Too much '˜hassle' to switch supplier - poll

That’s the key finding from a survey carried out on behalf of provider Click Energy NI, which has revealed that 47% of of consumers avoided the ‘hassle’ of moving from their original supplier.

The survey carried out by Ipsos MORI over the first two weeks of April also reveals a distinct geographical pattern across the province and across different age groups.

Belfast and Londonderry were the highest counties for switching, while Armagh and Antrim were the counties where people were least likely to make the move.

The research also showed that male participants were less likely to have switched (52%) providers whilst those aged between 35 – 54 are the mostly likely group to switch electricity companies (62%).

A representative sample from across Northern Ireland indicated that people living in Belfast City (59%), Greater Belfast (59%) and Londonderry (53%) are the counties most keen on switching, with the greatest percentages of people who have switched once or more.

Those from County Armagh are least likely to have switched with 71% of participants never having done so, closely followed by counties Antrim (56%) and Tyrone and Fermanagh (53%).

“We commissioned this research to better understand the perception of the energy market in Northern Ireland, and gather stats on people’s motivation, or lack of, for switching,” said Click Energy NI MD Damian Wilson.

“In our experience, there’s a real lack of understanding from people on how easy it is to switch and the time that it takes to move from one provider to another; and the survey findings reinforce this.”