404,000 NI households have never switched electricity supplier as customer switching surges
Sunday 27 September 2026
Almost half of Northern Ireland households have never switched electricity supplier, despite a sharp rise in consumers shopping around for a new provider and more than 112,000 domestic customers changing supplier during 2025.
New figures from the Utility Regulator show 404,004 domestic electricity customers — 47% of the market — had never moved from the incumbent supplier by the end of last year, although that proportion has fallen from 49% in 2024.
The figures reveal a changing energy market in which electricity switching increased by around 20%, gas switching rose by more than 300%, and electricity complaints jumped by approximately 45% in the space of a year.
More than 112,000 households switched
A total of 118,202 electricity supplier switches were recorded across Northern Ireland during 2025, up 19.9% from 98,609 the previous year.
Domestic customers accounted for the overwhelming majority, with 112,244 switches during the year and an annual domestic switching rate of 13.1%. Industrial and commercial customers made a further 5,958 switches.
Activity accelerated dramatically towards the end of the year. There were 21,771 domestic switches in the first quarter, 20,234 in the second and 25,659 in the third, before the figure jumped to 44,580 during the final three months of 2025.
That means almost four in every ten domestic electricity switches recorded during the entire year took place between October and December.
Yet 404,004 customers have never moved
Despite the increase in activity, the Utility Regulator’s figures show how large a section of Northern Ireland’s electricity market has never switched supplier.
Of 853,829 domestic electricity connections at the end of 2025, 404,004 — 47% — were classed as “sticky customers”, meaning they had never switched from the incumbent supplier. A further 200,402, or 23%, had last switched more than three years previously, while 249,423, or 29%, had switched within the previous three years.
The proportion who have never switched is, however, moving downwards, falling from 49% in 2024 to 47% last year — something the Utility Regulator says indicates continued consumer engagement with the market.
Power NI remains dominant despite switching
Interestingly, the surge in switching did not reduce Power NI’s overall share of electricity connections. The incumbent price-controlled supplier increased its share from 59.9% in 2024 to 60.3% in 2025.
Across domestic customers specifically, Power NI had 524,782 connections at the end of the year, equivalent to 61.5% of the domestic market. SSE Airtricity had 133,744 and Budget Energy 120,345, while non-incumbent suppliers collectively accounted for 38.5% of domestic electricity connections.
Northern Ireland had 930,697 electricity connections in total at the end of 2025, up from 925,584 a year earlier. Nine electricity suppliers were operating in the market, although not every supplier operated in every sector.
Almost 391,000 homes use prepayment electricity
Another striking feature of the Northern Ireland market is the scale of prepayment electricity.
Some 390,752 domestic connections — 46% of all households in the figures — were on prepayment, compared with 463,077 credit connections. Among Budget Energy customers, 80% were prepayment connections, while the figure was 65% for Click Energy.
There were also 7,300 new domestic electricity connections during 2025, alongside 867 new industrial and commercial connections. The pace increased as the year progressed, with total new connections rising from 1,750 in the first quarter to 2,587 in the fourth.
How NI electricity prices compare
The report also provides a revealing comparison of the prices paid by households here with those elsewhere in the UK, Ireland and Europe.
During July to December 2025, the average Northern Ireland domestic electricity price for the consumption band used by the Regulator was 30.6p per kilowatt hour. That compared with 29.8p in the UK, 35.2p in Ireland and an EU median of 23.4p.
Northern Ireland’s price was therefore slightly above the UK figure and below Ireland, but around 31% higher than the EU median.
The Utility Regulator cautions that these figures are averages covering tariffs offered by suppliers rather than simply comparing today’s standard domestic tariffs. More recent tariff changes are also not reflected because the report relates to 2025.
Across Northern Ireland as a whole, electricity consumption totalled 7,272 GWh during the year. Domestic consumers accounted for 2,714 GWh, while businesses and other non-domestic users consumed 4,559 GWh.
Twenty major users consume a remarkable share
The business figures reveal just how differently electricity consumption is distributed once Northern Ireland’s largest users are taken into account.
At the end of 2025, the 54,827 industrial and commercial connections using less than 20 MWh annually represented more than 71% of business connections but accounted for only 5.1% of industrial and commercial electricity consumption.
At the opposite end of the scale were just 20 large and very large connections consuming more than 20,000 MWh each annually. They represented only 0.03% of business connections but accounted for 16.1% of industrial and commercial electricity consumption.
For the smallest business category, Northern Ireland’s electricity price during the second half of 2025 was 28.6p/kWh, lower than the UK’s 36.7p but higher than Ireland’s 26.2p and the EU median of 22.3p.
Gas switching rises by more than 300%
The biggest percentage change recorded in the report came in the gas market, where switching reached a record high.
There were 9,253 gas supplier switches during 2025, compared with just 2,304 in 2024 — an increase of more than 300%. Of those, 8,741 were domestic switches and 512 involved industrial and commercial customers.
Domestic gas switching is only available in the Greater Belfast distribution area, where the number of household switches rose particularly sharply from 1,561 in 2024 to 8,741 last year.
The proportion of Greater Belfast domestic gas customers who had never switched supplier consequently fell from 57% to 54%.
More than 9,300 new homes connected to gas
Northern Ireland’s gas network also continued to grow, with total connections increasing from 334,523 in 2024 to 344,054 by the end of 2025.
More than 9,300 new domestic gas connections were added during the year. SSE Airtricity remained the largest gas supplier when measured by connections, with 62.1% of the market, followed by firmus at 36.5%.
The picture changes when measured by the amount of gas consumed. Firmus accounted for the largest share at 41.8%, followed by SSE Airtricity at 38.2%.
For households, Northern Ireland’s average gas price during July to December was 8.6p/kWh. That was above the UK figure of 7.0p but below both Ireland at 11.3p and the EU comparison of 10.9p.
Electricity complaints rise sharply
Alongside increased switching, the Regulator recorded a significant increase in the number of complaints electricity customers made to their suppliers.
Approximately 44,400 electricity complaints were recorded during 2025, compared with around 30,700 in 2024 — an increase of roughly 45%. The most common category of supplier complaint concerned bills, payments and accounts.
Gas moved in the opposite direction. Approximately 52,900 complaints were made to gas suppliers during 2025, down by around 11,000 from approximately 63,900 the previous year.
The Utility Regulator said suppliers are expected to deal with complaints effectively and provide high standards of customer service in accordance with their regulatory obligations.
A market becoming more active
Taken together, the figures point to consumers becoming increasingly willing to move between suppliers, particularly during the latter part of 2025, while substantial numbers remain with the supplier they have always used.
For electricity customers, the shift is measurable: the proportion who have never switched fell by two percentage points in a year, while more than 112,000 domestic switches were completed. In Greater Belfast’s gas market, meanwhile, switching increased more than fivefold among domestic customers.
For households considering whether to move, however, switching itself does not guarantee a saving. The figures underline the importance of comparing the actual tariff, payment method, discounts and terms available to an individual household rather than assuming that either remaining with an existing supplier or moving to another will automatically produce the lowest bill.
Compare energy prices before switching
Households considering a change of supplier can use the Consumer Council’s free online Energy Price Comparison Tool to compare available electricity and gas tariffs and see whether they could save money by switching. The independent tool allows consumers to compare deals based on their own energy use and payment method. Visit:
