Is E.ON Next worth it? A review after 4 years

Affiliate disclosure: this post contains an E.ON Next referral link. If you use it, we both get a £50 retail voucher redeemable at 100+ retailers. It doesn't change the price you pay.

I became an E.ON Next customer by accident. My gas supplier Bulb went into special administration in November 2021, and I was transferred to E.ON Next as part of the Ofgem safety net process. Four years later, I can say something most people can't about their energy supplier: I've run E.ON Next and Octopus Energy side by side for nearly four years, with electricity on one and gas on the other. That gives me a direct first-hand comparison most reviews can't offer.

The question this post answers: is E.ON Next worth switching to? Not whether it's the flashiest or most innovative (it isn't). Whether it's reliable, fairly priced, and does what an energy supplier should do without creating problems. Here's what four years of actual bills, support interactions, and side-by-side comparison have shown me.

Three things I'd tell you up front

1. E.ON Next is boringly reliable, and that's a compliment. Bills are predictable, the direct debit has never been aggressively hiked without reason, and the switch process was painless. After the chaos of 2021–2022 when dozens of UK suppliers collapsed, "boring and reliable" is a genuine selling point.
2. Pricing is competitive but not market-leading. E.ON Next typically sits at or just below the Ofgem price cap. It won't win a unit-rate comparison on any given week, but it won't surprise you with sudden spikes either.
3. The referral reward is straightforward. £50 retail voucher, redeemable at 100+ retailers, arrives about four weeks after your first direct debit. No mystery amounts, no conditions beyond switching: it just works.

How much has E.ON Next cost me over four years?

I was transferred to E.ON Next for gas in late 2021, inheriting what was essentially a price-cap-tracked standard variable tariff. Here's how costs have moved:

The increases reflect the post-2022 wholesale price reset that affected every UK supplier, not E.ON Next specifically. My bills have tracked the Ofgem price cap closely, which is exactly what you'd expect from a standard variable tariff.

How it compares to Octopus: when I was running both suppliers simultaneously, the unit rates were typically within 1p/kWh of each other on standard tariffs. The standing charges were almost identical. On price alone, there was no compelling reason to consolidate one way or the other; I eventually moved everything to Octopus when I moved house in 2025 purely for the convenience of one supplier and one app.

Fixed vs variable

E.ON Next offers fixed-rate tariffs that lock your unit rate for 12 months. I stayed on the standard variable throughout my time as a customer because the premium for fixing was typically £50–£100/year more than the variable rate, and I wasn't convinced the price cap was about to spike again.

If you value price certainty and think energy costs might rise, fixing makes sense. If you're comfortable tracking the cap, the standard variable is usually cheaper over a full year.

The renewable electricity claim

E.ON Next's electricity is not 100% renewable, and it is not above average either. Its fuel mix disclosure (opens in new tab), the breakdown every UK supplier is required to publish, reports the electricity E.ON Next supplied between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 as 31.3% renewable, 51.5% natural gas, 10.2% coal and 2.7% nuclear, at 331g CO2/kWh. The UK average over the same period was 42.1% renewable at 205g. E.ON Next is below average on the first and well above it on the second.

100% renewable is a tariff you choose, not the default. E.ON Next reserves the figure for Next Gust (opens in new tab), a 12-month fixed tariff backed by UK wind generation carrying a £50 per fuel exit fee, and for Next Pumped, its heat pump tariff. Its own fuel mix page scopes it the same way: "100% of the electricity used by our residential customers on our Next Gust tariff is backed by 100% renewable sources." Next Flex, the standard variable I was on for four years, carries no renewable claim at all.

Gas is not renewable. E.ON Next's gas supply is standard natural gas, same as every other UK supplier. If "green gas" matters to you, look for biomethane-blended tariffs. E.ON Next doesn't currently offer one.

This is where Octopus separates from E.ON Next rather than matching it. Octopus publishes a 100% zero-carbon mix across its whole supply, 86.4% renewables and 13.6% nuclear, bought through power purchase agreements. With E.ON Next, green supply is a product you opt into and pay an exit fee to leave.

Customer service: what actually happens

This is where E.ON Next is adequate but not exceptional.

Phone support: I've called three times over four years. Average wait time was about 15 minutes. The agents were helpful and resolved issues on the call: no callbacks, no "we'll get back to you." Not fast, but not frustrating.

Web chat: available during business hours. Responses are a bit scripted but functional. Good for simple queries like meter readings or payment dates.

App: the E.ON Next app handles routine tasks well: submitting meter readings, viewing bills, managing your direct debit. It's functional rather than polished. If you're coming from a big-six supplier with no app at all, it's a big upgrade. If you're coming from Octopus or Monzo-tier app quality, it'll feel basic.

Compared to Octopus: Octopus's in-app chat is noticeably faster (usually under 5 minutes vs E.ON Next's 15+ minute phone waits), and the Octopus app is more capable. This was the one area where the side-by-side comparison clearly favoured Octopus. For a detailed breakdown, see our Octopus Energy vs E.ON Next comparison.

Who is E.ON Next best for?

Best for:

• Households wanting a reliable, established energy supplier with no surprises
• Anyone who'd rather deal with a big, stable company after the post-2021 supplier collapses
• Customers who want a simple, clean referral scheme (£50 voucher, no mystery amounts)

Less ideal for:

• EV owners, solar panel users, or heat pump households (Octopus's smart tariffs are significantly better)
• Anyone who wants renewable electricity as standard, since here it is an opt-in tariff and the disclosed mix is below the UK average
• People who want the best possible app experience
• Anyone who prioritises rapid customer support response times

E.ON Next vs Octopus Energy

Since I've used both simultaneously, here's the straight comparison:

The bottom line on the comparison: if you have standard energy needs and want a straightforward supplier, both are good choices. If you have any smart-home energy kit (EV, solar, heat pump, battery), Octopus is clearly better because of the tariff range. The full comparison is here.

The referral bonus

E.ON Next's refer-a-friend scheme gives both you and the referrer a £50 retail voucher, redeemable at over 100 retailers. The voucher arrives about four weeks after your first direct debit payment clears.

It is also ten times what a Monzo referral now pays, and you know the figure before you switch. And unlike Octopus's bill credit (which reduces your energy bill), E.ON Next's voucher is spendable retail credit, which some people prefer.

Get your E.ON Next referral code here →

E.ON Next FAQs

Is E.ON Next any good?

Yes. After four years as a customer (gas from late 2021 when Bulb collapsed, electricity added later), E.ON Next has been reliable, competitively priced, and responsive when I've needed support. It's not as innovative as Octopus Energy on tariffs or app quality, and its electricity is greener only if you pick the tariff sold that way, but it's a solid, well-backed supplier with a strong referral scheme. If you want an established supplier without surprises, E.ON Next delivers.

Is E.ON Next cheaper than Octopus Energy?

They're very close on price. Both typically sit at or below the Ofgem price cap. In my experience running both side by side for nearly four years, the unit rates were within a penny of each other most quarters. The real difference is in tariff variety: Octopus offers time-of-use and smart-home tariffs that E.ON Next doesn't match. On a standard variable or fixed deal, they're comparable.

Is E.ON Next renewable?

Only on the tariffs sold that way. Next Gust is backed 100% by UK wind generation and Next Pumped comes with 100% renewable electricity, but the standard variable and fixed tariffs carry no renewable claim. Across everything E.ON Next supplies, its fuel mix disclosure reports 31.3% renewable against a UK average of 42.1%. Gas is not renewable either way: it's standard natural gas, the same as every other UK supplier.

How is E.ON Next customer service?

Adequate but not exceptional. Phone support typically connects within 15–20 minutes. The web chat works but can feel scripted. Email responses usually come within a day. It's noticeably slower than Octopus Energy's in-app chat, but faster than most traditional big-six suppliers. The app handles routine tasks (meter readings, bill payments, tariff changes) without needing to contact support.

Should I switch to E.ON Next or Octopus Energy?

If you want simplicity, stability, and a £50 retail voucher, pick E.ON Next. If you have an EV, solar, or heat pump, or value a better app and more tariff flexibility, pick Octopus Energy. Both give £50 referral rewards, both are competitively priced, and both are Ofgem-regulated. For a detailed comparison, see our E.ON Next vs Octopus Energy referral guide.

The bottom line

E.ON Next is worth it. It's not the most exciting energy supplier in the UK: it has EV tariffs but nothing dynamic to set against Tracker, Agile or Flux, its app isn't as polished, and its customer service is slower. Its supply is also browner than the UK average unless you choose Next Gust. But it's competitively priced, part of one of Europe's largest energy companies, and has a clean referral scheme that pays out without fuss.

After four years as a customer and nearly four years of running it side by side with Octopus, I can say it does what an energy supplier should do: supply energy reliably at a fair price without creating problems. For most households, that's enough, and the £50 voucher for switching is a nice bonus on top.