Around 460,000 British Gas customers are coming to the end of their five-year fixed price deal, and face a price shock. Since 2005, they have been paying as much as £473* a year less for their energy than the rest of us.

The average household energy bill is now £1,194 a year, and given these Price Protection 2010 customers have been paying £820 a year, this rise is going to hurt. But you can get a much better deal, whether you are coming to the end of a fixed deal or not, with our energy comparison service.

Big savings to be had by switching

For example, a couple living in a three-bedroom house in Kent with British Gas supplying both electricity and gas on the standard tariff would be paying £1,257 a year. But by switching to the Eon FixOnline v8 they would pay £987 – saving £270 on their annual energy bill.

The savings to be made will vary depending on where you are living. But for sure, you can save a packet by switching your electricity supplier, whether you are leaving a British Gas fixed rate now or not.

Change your habits to save money

There are other changes you can make which will all add up too, like only boiling enough water in your kettle to make the tea you want right now, and turning off items, such as TVs and DVD players, that are usually on standby. All of these can add up to significant savings over the year. But by far the quickest way to save is to switch energy suppliers.

* uSwitch