New. The MSE Big Winter Energy Switch

We've negotiated CHEAPER than the cheapest energy - typical savings £250/yr 

The cheapest fix, variable, long fix and big-name fix

A message from Martin: It's cold. Energy use is up, and so are prices. On Thu at 7am, Ofgem will announce the new price cap rate to be in effect from 1 Apr. It's likely it will be UP around 10%, meaning 40% of the population still on Big 6 standard tariffs will see costs rocket.

So we've launched The MSE Winter Energy Switch, our 13th collective switch, where we lever our huge user base, 10m+ email recipients and 3.8m Energy Club members to get firms to provide special tariffs.

The Holy Grail is deals CHEAPER than the open market cheapest, and boosted customer service. And it's been a while, but we've managed to do it this time and in a number of categories.

Savings can be large, as Derek tweeted during our last Big Switch Event: "@MartinSLewis I've 3 family members signed up saving them annually £700, £600 & best of all my niece £1,500." Over to the team for the details...

We have winners in 4 categories, we pick them based on price and service. The collective runs until Fri 22 Feb, but some winning tariffs will likely run out sooner.

IMPORTANT: Collective switch rules mean you must go via our Cheap Energy Club comparison (all links do) and have been a member of either our Cheap Energy Club or this email list (on the same address) by 5 Feb.

1. MSE Big Winter Switch Event Winner: Cheapest 1yr fix (and is 100% renewable elec). Only 5,000 available. Green Network Energy - £967/yr for typical usage, incl MSE cashback + enhanced MSE service.

Our first winner is this GNE MSE Exclusive Green 12mth Fix v2, which, factoring in the £25 MSE cashback, is not just the cheapest fix, but the cheapest overall tariff.  As it is fixed the rate is locked in for a year (not the price, that varies with your usage).

It's a dual-fuel (incl Eco 7), monthly direct debit tariff, for new customers on paperless billing. You can't take it with you if you move home.

GNE is a mid-sized firm, with 240,000 custs, owned by a large Italian energy firm. We've run past deals with it before and they've gone well.

Its customer service rating is a healthy 69% 'great' in our last poll (though from only 52 votes) and it's agreed to MSE enhanced customer service, basically meaning if it doesn't sort an issue for you, we can get involved.

2. MSE Big Winter Switch Event Winner: Cheapest Big 6 fix & longer 16mth fix. Only 13,000ish available. EDF Energy £999/yr on typical usage, incl MSE cashback - existing EDF customers can get it too.

The special MSE EDF Simply Fixed Jun20v2 is good for anyone wanting a name they know. It's the cheapest Big 6 deal on the market and the rate is locked in until 30 June 2020 - giving you longer rate certainty (not the price, that varies with your usage).

It's available dual fuel, elec-only, incl Eco 7, for new AND existing customers (so it's a no-brainer for anyone on an EDF standard tariff) and you can pay monthly direct debit or via cheque/cash (though that's costlier). Plus you CAN take it with you if you move house.

EDF is the highest-rated Big 6 customer service provider from our polls, yet it's still only 42% 'great'. There are 25,000 'fuels' available, so as most switches are dual fuel we estimate that's only about 13,000 switches in total.

3. MSE Big Winter Switch Event Winner: Cheapest two-winter fix and it's a Big 6. E.on £1,037/yr on typical usage, incl MSE cashback - existing E.on customers can get it too.

The E.on Fix 2 Year MSE Collective Feb 2019 tariff is the cheapest longer fix on the market, giving you rate certainty for two winters, ie, until roughly the end of Feb 2021 (not the price, that varies with your usage) - useful for anyone who doesn't want to switch too often.

It's available dual fuel, elec only and eco 7, for new and existing customers. Existing E.on customers who switch to it won't be charged any early exit penalties. You can pay by direct debit or via cheque/cash (though that's costlier). Plus you CAN take it with you if you move home.

E.on's customer service is the third best of the Big 6, then again that's only 35% 'great', according to our polls.

4. Ends Wed 13 Feb: Cheapest variable, top service, 100% renewable elec and it pays any early exit fees (prepay version available). Exclusive MSE Bulb tariff - £970/yr on typical usage, incl MSE cashback.

Technically this isn't part of the collective, but if a top service rating is what counts, then the Bulb Vari-Fair tariff is right up there. And until Wed 13, use that link (which goes via our Energy Club) and you get £25 bill credit from Bulb, plus the usual £25 MSE cashback.

Factor those in and over the first year, it's the cheapest variable deal on the market, and it's 100% renewable electricity. Plus if you're charged exit fees to leave your existing supplier, it'll cover them up to £60/fuel.

Yet the fact it is variable means you must accept the rate can change at any time (after 60 days notice), and indeed it has moved prices up over the last year, but even with that it remains competitive. And there are no exit fees if you want to leave.

It's dual-fuel only and you must pay by monthly direct debit and get paperless bills (or there's a prepay version for a little more). Plus you can't take it with you if you move house.

Bulb has grown hugely over the last few years, it now has more than 800,000 customers and is becoming a true challenger to the bigger players. It's customer service rating is a very strong 76% 'great'.

5. On a Big 6 standard tariff? SAVINGS may be UNDERESTIMATED. Since 1 Jan, there's been a price cap in place for all standard tariffs. It varies by region, but was set at an average £1,137/yr for someone on typical use (more if you use more, less if you use less), but that only lasts until 31 March.

On 1 April a new rate will come into place. It's being announced this Thu 7 Feb, yet as the algorithm is published and it's based on wholesale rates, we estimate it'll be £1,240ish/yr and most firms will move to that.

While we've factored that in above (hence our £1,220/yr price, which takes the current and future price cap into consideration), we are not allowed to use that figure in our Cheap Energy Club comparisons and can only display it based on the current price. So it's likely your savings will be substantially underestimated.

Here's a quick Q&A, for many more see the full Cheap Energy Club FAQs.

Q. I live in Northern Ireland, can I get these deals? Unfortunately not, these are for Eng, Scot & Wales only. No UK comparisons include NI, but see Cheap NI Electricity or the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland's tool.

Q. Does MSE make money from this? Yes. Like all energy comparison sites, we're paid each time you switch through us, yet we give you about half (that's £25 dual-fuel, £12.50 single-fuel cashback).

This is money you wouldn't get if you went direct (not that the fixes above can be got directly anyway). Thus it's a win-win. The rest helps cover our costs and hopefully makes us some profit.

Q. What info do I need to switch? It's best if you have a bill and input kilowatt hours (kWh) into the Cheap Energy Club, rather than cost. But don't worry if you don't know your usage, the tool can guesstimate for you. While the answer won't be perfect, the sin of inaction is bigger than the sin of inaccuracy.

Lots more help, incl...

Switching with smart meters | Why's price risen when I'm fixed? | Reclaim credit | Switching in debt help | Switching if I've solar panels | How direct debits are set | I've an independent gas transporter, can I switch? | Can I pick a switch date? | How do you compare my rates?

Over to Martin: "This week it's all about how to boost your savings - cash ISAs, bank accounts, top fixes, paying off your mortgage, peer-to-peer, Help to Save and more. So whether you've a few pennies or a wodge of pounds, it should be an interesting (geddit) watch.

 "And if you missed last week's show with tips on how to enter competitions and win, and whether equity release stacks up, you can watch it on the ITV Hub."