E.ON Next (2023) review: A reasonable supplier

Starting life in the UK in 1989 as Powergen, E.ON earned its newer name after it was taken over by German firm E.ON way back in 2002. It was already one of Great Britain’s largest energy suppliers and a member of the so-called “Big Six” when it took over another industry giant, Npower, in November 2019, making it even bigger.

In the second quarter of 2023 it had a combined market share of 17% of the home electricity market and 14% of the home gas market, and it says it currently has around 5.6 million customers in the UK.

E.ON began investing in renewable electricity generation in 1991, owning wind farms and a biomass-fuelled plant that generated energy from recycled wood waste. It also developed solar generation technologies. Most of its wind farm business was transferred to electricity generation company RWE in 2019. All the electricity it supplies to homes on fixed tariffs is matched by electricity from renewable sources.

In 2020 E.ON launched a new brand called E.ON Next for homes and small and medium businesses. All existing Npower and E.ON customers were moved over to it.

In our Expert Reviews Energy Awards 2023 survey conducted in partnership with YouGov, E.ON Next did well for the clarity of its bills and the speed at which it answered calls so was highly commended for both. Only 42% of its customers said they would recommend it to a friend, however – far below the 79% achieved by the top provider Octopus Energy.

E.ON Next (2023) review: Customer service

In our survey, E.ON Next received middling scores for its customer service as 40% said they were very or fairly satisfied. This compares with a more impressive 72% for the award winner in this category and the overall winner, Octopus Energy. It did better than the worst of the suppliers we rated, however – only 32% of EDF Energy’s customers were satisfied.

E.ON Next (2023) review: Value for money

E.ON Next was at the lower end of the scale for value for money in our survey. Here, only 28% of its customers said they were very or fairly satisfied – just slightly more than for the worst supplier in this category, Shell Energy, with 27%. In contrast, 64% of Octopus’ customers said they were satisfied.

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E.ON Next (2023) review: Clarity and accuracy of bills

The supplier was well rated for the clarity of its bills so received a highly commended award for this, with 77% of customers saying they found their bills very or fairly easy to understand. This was the second-highest percentage for bills in our survey behind Octopus, which had 84% of customers saying theirs were easy to understand.

E.ON Next wasn’t one of the best for bill accuracy, however, as just two fifths (41%) said their bills were always accurate. This compares to 52% for Octopus and 44% for Scottish Power.

E.ON Next (2023) review: Customer contact

E.ON Next was also highly commended for the speed at which it answered calls from customers, answering 26% in five minutes or less. This was a way behind Octopus’s performance, however. It answered 42% in five minutes or less.

For replying to customers who contacted it online or by email, E.ON Next was the third best among the five suppliers we were able to rate for this. It replied to 33% of them in one day or less – well below the 44% achieved by the fastest supplier, which was again Octopus Energy.

E.ON Next (2023) review: Complaints

The supplier received a higher-than-average number of complaints per 100,000 customer accounts. According to the most recent data from the energy regulator Ofgem for the third quarter of 2023, E.ON Next had 1,712 complaints. It was one of the four suppliers in our survey to receive more than the industry average of 1,578. The best supplier in our survey, Octopus, received 1,133.

Its record for resolving them was good, though, with 71% of customer complaints resolved by the end of the next working day and 92% within eight weeks. This was still behind the fastest at complaint resolution, Ovo Energy, which resolved an impressive 80% by the next day and 97% within eight weeks.

Ofgem complaints data

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.

E.ON Next (2023) review: Verdict

E.ON Next received reasonably good ratings in our survey of energy customers for recommendation and customer service but was still way behind the top provider, Octopus. It performed well on the accuracy of their bills and how quickly it responded to customers on the phone. While it received more complaints than many others in our survey, it was among the quickest at resolving them.

Methodology

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,006 adults, of which 249 use E.ON Next for either gas or electricity. 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.