Last updated: 29 October 2022
The UK Energy Supplier Implode-O-Meter
Since August 2021 (when the UK energy crisis kicked off)
27
domestic UK energy supply companies have “imploded”*
Since November 2016 (when the regulator Ofgem allowed literally any man and dog opetation to set up an energy supply business in the UK)
49
domestic UK energy supply companies have “imploded”
* Note. This may not sound like much but it means that more than half of all UK energy supply companies have gone bust in the last year.
Bulb Energy bought by Octopus Energy
The saga of the largest energy supplier failure of 2021 (actually the largest UK energy supplier failure ever) is drawing to a close. It has been announced that Octopus Energy has reached a deal with the Special Administrators will acquire Bulb Energy for an undisclosed sum. That sum is rumoured to be between £100 and £200 million + a share of any profits that Octopus make from the deal over the next 4 years. The transaction is scheduled to complete in mid Nov 2022. From that point onwards, Bulb Energy customers will be transferred over to Octopus.
We will post more information as we get it. Check out our Bulb Energy Review for more information.
Energy supplier failures 2022
UK Energy Incubator Hub Limited (UKEIH) has had its remaining 3,000 customers accounts transferred to Octopus Energy. UKEIH operates under the under the 2 brands of Neo Energy and Northumbria Energy. Technically, this is not an energy supplier failure in the traditional sense, since the company has not ceased trading. Instead, it is the first order made under the new ongoing “fit and proper” requirement for energy suppliers. However, since it means that UK Energy Incubator Hub can no longer operate as an energy supplier it has the same effect from a customer persective. Therefore it is included here.
Together Energy (Retail) Limited, and its subsidiary Bristol Energy, have both ceased trading. That adds another 176,000 to the number of displaced energy consumers, making 4.44m since Jan 2021.
This follows on from the largest failure of last year, which was Bulb Energy. Bulb Energy, the 7th largest energy supplier with around 1.76 million customers, has gone into Special Administration. Taxpayers are on the hook for up to £2.2 billion to see Bulb just through the winter of 2021/2022. To learn more about why Bulb didn’t make it, take a look at Bulb Energy Financials.
If your energy supplier has just gone bust, and you are need advice on what to do, please check our handy guide What to do if your energy supplier goes bust.
In the table below we show a complete list of all domestic energy suppliers that have gone bust since November 2016.
Energy supplier failures 2021
26 domestic energy suppliers went bust in 2021
In 2021, 4.27 million households were affected by energy supplier failures. That is more than treble (+246%) the number of customers affected by energy supplier failures in 2018, 2019 AND 2020 combined.
While the number of energy suppliers now left is less than the number that failed in 2021, it does not mean that we are out of the woods yet. We expect more energy suppliers will go bust before the winter is out. Some gloom and doomsters have predicted that all but 12 energy suppliers will be left once we are out of this train wreck. We were not quite so pessimistic. But only becaue we expected government would step in with bailouts if that looked likely. However, (not for) Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has made it clear that the energy price cap will not be adjusted before 1 Apil 2022. Which means that, until then, energy suppliers are expected to incur huge losses supplying subsidised energy to consumers; something that they simply cannot afford.
It’s an ugly picture. However, with the next review of the energy price cap fast approaching, some relief for energy suppliers, in the form of much higher energy bills for consumers, is coming.
- 47 energy suppliers have gone bust since 2016
- 5.83 million customers switched to other energy suppliers
Some of the energy suppliers appointed by Ofgem to rescue “failed suppliers” have now gone bust themselves. Indeed, some poor customers will now have been with 2 or 3 failed suppliers.
Energy crisis? What crisis?
Full list of energy suppliers that have gone bust
On this page we provide a complete list of all domestic energy suppliers that have gone bust since November 2016. This is shown in the Table below. The table is updated regularly, as soon as new information becomes available.. Please check back regularly (if you’re into that sort of thing). Or follow us on Twitter Follow @_energyscannerand pick up the info as soon as it breaks.
Some energy suppliers have managed to exit without going bust. These exits, usually a trade sale of the business or the customer base, are summarised in a separate table (also below).
While the recent flood of energy supplier bankruptcies has been triggered by the current energy crisis, and crystallised by the energy price cap, Ofgem’s laid back approach to energy supplier market entry really hasn’t helped any. Just saying…
Data sources on energy companies that have gone bust
We source the data from multiple public domain sources. This includes announcements from industry regulator Ofgem, cross-checked with energy supplier websites and Companies House filings.
The new supplier column shows the energy supplier appointed by Ofgem to take over the failed supplier’s customer base. This is undertaken under the SOLR (Supplier of Last Resort) provisions.
Note. Here we only count energy suppliers that supply domestic properties in the running total. Energy suppliers supplying business properties are listed in the table below but not counted towards the total. Business energy suppliers will be listed in a seperate table and separate page soon.
Date | Supplier | No. of customers affected (approx.) | New supplier | Customers affected cumulative (domestic apprx.) |
---|---|---|---|---|
09 Jul 2022 | NEO Energy Northumbria Energy (UK Energy Incubator Hub Ltd) | 3,000 domestic | Octopus Energy | 5,837,250 |
18 Feb 2022 | Xcel Power Limited (Xcel Power Limited) | 274 business | Yü Energy | 5,834,250 |
18 Feb 2022 | Whoop Energy (Whoop Energy Limited) | 50 domestic 212 business | Yü Energy | 5,834,250 |
18 Jan 2022 | Together Energy (Together Energy (Retail) Limited) | 176,000 domestic | British Gas | 5,834,200 |
18 Jan 2022 | Bristol Energy (Bristol Energy Limited) | Included above | British Gas | 5,834,200 |
1 Dec 2021 | Zog Energy (Zog Energy Ltd) | 11,700 domestic | EDF Energy | 5,658,200 |
25 Nov 2021 | Orbit Energy (Orbit Energy Limited) | 65,000 domestic | ScottishPower | 5,646,500 |
25 Nov 2021 | Entice Energy (Entice Energy Supply Limited) (Simply Your Energy Limited) | 5,400 domestic | ScottishPower | 5,581,500 |
24 Nov 2021 | Bulb Energy (Bulb Energy Limited) | 1,700,000 domestic (approx) | SPECIAL ADMINISTRATION To be acquired by Octopus Energy late Nov 2022 | 5,576,100 |
16 Nov 2021 | Neon Energy (Neon Energy Limited) | 30,000 domestic | British Gas | 3,876,100 |
16 Nov 2021 | Social Energy (Social Energy Supply Ltd) | 5,500 domestic | British Gas | 3,846,100 |
3 Nov 2021 | CNG Energy (CNG Energy Limited) | 41,000 business | Pozitive Energy | 3,840,600 |
2 Nov 2021 | Zebra Power (Zebra Power Limited) | 14,800 domestic | British Gas | 3,840,600 |
2 Nov 2021 | Omni Energy Ltd (Omni Energy Ltd) | 6,000 domestic | Utilita | 3,825,800 |
2 Nov 2021 | Ampoweruk Ltd (Ampoweruk Ltd) | 600 domestic 2000 business | Yü Energy Only part of the credit balances of business customers protected | 3,819,800 |
2 Nov 2021 | MA Energy (MA Energy Limited) | 300 business | SmartestEnergy Business | 3,819,200 |
1 Nov 2021 | bluegreen (Bluegreen Energy Services Limited) | 5,900 domestic | British Gas | 3,819,200 |
18 Oct 2021 | goto.energy (Goto Energy (UK) Limited) | 22,000 domestic | Shell Energy | 3,813,300 |
14 Oct 2021 | Daligas (Daligas Limited) | 9000 domestic and business | Shell Energy | 3,791,300 |
13 Oct 2021 | Pure Planet (Pure Planet Limited) | 235,000 domestic | Shell Energy | 3,782,300 |
13 Oct 2021 | Colorado Energy (Colorado Energy Limited) | 15,000 domestic | Shell Energy | 3,547,300 |
29 Sep 2021 | Igloo Energy (Igloo Energy Supply Limited) | 179,000 domestic | E.ON Next | 3,532,300 |
29 Sep 2021 | Symbio Energy (Symbio Energy Limited) | 48,000 domestic | E.ON Next | 3,353,300 |
29 Sep 2021 | ENSTROGA (ENSTROGA Ltd) | 6,000 domestic | E.ON Next | 3,305,300 |
22 Sep 2021 | Avro Energy (Avro Energy Limited) | 580,000 domestic | Octopus Energy | 3,299,300 |
22 Sep 2021 | green.energy (Green Supplier Limited) | 255,000 domestic | Shell Energy | 2,719,300 |
14 Sep 2021 | Utility Point (Utility Point Limited) | 220,000 domestic | EDF Energy | 2,464,300 |
14 Sep 2021 | People's Energy (People's Energy (Supply) Limited) | 350,000 domestic 1,000 business | British Gas | 2,244,300 |
7 Sep 2021 | PFP Energy (PFP Energy Limited) | 80,000 domestic 5,000 business | British Gas | 1,894,300 |
7 Sep 2021 | MoneyPlus Energy Limited (MoneyPlus Energy Limited) | 9,000 domestic | British Gas | 1,814,300 |
9 Aug 2021 | Hub Energy (Gas and Power Limited) | 6,000 domestic 9,000 business | E.ON Next | 1,805,300 |
27 Jan 2021 | Green Network Energy (Green Network Energy Ltd) | 360,000 domestic | EDF Energy | 1,799,300 |
27 Jan 2021 | Simplicity Energy (Simplicity Energy Limited) | 50,000 domestic | British Gas Evolve | 1,439,300 |
02 Dec 2020 | Yorkshire Energy (Daisy Energy Supply Limited) | 74,000 domestic | ScottishPower | 1,389,300 |
06 Oct 2020 | Tonik Energy (Tonik Energy Ltd) | 130,000 domestic | ScottishPower | 1,315,300 |
03 Sep 2020 | Go Effortless Energy (Effortless Energy Ltd ) | 2,500 domestic | Octopus Energy | 1,185,300 |
18 Mar 2020 | GnERGY (Gnergy Ltd) | 9,000 domestic | Bulb | 1,182,800 |
18 Dec 2019 | Breeze Energy (Breeze Energy Supply Limited) | 18,000 domestic | British Gas | 1,173,800 |
23 Oct 2019 | Toto Energy (TOTO Energy Limited) | 134,000 domestic | EDF Energy | 1,155,800 |
15 Oct 2019 | Uttily Energy (Rutherford Energy Supply Limited) | 280 business | Total Gas and Power | |
6 Sep 2019 | Eversmart Energy (Eversmart Energy Ltd) | 29,000 domesic | Utilita | 1,021,800 |
13 Aug 2019 | Solarplicity (Solarplicity Supply Limited) | 7,500 domestic 500 business | SSE | 992,800 |
9 Aug 2019 | Cardiff Energy Supply (Cardiff Energy Supply Limited) | 800 domestic | SSE | 985,300 |
11 Mar 2019 | Brilliant Energy (Brilliant Energy Supply Limited) | 17,000 domestic | SSE | 984,500 |
25 Jan 2019 | Our Power (Our Power Energy Supply Limited) | 31,000 domestic | Utilita | 967,500 |
8 Jan 2019 | Economy Energy (Economy Energy Trading Limited) | 235,000 domestic | OVO Energy | 936,500 |
10 Dec 2018 | One Select (One Select Energy Supply Limited) | 36,000 domestic | Together Energy | 701,500 |
10 Dec 2018 | Spark Energy (Spark Energy Supply Limited) | 290,000 domestic | OVO Energy | 665,500 |
21 Nov 2018 | Extra Energy (Extra Energy Supply Limited) | 108,000 domestic 21,000 business | ScottishPower | 375,500 |
15 Oct 2018 | Usio Energy (Usio Energy Supply Limited) | 7, 000 domestic | First Utility | 267,500 |
Sep 2018 | Gen4U (Gen4u Ltd) | 500 domestic | Octopus Energy | 260,500 |
27 Jul 2018 | Iresa Iresa Limited | 90,000 domestic | Octopus Energy | 260,000 |
Jul 2018 | National Gas and Power Limited | 80 business | Hudson Energy | |
25 Jan 2018 | Future Energy Future Energy Utilities Limited | 10,000 domestic | Green Star Energy | 170,000 |
26 Nov 2016 | GB Energy Supply GB Energy Supply Ltd | 160,000 domestic | Co-operative Energy | 160,000 |
Source: energyscanner.com |
Energy suppliers withdrawing from the market
For the record, here is a list of energy suppliers who have exited the market in a more orderly way (without crashing and burning).
Date | Supplier | No. of customers affected (approx.) | Exit type | New supplier |
---|---|---|---|---|
15 Jan 2020 | SSE | 3.5 million | Trade sale | OVO |
29 Nov 2019 | Green Star Energy | 200,000 | Trade sale | Shell Energy |
18 Sep 2019 | npower | 3.8 million | Trade sale | E.ON |
29 Aug 2019 | Co-operative Energy | 300,000 | Trade sale / Strategic partnership | Octopus Energy |
5 Feb 2019 | Sainsbury's Energy | Not disclosed | Withdrawal from market | British Gas No change to supplier as customers already supplied by British Gas |
31 Aug 2018 | Affect Energy | 22,000 domestic | Trade sale | Octopus Energy |
25 Jan 2018 | Flow Energy | 230,000 domestic | Trade sale (at distressed prices) | Co-operative Energy |
21 Dec 2017 | Brighter World Energy | Unknown | Orderly wind down | Robin Hood Energy |
Yorkshire Energy goes bust
Yorkshire Energy ceased trading on 2 Dec 2020. The company that actually went into administration is called Daisy Energy Supply Limited – don’t ask. Yorkshire Energy was a trading name. It was the fourth domestic energy supplier to go bust in 2020.
The now bust energy supplier had approximately 74,000 domestic customer accounts. These were moved over to ScottishPower. Scottish Power did not publicly announce which tariffs these customers landed on.
What caused Yorkshire Energy to crash and burn?
Joe Malinowski, founder of energyscanner.com noted.
“Yorkshire Energy were making decent progress and seemed to know what they were doing – by energy supplier standards anyway which, to be fair, aren’t particularly demanding. They even managed to get decent customer service reviews. At the point of failing, their revenue run rate would have been around £60m per annum.”
“Their problem, like so many other failed energy suppliers, seems to have been their business model. Losing money by selling energy below cost in a market where everyone else is losing money by selling energy on the cheap, was never going to end well. So it’s adios to another energy company.”
According to the latest published financials statements of Yorkshire Energy (Daisy Energy Supply Limited). In the year ended 31 March 2019;
Revenue: Not published
Loss: Not published – energyscanner estimate £2.6m
Balance sheet as at 31 March 2019
Net Assets (£3m) – ie negative £3m
Company Announcements
And here is the sorry story in pictures….in reverse chronological order.
Breeze Energy goes bust
Breeze Energy is the latest domestic energy supplier to go bust. It is the 16th domestic energy supplier to fail and the 8th to fail in 2019.
Toto Energy
If you were a Toto Energy customer and want to check the EDF Energy deal you’ve been offered (Welcome Apr20) call us to get a comparison over the phone…
0800 083 2819
Eversmart Energy
Eversmart Energy seem to have been so keen to exit the market they haven’t even bothered to keep their website live. Anyone who was with Eversmart Energy and needs to contact them well, I’m afraid you are all out of luck.
If you were an Eversmart Energy customer and don’t like the Utilita deal you’ve been offered….
…. pop your postcode into the box below to check online.
Solarplicity
Cardiff Energy Supply
Brilliant Energy
Our Power
Millions of pounds of public funds were wasted on this doomed venture.
Economy Energy
One Select
Spark Energy
Extra Energy
Usio Energy
Gen4U
Iresa
Future Energy
GB Energy Supply
GB Energy Supply spectacularly imploded in November 2016. It was the first of the failures of the group of domestic energy suppliers that entered the UK energy market under Ofgem rules which allowed energy suppliers to get a license with little if any capital, and with no relevant industry experience.
That’s all for now. More to follow we’re sure.
Remember, you do not have to accept any new energy deal you are offered by the new supplier who takes over your supply. What you absolutely should do is a comparison to see how that deal stacks up. If necessary, leg it out of there. Pop your postcode into the box below to check online.
Got a story you’d like to share?
If your energy supplier has gone bust and you have an interesting story you’d like to share then please get in touch. You can either leave a comment or get in touch via our Contact Form. Adding comments is subject to our Terms and Acceptable Use Policy.
Sadly good energy has now gone bust another one sadly it used to be a good supplier but sadly now it’s gone I feel for the staff who are to be made redundant
Hi Paul,
I’m not sure that is correct.
Good Energy Group Plc is a UK quoted business and as far as we can see, it is still trading.
Regards
Joe
Is there more than one Good Energy?
I have been using them for some months now, and are still in contact with their staffs! They must still be trading. They even have the time to assist me with energy related issues. I trust you are not trying to create an atmosphere of customer fear?
I think Paul may have mistaken them for a different company. As things currently stand, Good Energy is still trading – today anyway.
Is Shell still trading?
I’m relying my supplier, Bulb Energy, to inform me of one of their closest competitors with whom I could enjoy a favourable deal. I understand that Bulb Energy is yet another supplier approaching the shut down. I have enjoyed the service offered by Bulb Energy and without foresight I have been recommending them to all and sundry.
Hi John,
Well Bulb Energy haven’t gone yet and with 1.7 million domestic customers, if they fail, it really would cause some shocks in the system. Hang in there and let’s hope it all works out.
Best
Joe
Hi Suzanne,
Yes Shell Energy is still trading. Very much so.
You don’t need to worry about Shell going bust on you. Shell Energy is one of the major global energy giants. Their retail energy operations in the UK are a tiny, tiny part of the global Shell empire. In fact as a major producer of oil and gas, any losses they may make on supplying energy to retail customers in the UK will be dwarfed by the profits they will make from gas production.
The advertising slogan (going back to the 1930’s I believe) “You can be sure of Shell” is pretty apt in the current ciscumstances.
Best
Joe
Good riddance to Symbio Energy. Why Ofgem have allowed them to continue until now beats me. The had already been hauled over the coals previously by Ofgem regarding non payment of their renewables payment and it appears that they have been doing this again – not to mention their appalling “Customer Service” rating. (see customer reports on Trust Pilot) I was unwise enough to have been a customer of Symbio Energy in the past and they put their own totally false usage figures into my account, despite my sending them a meter reading every month, thereby creating a debit amount of over £71 on my account when I knew I was actually a small amount in credit. I stopped my Direct Debit to stop them causing my payment whereupon they threatened action if I did not reinstate it. I reported this affair to the Ombudsman and the result was an apology from Symbio Energy for their “poor customer service” and their errors and recalculated my account and offered me £25. The Ombudsman thought that this was a satisfactory outcome – I didn’t accept this and pointed out to the Ombudsman that this attempted fraud, which I had spotted and defeated, was quite likely to have been used on other customers as well. They were not prepared to take the matter any further, so I sent all the details of my complaint to both Ofgem and The Consumers’ Association. The latter did not reply at all and Ofgem merely sent an automated acknowledgment of receipt of my letter.
Hey Bernard,
We sympathise with your rant. Seems like you saw the writing on the wall and got out of there before it crashed and burned.
Best
Joe