Utility Warehouse is the seventh-largest energy company in the UK. If you haven’t heard of them before, it’s probably because they don’t really advertise, relying on recommendations instead.
Find out if this newbie is right for you based on reviews from around the web below:
Utility Warehouse Reviews
- Trustpilot: 8.1 out of 10, based on 4,317 reviews, rated ‘Great’ overall.
- Which?: Overall customer score of 73% based on 113 customers. On average, customers rate them 4/5 for customer service, value for money, and helping to save energy. They score 5/5 for bill accuracy.
- Review Centre: 3.7 out of 5, based on 1899 reviews.
- Citizens Advice: 3.9 out of 5. Utility Warehouse came 5th in the Citizens Advice ranking of 23 energy companies. They score an average of 5 stars for ease of switching and bill clarity, and their lowest score of 3 stars is for dealing with complaints.
Utility Warehouse Electricity, Gas & Dual Fuel Tariffs
Utility Warehouse provide ‘bundles’ rather than tariffs, which can include phone, mobile, broadband and energy or a customised combination of three of these.
The prices below are based on gas and electric for a home at a specific postcode with national average usage. For a more specific bundle, you can enter your own details at jointheclub.co.uk. There are various forms and you have to provide some contact information up front.
Gold Energy
- Phone line rental – £16.50 a month (ex-directory, sales calls blocked, other extras available).
- Broadband – £9.99 a month (download speed of 1-9 Mbps, upload speed of up to 1 Mbps, add a router or use an existing one).
- Gas – £54 a month, £650 annually (3.93p per kWh unit rate, 21.58p per day standing rate).
- Electricity – £56 a month, £674 annually (15.8p per kWh unit rate, 22.44p per day standing rate).
- Can choose to pay for the energy used each month or equal monthly instalments.
- £13 dual fuel discount.
- No end date, no exit fees mentioned.
Double Gold
- The same as above.
- Add one of 5 mobile plans and save £35 a year.
Note the tariffs listed above were correct at the time of writing (15 November 2017), although as noted, prices will vary by post code and subject to change at any time.
Utility Warehouse Business Energy
Commercial customers can sign up for gas and electricity, or one of the two individually, and add phone and broadband to their package too. There’s no minimum contract, and if you have to leave a previous contract early to join Utility Warehouse, they’ll “reimburse up to £200 of early termination fees”.
If you’re a ‘Gold Status’ customer for 12 months, Utility Warehouse will knock 10% 0ff your bill.
To get a quote you have to go through an initial credit check.
For more see: 2018 Utility Warehouse Business Electricity & Gas Tariffs & Rates
Utility Warehouse Background
Founded in 2002 and currently serving half a million customers, Utility Warehouse is a bit different to its competitors, referring to itself as a ‘Discount Club’. They make it sound pretty easy – you choose a bundle which includes energy, broadband, and phone, provide some details, and then they set up your services.
The company started life when it connected with nPower (who they bought 770,000 customers from) and Telecom Plus (who provide their line rental and broadband). Utility Warehouse don’t generate their own fuel, they source their electricity from Electricity Plus.
Utility Warehouse don’t advertise, instead they use 40,000 ‘Utility Warehouse Partners’ who recommend them for commission as part of a multi-level marketing scheme. This doesn’t necessarily mean the partner recommending them is happy with the service though, as they’re paid to promote it, so it’s possibly a flawed recruitment process.
You can still set up an account without going through a Partner.
Utility Warehouse Smart Meter
Just like other energy companies, Utility Warehouse are rolling out smart meters gradually in different areas of the UK. If you’re eligible (the rules are a bit vague, but you can get all the info on the Smart Energy GB site) they’ll contact you to book an installation. You can’t register your interest with them, but if you’re a customer, you’re on their list.
Smart meters mean you don’t have to manually submit meter readings anymore and your bill will be more accurate. You can also monitor your usage on the screen throughout the day and reduce consumption in real-time.
Your electricity usage will be reported every few seconds, and your gas usage every half an hour. The government have set a deadline for energy companies to provide all eligible customers with smart meters free of charge by 2020.
Other Utility Warehouse Meters
The help section of Utility Warehouse’s site includes some guidance on reading your meter and sending your readings. They recommend you send a reading each month, but they’ll accept at least one every 3 months.
If you’re not able to get a smart meter just yet, sending regular meter readings is the best way to keep your bill accurate.
Utility Warehouse Bills
You can receive your bill through the post or email, and check them in the ‘Clubhouse’ (what Utility Warehouse call their online account). What your bill means and how it works is explained in a video too.
Utility Warehouse Warm Home Discount
Utility Warehouse was part of the 2017/18 Warm Home Discount scheme, which gives vulnerable people £140 towards their energy bills. However, their website does not currently list any information on how to apply for 2018/19.
Utility Warehouse App
The Clubhouse app is available on the App Store and Google Play Store, giving customers access to their energy, mobile, phone, and broadband accounts in one place. Utility Warehouse offer Cashback with 2000 retailers, so you can check your balance here too. There’s a separate app for Utility Warehouse Partners to help them bring new customers onboard.
410 Android users give the app 4.2/5 and 77 iPhone users give the app 3.5/5, though some people find it difficult to log in or found the app crashed regularly.
Switching To Utility Warehouse
Switching takes roughly 3 weeks, but because you’re switching your broadband and phone as well as your energy, it could involve more complications than usual depending on your existing providers and their rules/costs.
Moving Home With Utility Warehouse
Utility Warehouse stress that they want moving house to be as simple as possible, so they ask you let them know when you’re moving and they’ll “arrange the rest”.
As tariffs vary from region to region, and depending on what kind of home you live in and how your boiler functions, you might find the prices go up or down if you move to a different area if you stick with them.
Utility Warehouse Fuel Mix
Coal – 1.2% (8.5% UK average)
Gas – 90.1% (44.1%)
Nuclear – 1% (21.0%)
Renewable – 7.3% (24.2%)
Other – 0.4% (2.2%)
Utility Warehouse Feed-in Tariff
Utility Warehouse is a mandatory Feed-in Tariff (FIT) licensee. This means you can receive your FIT payments from them (as long as your system is MCS certified) if you are an Utility Warehouse customer or your current energy supplier is not a FIT licensee. You can learn more on their website.
Utility Warehouse In the News
Small-cap focus: retail energy minnows challenge the big six
3 Nov 2017, Financial Times
Utility Warehouse is listed as one of the “more successful challengers” of ‘The Big Six’ in terms of profit. The share price has increased by 5% since the start of the year and their base has grown to 2.3 million customers.
Roaming warning: ‘I was charged £8,000 for 40 minutes’ data in Europe’
27 Oct 2017, Moneysavingexpert
A warning from MSE to those using Utility Warehouse as their mobile data provider. A British woman on holiday accidentally connected to a mobile network in Greece and was charged £8,000 for 40 minutes of usage. Utility Warehouse responded on 3 Nov 2017 to say they believed the customer was in Turkey, hence the high costs.
Ofgem names and shames utilities giants for treatment of indebted customers
17 Oct 2017, Credit Strategy
Some energy companies have been outed for letting vulnerable “customers accrue £800 of debt in unpaid bills” before helping them with a repayment plan, and Utility Warehouse is listed as one of them.
Get rich quick? Not with Utility Warehouse
8 July 2017, The Guardian
A summary of how profitable Utility Warehouse is for its partners. According to the Guardian, “the average amount being earned appears to be less than £10 a week”, despite Utility Warehouse’s promotional material saying earnings could be “life-changing”.
Utility Warehouse Complaints
Overall, the reviews are pretty good across the different sites, particularly Trustpilot (67% of reviews are ‘Excellent’) and Which?
The majority of negative reviews involve switching, moving home and getting set up, and though Utility Warehouse do respond, it’s mainly out of courtesy.
On their website, Utility Warehouse are aiming “to be the Nation’s Most Trusted Utility Supplier”, but they haven’t published any complaints reports, so that’s difficult to prove.
Contact Phone Numbers & Email
Phone: 0333 777 3 212 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5:30pm. Sat 9am-4:30pm)
Email: You can message Utility Warehouse using this form.
Utility Warehouse Address
Utility Warehouse, Network HQ, 508 Edgware Road, The Hyde, London, NW9 5AB
Website: https://www.utilitywarehouse.co.uk
Utility Warehouse Summary
Theirs is an unusual model, but it’s a winner for many of their customers and the reviews seem to prove it. Price-wise, Utility Warehouse are quite affordable, particularly if you want to combine your broadband and phone costs with your energy. The majority of reviewers are pleased, but a few voices find the switching process difficult.
Pros:
- Cheaper than ‘The Big Six’.
- App offers many advanced features.
- Reviews are positive overall.
Cons:
- Only suits customers interested in switching broadband and phone suppliers as well as energy.
- Only two tariffs to choose from and they’re very similar.
- Becoming a partner doesn’t sound like a big earner.