an Ofgem requirement, not optional.

If you've moved to the same supplier at the new address, you can usually ask for the credit to be transferred to the new account rather than refunded.

Switching to Octopus when you move

If you've decided Octopus is the right fit for the new property, you can use my Octopus £50 referral link — both of us get £50 bill credit, paid after your first direct debit. The full referral scheme is on the Octopus Energy referral page.

The Octopus moving-home flow is straightforward: enter the new address in your account, give them the opening meter readings and the move-in date, and they handle the deemed-contract switch automatically. Both my 2023 and 2025 moves landed within about two weeks with no phone calls.

You might also like

• Octopus Energy review: 6 years as a customer
• Which Octopus Energy tariff is right for you?
• Octopus Energy for landlords: how the referral works
• Octopus Energy no standing charge: is it possible?

Sources

• Citizens Advice on switching energy supplier when renting: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/switching-energy-supplier/switch-supplier-when-you-rent/
• Ofgem switching process: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/switching-energy-supplier-or-tariff
• MSE Cheap Energy Club: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/cheap-energy-club/
• Octopus Energy moving home: https://octopus.energy/help/moving-home/

Switching process and timings accurate as of 4 May 2026. Ofgem occasionally updates the regulated switching window — check Ofgem's site for the current rules.