What tariff am I on when I move into a new home?

That default tariff is usually the most expensive plan the supplier offers, and its rates are set by the energy price cap and change every three months². You are not tied in: a deemed contract carries no exit fee, and you can ask the supplier to move you to a cheaper tariff or switch to another supplier entirely².

The practical work is small but time-critical. Find out who supplies the property, tell them you have moved in, and give the meter reading from the day you arrived so that the previous occupant's usage is not billed to you⁴. Switching itself is quick: suppliers must complete a change of supply within five working days⁵.

The tariff you inherit when you move in: deemed contract, not a choice

A deemed contract is what exists when energy is supplied to a property and nobody has agreed a contract for it. It is not a penalty and it is not a mistake; it is the mechanism that keeps the lights on between one occupier and the next. The terms are the supplier's default or standard variable tariff, and the rates are whatever that supplier charges on that tariff at the time¹.

The important feature of a deemed contract is that it does not lock you in. Ofgem's guidance is explicit that a supplier cannot charge an exit fee on a deemed contract, and that a householder can ask the new supplier to move them to their cheapest tariff or switch to another supplier instead². That distinguishes it sharply from a fixed-term deal, where leaving early can trigger a charge.

What a deemed contract does not do is protect you on price. Default tariffs do not charge a fixed amount per unit of energy, so the cost of bills can rise when the cap or the supplier's rates move⁸. A standard variable tariff is typically the most expensive type of plan a supplier offers and can be subject to price rises⁹. The householder's position is therefore secure in terms of exit but exposed in terms of cost.

For a household's energy independence, the deemed contract is the weakest position available: you are dependent on a supplier you did not choose, on a tariff you did not select, at a price you cannot fix. The one lever is that leaving costs nothing.

How to find out which supplier and tariff the property is on

The supplier is a property fact, not a personal one, so it can be established before you move. For a newly built home, the developer or house-building company will be able to say who supplies the gas and electricity⁴. For an existing home, the seller, the letting agent or the supplier's own records will confirm it, and the previous occupant's final bill names the supplier too.

Once you know who it is, the sequence is the same whether you own or rent: identify the supplier, contact them to say you have moved in, and submit the meter readings⁴. Tenants follow the same three steps: get the name of the supplier, call to say you have moved in, and submit the first gas and electricity reading⁴.

The tariff itself is harder to pin down before you have an account, because the supplier will place you on their default tariff rather than inherit the previous occupant's deal. New tenants on credit meters are likely to be put on the supplier's standard variable tariff when they register their details¹⁰. That is the tariff to expect, and it is the one whose rates the price cap governs.

Standard variable tariffs and the price cap: what you will likely be paying

The standard variable tariff is the tariff the price cap was built around. It is the type of tariff affected by the energy price cap, which changes every three months³. If you do not fix an energy deal, you will typically pay a provider's default, variable rate, which is determined by the energy price cap¹¹.

The cap's legal basis is well established: it came into force at the beginning of 2019⁶. Its coverage is defined by contract rather than by customer type. The cap applies where a customer has not signed up for a fixed-term contract with their supplier, which is precisely the position of someone who has just moved in⁶. It applies to default tariffs regardless of how bills are paid, whether by Direct Debit or on receipt of bill, though the level differs by payment method, and it does not apply to fixed, green or time-of-use tariffs¹².

That last point matters for anyone weighing up a green tariff or a time-of-use deal after a move: those sit outside the cap, so the protection is traded for whatever the tariff offers instead.

The cap is a limit on unit rates and standing charges, not a limit on your bill. A household that uses more energy pays more, and the cap level is reset every quarter. The practical consequence of moving in is that you start on the tariff most exposed to those quarterly movements, with no fixed term and no exit fee, until you choose otherwise.

Fixed, variable and prepayment: what the labels mean

The tariff names a household meets after a move fall into a small number of types. Suppliers' own lists include the standard variable tariff, renewable energy tariffs, electric vehicle tariffs, fixed price tariffs and prepayment or pay-as-you-go tariffs¹³.

Fixed terms are commonly tested at 12 months and 24 months alongside the standard variable option¹⁴. A fixed tariff is not automatically cheaper, and it carries the condition that leaving early can cost money: exit fees can apply on any defined length tariff and are paid if you switch to a different tariff more than four weeks before the tariff end date¹⁵. That is the trade a householder makes when moving from a deemed contract to a fix.

Some tariffs also ask for money up front. Some require one month's payment, or even two in some cases, before they start supplying, and some prepayment deals require a security deposit¹¹. On a new account with no payment history, that is worth knowing before choosing.

Switching after you move in: when and how

The timing rule is straightforward. You can act as soon as you become responsible for the property, which for a purchase is after you have exchanged contracts⁴. Citizens Advice puts the same limit on it: you need to wait until the day you become responsible for the property¹.

Once that day has passed, the process is short. Suppliers must switch your electricity or gas supply from your old supplier to your new supplier within five working days⁵. The Energy Switch Guarantee, the industry commitment, states that customers can switch to a new tariff within five working days, whether that means changing supplier or changing tariff with the existing one¹⁶.

Cost depends on what you are leaving. If you have a variable rate tariff, it should not cost you a penny to move to another tariff¹⁷. If you were on a fixed rate and leave before it ends, you may have to pay your previous supplier an exit fee⁵. Before changing anything, it is worth understanding any exit fees, fixed-term conditions or other charges that might apply¹⁸.

For a householder who has just moved, the sequence is therefore: register with the existing supplier, give the opening readings, then decide whether to stay on the default tariff or move. The default position costs nothing to leave, which is the one advantage it carries.

Standing charges and Direct Debits on a new account

A new account brings two charges that are easy to overlook. The standing charge is a daily amount paid regardless of how much energy is used, and it is quoted for customers on a standard variable tariff with single-rate electric and gas meters paying by Direct Debit¹⁹. It covers the fixed costs of supplying the property, and it applies from the day you take on the home.

How you pay changes what you pay. In cap period 12a, customers paying by standard credit, that is cash or cheque, paid an additional £106 compared with those paying by Direct Debit⁷. The gap appears in regional figures too: in the Midlands, on receipt of bill households faced paying a total of over £14 more on their standing charge than Direct Debit households over a three-month period²⁰.

Direct Debit amounts are not arbitrary. A review takes account of the balance on the customer account, the tariff rates including unit rates and standing charge, and the estimated annual usage²¹. That means a new account with no history starts from an estimate, and the first Direct Debit may be adjusted once real readings arrive.

Debt on a meter is not yours. Any existing debt on the meter belongs to the last tenant and should be removed by the supplier¹⁰. The same principle applies to credit meters: a tenant moving out is not responsible for the energy bills at the property they leave, though they will be responsible for the bills at the new home²³.

Where the rules differ across the UK

The supply and switching framework described here is the Great Britain one, covering England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland runs a separate system, and network standards there are set by NIE Networks, which commits to changing a meter within 10 working days of being notified by the supplier where a new tariff needs a new meter²⁴.

The price cap itself is a GB arrangement. The cap applies where a customer has not signed up for a fixed-term contract with their supplier, and it applies to default tariffs regardless of payment method⁶. Households in Northern Ireland should check the position with their own supplier and regulator rather than assume the GB cap level applies.

Warm Home Discount arrangements also differ. In England and Wales the scheme is built around qualifying benefits including Housing Benefit²⁵. The scheme is set to expire in 2026, with the government to decide what support follows²⁶. From April 2026 the recovery of Warm Home Discount costs shifts from the standing charge to the unit rate on household energy bills²⁷. A household moving home should re-establish any discount with the new supplier, since it attaches to the account rather than the person.

One further case sits outside the domestic rules entirely. Where a home is supplied through a business contract, the protections differ, and it is worth checking before moving who holds the energy contract, how charges are calculated, how much residents typically pay, whether charges are metered or estimated, whether you can choose your supplier or tariff, and whether it is possible to switch to a domestic contract²⁸.