Sainsbury's Energy

Sainsbury's Energy is a trading name under license to E.ON Next. 

E.ON Next supplies 100% renewable energy to customers under the Sainsbury's Energy brand name.

Sainsbury's Energy customers can earn extra Nectar points on Sainsbury's shopping, and receive bonus Nectar points when signing up to eligible tariffs.

Previously, Sainsbury's Energy was a partnership with NPower, whose customers were moved to E.ON Next in 2021.

Compare energy prices using our free tool to see if you could spend less. 

Sainsbury's Energy score

We combine the results of our customer survey with an in-depth assessment of companies' behind-the-scenes practices and policies to give you an overall view. 

Take a look at our table below to see our score breakdown for Sainsbury's:

Here's how Sainsbury's Energy's customer and policy assessments break down:

Find out how Sainsbury's Energy compares with other energy firms – click to see our full results of the best and worst energy companies.

Sainsbury's Energy customer review

Sainsbury's Energy was one of the better performers in our customer survey of 9,025 members of the public, coming in joint-fourth place out of the 16 suppliers we rated.

It was rated an average three stars by its customers in three areas, including accessibility and value for money, but won four stars for its customer service and the clarity of its communication to customers about energy prices. 

Sainsbury's Energy was also one of just three suppliers to gain four stars from customers for accuracy of payments, alongside Co-op Energy and table-toppers Octopus Energy. 

Comments from customers were generally positive. 'No issues with the supplier, the app is easy to use and bills generated accurately and easy to read' said one.

Customers also liked the online customer services. One customer commented: 'Very good useful website. Very long wait if you ring them but very quick to reply if you contact them on Facebook'.

Which? verdict on Sainsbury's Energy

• Pros: Customers can collect extra Nectar points; customers gave it a good rating for many aspects of service
• Cons: In the bottom half the table in our supplier assessment

Our Sainsbury's Energy supplier assessment

In October 2023 we looked at four aspects of suppliers' business practices and procedures: 

• customer service - including how and when you can get in touch, and the quality of self-service help online
• how well they deal with complaints - how many complaints suppliers get and how quickly they resolve them
• supporting customers who need it - including web accessibility, those in vulnerable situations, in financial difficulty, who use prepayment meters, and those who need materials in languages besides English 
• smart meter targets performance in 2022 (the most recent).

We did this using a combination of the responses to a survey we sent to suppliers and our own assessments.

Sainsbury's Energy was at the lower end of the scale in our assessment of its practices and procedures, coming in 12th place out of the 18 suppliers we rated, scoring 63%.

Its support for vulnerable customers scored well, with nine points out of 10, but its customer service and complaints performance were unremarkable. It scored very poorly for meeting smart meter installation targets. 

Sainsbury's Energy customer service

In our survey, customers rated Sainsbury's Energy customer service highly, giving it four stars. Only Octopus Energy scored higher for customer service.

However, it only scored eight out of 15 points in our supplier assessment of its customer service, two points lower than partner E.ON Next. Only two suppliers (Good Energy and So Energy) achieved a lower score for customer service in our analysis. 

Sainsbury's lost points partly for its reliance on online customer service, with limited weekdays-only telephone opening hours.

Sainsbury's Energy common complaints

Of the Sainsbury's Energy customers in our survey, 5% said they contacted the supplier to make a complaint within the last year.

We did not identify any common complaints due the small amount of feedback received about complaints.

Can I join Sainsbury's Energy with a prepayment meter?

No. Sainsbury's Energy does not accept customers with prepayment meters. 

Not sure if you should prepay? Find out: is prepayment energy is right for you.

Does Sainsbury's Energy sell renewable energy?

Sainsbury's Energy is supplied by E.ON Next, which is part of the E.ON Group, and sells 100% renewable electricity.

In August 2023, we asked energy companies for information on a range of sustainability criteria. We awarded them points based on their responses as well as information published on their websites, including the annual Fuel Mix Disclosure (FMD). Aspects we scored included how much of the electricity they supply is renewable and whether they generate renewable energy or buy it directly from generators.

E.ON Next sells 100% renewable energy to its domestic customers which is bought directly from renewable generators that do not receive government subsidies. It is fully matched by REGO certificates. E.ON Next does not sell green gas

It told us it is set to introduce features to further increase sustainability accessibility for consumers.

When we compared energy companies on their green credentials in November 2023, E.ON Next scored 55%. This places it right in the middle of our table of the 17 companies rated.

Find out more about the differences between energy companies’ renewable electricity.