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The Business Secretary is to investigate an allegation that the 'big six' energy suppliers are making more money out of loyal customers than they're admitting to. But regardless of the outcome of the inquiry, switching your supplier is the best way to bag big savings on your energy bills.

SSE has become the second big six energy firm to reveal price cuts this year, but it's only dropping gas prices by 5.3%, and only from 29 March. Even after that small decrease, the company's standard tariff will cost on average almost £300/yr more than the cheapest.

E.on has announced it is to cut gas prices by 5.1%, making it the first of the big six providers to drop prices this year. But even after that, its standard tariff will cost on average over £250/yr more than the cheapest.

Co-operative Energy has blamed ongoing problems with its new IT system as the reason why it was the most complained about energy provider in the third quarter of the year.

Co-op Energy was a customer service darling last December, with 63% of its customers rating it great and just 7% rating it poor. But in a staggering turnaround, just six months later over half of its customers (56%) rate its service as poor and just 22% rate it great. 

Energy firms are facing increased pressure from the Government to pass on a fall in wholesale costs – the price providers pay for energy – to consumers by slashing household bills.