EDF Energy (2023) review: Zero-carbon, poor service
A good supplier if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, but one of the most poorly rated
Pros
- Britain’s largest generator of zero-carbon energy
Cons
- One of the worst for customer satisfaction
- Higher complaint numbers than any other large supplier
EDF Energy claims to be Britain’s biggest generator of zero-carbon electricity, which it harvests from nuclear energy, solar and wind power. This makes up 80% of its overall fuel mix.
Owned by the French state-owned company EDF (Électricité de France), EDF Energy was created in 2002 when it took over a number of British energy companies and power stations.
EDF Energy was one of the former “Big Six” energy companies that between them still have a share of around 71% of the electricity and gas markets in Britain. It’s one of the largest suppliers now and has 11% of the home electricity market and 9% of the home gas market, according to the latest figures from the energy regulator Ofgem for the second quarter of 2023.
It didn’t come top and wasn’t highly commended in any category of our 2023 Energy Awards. In our survey conducted in conjunction with YouGov, just 36% of its customers said they would recommend EDF Energy to a friend, which pales in comparison to the 81% approval rating for the best-rated supplier, Octopus Energy.
EDF Energy (2023) review: Customer service
EDF’s customer service was the most poorly rated in our survey, with just 32% of customers saying they were very or fairly satisfied with it. Shell Energy was second from bottom with 33%. In contrast, the top provider Octopus had 72% saying they were satisfied.
EDF Energy (2023) review: Value for money
A fairly small proportion of EDF’s customers were happy with its value for money in our survey, with 29% saying they were very or fairly satisfied. This was a massive 35 percentage points lower than for the award winner in this category, Octopus Energy, at 64% but higher than for Shell Energy (27%) and E.ON Next (28%).
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EDF Energy (2023) review: Clarity and accuracy of bills
It came bottom for the clarity of its bills but still had a decent proportion of EDF Energy customers saying they found their bills very or fairly easy to understand at 66%. The top supplier Octopus had a much higher percentage of 84%, as did the highly commended suppliers E.ON Next (77%) and Ovo Energy (73%).
EDF was also joint worst for the accuracy of its bills as just 36% of customers said they were always accurate. This was the same proportion as Ovo and only slightly below British Gas at 37%.
EDF Energy (2023) review: Customer contact
EDF was the slowest in terms of answering calls from its customers among the five suppliers we were able to rate in this category, with only 18% answered in five minutes or less. This compares to 42% for the award winner Octopus.
It was the worst at replying to customers who contacted it online or by email too, responding to 23% in one day or less and 12% in four hours or less. In contrast, the fastest supplier, Octopus, managed to respond to 44% and 20% in these time frames respectively.
EDF Energy (2023) review: Complaints
When it comes to complaints, EDF received the most complaints of all the suppliers in our survey. It received 2,562 complaints per 100,000 customer accounts, according to the most recent data published by the energy regulator Ofgem – well above the industry average of 1,578. The best supplier in our survey was Octopus, which had just 1,133 over the same period.
EDF did reasonably well at resolving them, though, with 59% resolved by the end of the next working day compared to 80% for the fastest supplier Ovo Energy, and 93% resolved within eight weeks versus 97% for Ovo.
Ofgem complaints data
| Complaints per 100,000 customer accounts | Industry average complaints per 100,000 customer accounts | Complaints resolved by end of next working day | Complaints resolved within eight weeks |
| 2,562 | 1,578 | 59% | 93% |
Notes: Data is for the third quarter of 2023
Along with customer satisfaction and complaints, the cost of energy suppliers’ tariffs will also determine whether they’re worth switching to. There are currently very few deals that are likely to save you money compared to your suppliers’ standard variable tariffs, which are subject to the price cap set by Ofgem, and many of the best deals on offer right now are for existing customers only.
To compare costs, you should see what your current suppliers are offering existing customers as well as gathering quotes to find out how much tariffs from different suppliers will cost you based on your energy usage. For more on how to get the best deal, visit our guide to the best energy suppliers.
EDF Energy (2023) review: Verdict
The majority of the energy EDF Energy supplies is zero-carbon (mostly from nuclear energy rather than renewable sources), which it generates itself, but the company received poor scores in many aspects of our survey. You’ll get a better service elsewhere, although EDF Energy isn’t the worst.
Methodology
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,006 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th – 16th October 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). *Figures used, based on calculations by Expert Reviews.
