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Our energy calculator calculates the annual cost of each tariff, using the information that you give us about your current supplier and how much you use. We then run these details through every tariff available to work out the annual costs for each tariff. These are then displayed in an easy to understand table so that you can make an informed choice about who to switch to.

All tariffs we use are current tariffs. We assume that you are on a current tariff and not a historic tariff no longer available from the supplier. Please bear in mind that this may impact upon the calculations given.

In order to compare prices, it's best to enter the number of kilowatt hours that you use. If you do not have the kWh's, then you can enter the amounts you pay monthly, quarterly or annually. When you do this, the calculator works out how many kWh's you use, but it uses the latest available tariffs to do this. It will then use the calculated number of kWh's to work out what each supplier will charge for the next 12 months based on existing tariffs. The results page shows how the suppliers compare to each other for that number of kWh's.

The calculator looks at several variables when calculating the bill sizes for each tariff on the results table. It then works out how much the customer could save by switching from their current supplier to each tariff (assuming they use the same amount of gas and electricity).

• Standing Charge (some suppliers charge a fixed daily charge, regardless of how much you use)

• Unit Rates (these are the costs of using one unit or kilowatt-hour of gas or electricity)

• Consumption thresholds (some suppliers charge a different, often lower, unit rate once a customer's gas or electricity consumption has passed a certain threshold)

We only include discounts that are received year on year in our calculations. Introductory or one off discounts are not included, nor are charges that may be received if a plan is cancelled or altered. Contributions made to charity are also not included in the calculated annual bill.

Discounts we include:

• Dual fuel discounts

• Direct Debit discounts

• Paperless billing discount

• Online discount - offered to customers who either sign online or manage their account online

Users can opt to filter out or include tariffs based on the features and preferences they require. If a user for example opts to see only tariffs with no standing charge we will filter out all tariffs that do not offer this facility.

We include plans that a customer may currently be signed up to in our database of suppliers and tariffs. These include fixed price or capped plans that a supplier previously offered, but has now withdrawn from the market.

Any plans that have been withdrawn are included so the customer can make the most accurate comparison with energy plans available. As they are not available to new customers, they will not be included in our results.

Compare all home energy suppliers