Bulb Energy
Bulb Energy is a fast-growing green gas and electricity supplier which claims to offer affordable renewable energy. Should you switch to Bulb? We've asked its customers.
Bulb Energy offers just one tariff, with 100% renewable electricity and carbon-neutral gas. Bulb was set up in 2015 to ‘make energy simpler, cheaper and greener’. It says it is the biggest buyer of green gas, produced from renewable sources such as food or farm waste, for homes in the UK. The remainder is offset by Bulb supporting carbon reduction projects around the world. Bulb's variable tariff is usually among the cheaper deals available in England, Scotland and Wales. It doesn’t charge exit fees and says it will refund you if your old supplier charges you exit fees to leave and join Bulb. Bulb Energy says it keeps prices low by investing in technology to reduce costs. It has grown quickly and now has almost 1.5 million customers in Great Britain. In March 2020, it took on 9,000 customers from Gnergy when the smaller firm stopped trading. Homes with prepayment meters can now join Bulb and, following a partnership with PayPoint agreed at the end of 2020, can top up their meters in convenience stores.
Bulb customer score Bulb Energy came joint-tenth out of 25 energy companies rated by 7,460 members of the public in the annual Which? energy customer survey – the broadest, most independent view of energy companies around. Its customers gave it the same score as Green Network Energy, another firm offering 100% renewable electricity and focusing on digital service. Keep reading to find out more. Competitive prices, good customer service reputation. Bulb Energy customer They are brilliant! So easy to deal with and communication is so friendly you feel like you're talking to a real friend. Bulb Energy customer
Which? verdict on Bulb Bulb has gained customers quickly since its launch five years ago. Indeed, 58% of its customers in our survey said they joined it in the past two years. In contrast, just 25% of British Gas customers in our survey joined it over the same period. Its rapid growth hasn't affected Bulb's ability to keep its customers happy over the four years it's been included in our survey, although it's dropped in the rankings this year, going from joint-third place last year to joint-tenth, with lower ratings for bill accuracy, complaints handling and value for money.
Customers gave their highest ratings for bill accuracy, bill clarity, customer service and complaints handling, with four stars for all of them. It got a three-star rating for value for money. Bulb had a fairly low level of complaints in the first half of 2020 among the companies included in our survey, but it was well below average for resolving them on the same or next working day. It was about average for resolving them within eight weeks – 91% of complaints were resolved in this timeframe. While that may not sound terribly speedy, the worst companies resolved less than 60% in the same period
Bulb answered calls in just under 10 minutes on average (9 minutes 56 seconds) in our latest snapshot investigation into energy companies' call-waiting times. This was faster than last year (19 minutes 2 seconds) but not as fast as the overall median average of the 31 companies we phoned (5 minutes 57 seconds). No phones at evenings or weekends and they can take a while to respond to emails but they do get back to me. Bulb Energy customer It seems that prices have been going up recently. Bulb Energy customer It took a similar amount of time for Bulb to answer live chat. It took an average 9 minutes 29 seconds, against an average of 3 minutes 4 seconds for all companies we contacted this way. Pros: Customers rate it well for billing, customer service and handling complaints Cons: Slower than average to respond on the phone in our snapshot investigation
Bulb is based in London. Bulb began trading in August 2015, buying and selling electricity and gas to supply domestic properties. It is one of over 70 smaller energy companies competing with the "Big Six energy suppliers" which dominate the UK market. Bulb competes on price, offering a single variable tariff. It supplies 100% renewable electricity and 100% carbon neutral gas. Attracting venture capital, Bulb runs at a financial loss while achieving rapid growth in customers.
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