ALMOST 14m households have never switched their energy supplier, even though some families could save up to £450 a year. We answer your questions.

Is it worth switching?

Switching utilities was all the rage about two years ago, when British Gas lost 1m customers in just 12 months. The supplier, which still has half the market, at 16m households, has since started to offer better deals. Its Click Energy 4 tariff is currently the best variable deal in almost all regions, although the top deals change all the time.

However, only 1.1% of British Gas customers are on the Click Energy tariff – the rest are on its more expensive standard deals. If you are one of them, log on to britishgas.co.uk and register to switch straightaway.

Don’t assume you are getting a good deal because you aren’t with British Gas. European-own-ed suppliers such as Npower and EDF can be just as pricey.

How much could I save?

You could save more than £450 a year by switching from the worst to the best deals, depending on where you live, according to comparison firm energyhelpline.com.

The biggest savings are available to large families who get their gas and electricity from separate suppliers and pay quarterly.

One of the most expensive areas for energy is the northeast, where average prices on a standard tariff can be 10% more than the cheapest regions.

A family living in a four-bed-room house in the northeast who had never switched supplier would be with Npower for electricity, paying £711, and British Gas for gas, paying £739 – a total of £1,450 a year, assuming they pay quarterly. This is £452 more than they would pay on the British Gas Click Energy 4 tariff.

Must I switch to save?

Not necessarily. To reduce costs, the first thing to do is to have one supplier for gas and electricity. In the above example, switching to British Gas for electricity would give the family a dual-fuel saving of £182, bringing their total cost down to £1,268.

You could also cut your bill by 5%-10% simply by paying by direct debit. Npower customers who pay quarterly pay an extra £80 a year compared with direct-debit customers.

In the above example, our family would save a further £79 paying by monthly direct debit. This would lower the cost to £1,189.

Do I have to go online?

Yes. Customers on standard plans pay, on average, £143 more than online customers, comparison firm Uswitch says. It is a money-spinner for firms as only about 20% of energy customers sign up online.

In the above example, the cheapest standard dual-fuel deal is from Southern Electric, owned by Scottish and Southern Energy, at £1,109. With British Gas Click Energy 4, however, our family would pay just £998.

With an online deal, you have to apply and manage everything via the internet. You no longer receive a paper bill but can check your account online, where you will find your most up to date estimated usage.

What are the best switching sites?

Try energyhelpline.com, uswitch. com, theenergyshop.com and moneysupermarket.com.

How easy is it?

Switching usually takes about six weeks. Your old supplier will contact you to take a final meter reading. They should liaise with the new supplier automatically.

If you have problems, complain to energywatch.org.uk .