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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Ryan Paton

Martin Lewis issues urgent energy advice to 1.7m households hit by Bulb's collapse

Martin Lewis has issued urgent advice to anyone impacted by Bulb's collapse.

The UK's seventh largest energy firm was the latest to be hit by the crisis as it entered special administration this week.

The company supply energy to around 1.7m households and the government has set aside £1.7bn to support customers impacted by Bulb's plight.

READ MORE: DWP confirms benefit and pension changes for next year

Martin has now sent out important advice on what customers must do in his latest Money Saving Expert newsletter.

The finance guru said: "Do nothing. Bulb's just under new management, so keep paying direct debits & top up prepay as normal.

"Its rates were already at the price cap, so you will stay at that rate.

The advice continued "Customer credit is protected under regulator Ofgem's 'safety net' rules, so if it owes you, it still owes you.

"Don't switch. No tariff is meaningfully cheaper."

The Money Saving Expert urged people to ignore companies trying to tempt customers to switch as this means they will stay on the current price cap before it rises by 30% on April 1.

He added: "You'll be on the price cap, or auto-moved to it, if: 1) You've never switched. 2) Your cheap fix ends. 3) Your provider goes bust and you're moved to a new firm.

Martin continued: "The cap limits what firms can charge for their standard variable (default) tariffs. There are no meaningfully cheaper switches. So do nothing and you'll be on today's cheapest deal.

"In fact, the open market's cheapest fix costs 45% more than the current cap, so my best guess is to stick on the cap for now, and hope fixes get cheaper in future. Yet beware, some energy firms are using a dog-whistle memory of 'fixing to save' in their marketing to try to move people off the price cap, to protect their bottom line."

You can read the full Money Saving Expert newsletter here

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