What happens when your fixed energy tariff ends

A fixed energy tariff fixes the unit rate you pay for gas and electricity for a set period — usually twelve or twenty-four months. It does not fix your bill: use more energy and you still pay more. What it fixes is the price per unit.

What happens on the end date

If you do nothing, you are normally moved onto your supplier's standard variable tariff. That rate moves with the wider market and is subject to the price cap set by Ofgem, which is reviewed periodically.

Whether that is better or worse than your old fix depends entirely on what has happened to wholesale prices since you fixed. It is not automatically a penalty — but it is a change you did not choose, which is a reason to know it is coming.

When to start looking

• Find your tariff end date on a recent bill or in your online account.
• Suppliers usually contact you ahead of the end date with what they are offering next.
• Check whether an exit fee applies if you switch before the end date — many fixes waive it in the final weeks.
• Compare the standing charge as well as the unit rate. A low unit rate with a high standing charge can work out worse if you use relatively little energy.

A note on comparing

Estimated annual costs assume your usage stays roughly the same. If your circumstances have changed — someone now working from home, a new heat pump or EV — last year's usage is a poor guide, and it is worth using your actual recent consumption instead.

The date is the whole thing

Everything above depends on knowing one piece of information: when your fix ends. It is written on a bill you probably filed months ago, and there is no reminder until it has already happened.

FinClever keeps that date with the rest of your household admin and flags it in advance, so the decision is one you make deliberately rather than by default.