Electric

Sainsbury’s Energy

Launched in 2001, Sainsbury’s Energy is a provider of gas and electricity through British Gas, with the emphasis on green technology products and the customer. It has a growing customer base and customers automatically garner Nectar points to spend on travel, entertainment, food and drink. There are several tariffs as well as pay-as-you-go and dual fuel options, and accounts can be managed online.

Due to the partnership of Sainsbury’s Energy with British Gas, customers can make use of the latter’s excellent line of products and services. These include installation and maintenance of central heating systems and gas boilers, access to well-qualified gas and electrical engineers, free loft and cavity wall insulation, and free professional servicing (conditions apply). It also supplies solar panels so that customers can generate their own electricity and sell it back, and offers home energy assessments.

Sainsbury’s Energy Service

Sainsbury’s Energy has a trio of tariffs: Standard (offline), Online Energy and Online Price Fix. Online Energy is the cheapest variable option, where customers manage their account and meter readings online, while the Online Price Freeze is valid until June 2013. While there are good savings to be made, customers need to pay by monthly direct debit to be eligible for the better deals. There is also a pay-as-you-go option so customers can prepay for their gas and electricity.

Bonuses include 4,700 Nectar points awarded to customers buying dual fuel (both electricity and gas), as much as 10,000 Nectar points for customers that switch to gas and electricity from another provider, and about 9 per cent saving when you select the Online Price Fix. There are also deals to be had on insulation and solar panels.

Sainsbury’s Energy History

Sainsbury’s originally got together with Scottish Power in 2001 to provide gas and electricity to homes around the UK. From 2006, EDF became the supplier of its energy, followed by British Gas in February 2011. Gas and electricity comes by way of British Gas, but users get Sainsbury’s legendary customer service and Nectar reward points.

Most of the energy is from natural gas, at around 72 per cent, while 16 per cent of British Gas’ supplies for Sainsbury’s Energy are sourced from the burning of coal. Only around 7 per cent is from renewable sources – about the same as the UK average – while nuclear (3.4 per cent) and green energies (solar, wind and hydro) make up the rest.

Sainsbury’s Energy Contact Details