Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
Big Six in the UK - statistics & facts
The Big Six is the nickname given to the six largest energy suppliers in the United Kingdom: British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, Npower, Scottish Power, and SSE. With the acquisition of Npower by E.ON in November 2019, the Big Six has since effectively become a big five. Another major change to the group’s structure was the acquisition of SSE’s distribution segment by OVO Energy, which in turn became one of the Big Six in 2020. An increase in the competitiveness of the UK’s energy market has also seen the traditional Big Six’s combined domestic electricity supply market share drop to 70 percent in the second half of 2022, down from roughly 100 percent a decade earlier.
Meanwhile, the domestic and non-domestic supply segments have waned in recent years, with losses exceeding profits by several million British pounds. British Gas was the only large supplier to record profits in the domestic sector that year. In contrast, in the non-domestic energy supplier segment EDF Energy stood as the only profitable utility.
Big Six: profits by segment
Energy generation accounts for the largest aggregate profits of large suppliers in the UK. In 2021, the segment generated profits of more than 515 million British pounds. SSE recorded the largest energy generation profits among the Big Six at almost 670 million pounds, while British Gas and EDF Energy recorded the lowest profits.Meanwhile, the domestic and non-domestic supply segments have waned in recent years, with losses exceeding profits by several million British pounds. British Gas was the only large supplier to record profits in the domestic sector that year. In contrast, in the non-domestic energy supplier segment EDF Energy stood as the only profitable utility.
Customer complaints
The number of complaints received by major energy suppliers has notably decreased since 2013. EDF Energy saw one of the most prominent declines in the period, from roughly eight thousand complaints received per 100,000 customers in the first quarter of 2013 to 1,870 complaints in the third quarter of 2022. Still, EDF followed British Gas for the highest rate of complaints in the period, and had the lowest share of complaints resolved by the end of the next working day.
