Can I take my fixed energy tariff with me when I move home?

The mechanics matter more than the principle. When you move, you are automatically switched to the new property's supplier, and it is likely your tariff will change². The old supplier has to be told in advance, at least 48 hours and ideally more³. The new supplier, whoever it is, will place you on its standard variable tariff until you register and choose otherwise⁴.

The decision is therefore a real one: transfer the fixed deal and keep the term, or let it end and start again. Most fixed tariffs carry exit fees for each fuel if the contract is ended early⁵, and 88% of consumers know exit fees may apply to fixed contracts⁶. The sections below set out when the fee is waived, how regional pricing affects a transfer, and what the alternatives look like.

Whether you can take a fixed tariff with you when you move

Portability is a supplier decision, not a consumer right. Independent guidance is explicit that a supplier "may allow you to move your energy tariff to your new home if you wish to do so"⁸, and maker guidance from OVO states that most suppliers will let a household transfer a fixed-rate contract to the new home, though rates may differ by area⁹. The word "may" carries the weight: nothing obliges a supplier to carry a contract across a move.

What is fixed and what is not is worth separating. The term is the part most likely to survive a move. Ecotricity's principal terms for its one year fixed tariffs state that where a household moves during the fixed term, rates may change dependent on the location of the new property but the term will remain the same¹⁰. That pattern repeats across its EcoFixed and EcoLoyalty products¹¹. So the contract length travels; the price per unit may not.

The reason is regional pricing. Standing charges vary depending on supplier, tariff and where you live¹⁶, and the default tariff cap itself varies across Great Britain because the costs of transporting energy from the generation source to the customer, the network charges, vary by region¹⁷. A supplier moving a customer from one distribution area to another is repricing for a genuine cost difference, not penalising the move.

For a household's energy independence, a transferred tariff is a modest win: it preserves a known rate for the remainder of the term and avoids a fee, but it does not remove dependence on the grid, the supplier or the wholesale market that set the original price. It keeps a contract intact rather than changing what the household controls.

Exit fees: waived when the tariff transfers to the new property

The exit fee is the hinge on which the whole decision turns. Independent guidance is direct: "If you move your tariff to the new house, exit fees don't apply"⁷. The same page warns that a household on a fixed tariff might have to pay an exit fee if the contract is not carried across⁷. Most fixed tariffs include exit fees for each fuel, payable if the customer switches to a different deal before the end of the contract⁵.

Suppliers set this out in their own terms. Ecotricity's fixed tariff documents state that where a household moves house during the fixed term, it will not be subject to exit fees where the tariff is transferred to the new property¹¹. The condition is the transfer itself. The same supplier's terms add a warning for households that choose a different route: choosing to start a new fixed tariff when moving house may incur an exit fee for ending the previous fixed tariff early¹⁴.

Two protections soften the edge. A supplier should not charge a fee to switch supplier if the contract ends in the next seven weeks¹⁸. And where a supplier has failed and the household has been moved to a new supplier's standard variable tariff, no exit fee applies to moving elsewhere¹⁹.

Telling your supplier about the move, and what happens if you do not transfer

Notice is the practical step that makes a transfer possible. Independent guidance advises telling your energy supplier at least 48 hours in advance, and ideally more³. Another source puts the minimum at two days' notice of the move²⁰. Some suppliers allow the process to be started earlier. The reason for the lead time is administrative: the old supply has to be closed with a final reading, the new one registered, and the transfer request assessed against the tariff's terms.

If the tariff does not transfer, the fallback is predictable. Breaking the contract puts the household automatically onto a standard variable tariff in the new home¹. New occupants who contact the supplier to register their details are likely to be put on that supplier's standard variable tariff⁴. Standard variable tariffs are also where households land when a fixed deal simply runs out: the supplier moves them onto it automatically and should remind them when the contract is about to end²¹.

There is a notification duty on the supplier side too. A supplier must write to tell a customer if their tariff is changing in a way that could disadvantage them, or if the tariff they are on is no longer available²². For fixed-term tariffs specifically, a supplier is required to contact the customer 42 to 49 days before the end date, informing them of what happens next²³.

Staying or switching: weighing a transferred tariff against a new deal

A transferred tariff keeps the term and avoids the fee, but it does not guarantee the cheapest outcome. The comparison is between a known rate for the remaining months and whatever the market offers at the new address. Independent guidance suggests money can be saved in the future by selecting a fixed-rate deal no more than 40% more expensive than the current price cap²⁴, which gives a rough ceiling for what counts as a reasonable fix.

The switching route has its own costs to check. Before changing, a household should understand any exit fees, fixed-term conditions or other charges that might apply²⁵. Awareness of this is not universal: 88% of consumers know exit fees may apply to fixed contracts, and 57% can identify that they may still apply when moving to another deal with the same supplier⁶. Switching from a variable rate tariff, by contrast, should not cost anything²⁶.

Two practical points shape the choice. First, anyone who pays a supplier directly for the electricity or gas they use at home can choose to switch supplier or tariff at any time²⁷, so the option is always open. Second, choosing a tariff with low or no exit fees in the first place, in case circumstances change, is a recognised way to keep that flexibility²⁸.

For energy independence, neither route changes the fundamentals: the household remains connected to the grid and dependent on a supplier and on wholesale prices. What a transfer preserves is contractual certainty for the remainder of a term. What a switch offers is a fresh start at the new address, at the cost of any fee the old contract carries.

Portability across the four nations

Regional pricing is not a detail. The default tariff cap level varies across Great Britain because network charges differ by region¹⁷, and standing charges vary by supplier, tariff and where the household lives¹⁶.

That means a move within the same distribution area is more likely to preserve the original rates than a move across the country. A move from one region to another can trigger a repricing even where the supplier agrees to carry the contract, which is exactly what the maker terms describe: rates may change dependent on the location of the new property while the term remains the same¹⁰.

Northern Ireland sits outside the Great Britain price cap arrangements, so the regional comparison above applies to England, Scotland and Wales. Households moving between nations should expect the tariff's availability and pricing to be reassessed rather than assumed.

What if the new home has a different meter or fuel type

A tariff is tied to a meter and a fuel. If the new property has a different meter type, or the tariff covers a fuel the new home does not use in the same way, the product may simply not be available there. In that case the contract cannot transfer, and the household goes onto a standard variable tariff in the new home¹.

The same applies to households moving into a property for the first time as its occupant. Registering details with the existing supplier typically results in placement on that supplier's standard variable tariff⁴, which is a default rather than a choice.

The practical sequence is straightforward:

1. Give the existing supplier at least 48 hours' notice, ideally more³.
2. Provide a final meter reading at the old property and a first reading at the new one.
3. Ask whether the fixed tariff can be transferred, and on what rates for the new area.
4. If it cannot transfer, register with the new property's supplier and choose a tariff.
5. Check any exit fee against the seven-week rule before switching¹⁸.