EDF Energy

EDF is the UK’s biggest supplier of electricity by volume and operates several power stations. Find out if EDF Energy is the best energy firm for you.
Sarah IngramsPrincipal researcher & writer
Edf big six 480403

EDF Energy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the French state-owned EDF Group (Electricité de France), one of Europe’s largest energy companies. 

It says it 'is a sustainable and responsible energy business'.

It is Britain's biggest producer of zero carbon electricity. Around 59% of its electricity comes from nuclear power and a further 21% from wind and solar.

EDF Energy took on customers of Green Network Energy, Zog, iSupply Energy and Utility Point when these smaller firms stopped trading. 

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

EDF 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 EDF:

Total score61%
Customer survey score55%
Which? assessment score66%

Here's how EDF's customer and policy assessments break down:

Customer survey score55%
Customer service overall
Accessibility (being able to engage with your firm how you want or need to)
Quality of communications about energy costs
Accuracy of payments
Clarity of statements
Value for money
Which? assessment score66%

Based on a survey of 995 EDF Energy customers carried out in October 2023, and a Which? energy company request for information and desk research in October 2023.

Find out how EDF compares with other energy companies – click to see our full results of the best and worst energy companies.

EDF customer review

EDF Energy is ranked joint 11th out of 16 energy companies rated by 9,025 members of the public in the annual Which? customer survey. Its score of 55% puts it only a couple of percentage points above the bottom-placed companies (Boost and Scottish Power on 53%).

Its customers rated it a poor two stars across all measures except value for money, where it only received one star. One customer said: 'They are expensive now and don’t offer value for money'.

Another customer said about EDF's communication: ''They are difficult to contact and make no efforts to engage with customers apart from demanding payment frequently.' 

Which? verdict on EDF

  • Pros: One of the best for supporting vulnerable customers
  • Cons: Customers don’t consider it good value; poor complaints performance

Our EDF 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.

EDF performed below average in our supplier assessment, coming in tenth with a score of 66%. It was, however, one of the top rated suppliers for its support for vulnerable customers, with a maximum 10 points out of 10, alongside Utility Warehouse, Octopus Energy and Co-op Energy.

On the other hand, EDF didn't do so well for complaints performance and was one of the worst with just four points out of 10.

EDF customer service  

Customers didn't feel overly positive about EDF's customer service, for which it achieved a poor two-star rating. No supplier received a worse customer rating for customer service.

EDF did a little better in our supplier assessment of its customer service, with 9 points out of 15, but still ranked in the lower half of the table.

EDF common complaints

In our customer survey, 4% of respondents said they contacted EDF to make a complaint in the past year. 

Of the customers who made a complaint to EDF, the highest proportion (26%) complained about an incorrect bill or statement. Almost as many (24%) had a problem with their smart meter not working properly.

Edf energy power plant

Can you join EDF with a prepayment meter?

Yes, EDF Energy accepts customers with both standard and smart pay-as-you-go meters.

  • You can top-up standard prepayment meters at post offices, and PayPoint and Payzone outlets. 
  • If you're a smart meter customer you can top up remotely online or via EDF's app, as well as see how much you're spending and get alerts when credit is running low.
  • All prepayment customers can get £10 of emergency credit when their balance falls below £1. It will then be taken off your credit the next time you top up.

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

Does EDF sell renewable energy?

Less than a quarter of the energy EDF Energy supplies is renewable. The majority of its electricity comes from nuclear power.

Proportion of renewable electricity sold to customersGenerates renewable electricity?Buys renewable electricity directly from generators (with subsidies)?Buys renewable electricity directly from generators without subsidies?Generates or buys power directly from fossil fuels?Sells green gas?
21%YesYesYesNoNo

Proportion of renewable electricity according to EDF’s 2022/23 fuel mix. At the time of assessment, Scottish Power's fuel mix for 2021/22 stated that 19% of its electricity came from renewable sources. 

Other responses based on information provided by suppliers in August 2023.

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.

EDF Energy's electricity fuel mix is 21% renewable, 59.4% nuclear, 16.7% gas, 1.6% coal and 1.3% other fuels. The UK average fuel mix is 40.8% renewable in 2022/23.

EDF Energy buys renewable electricity directly from renewable generators but declined to tell us what proportion of the renewable electricity its customers use is met by this.

It told us: 'EDF is dedicated to helping Britain achieve net zero by 2050 and is proud to be Britain's biggest generator of zero-carbon electricity. EDF plans to enable investment in low-carbon technologies in the UK worth over £50bn by 2035 as set out in our plan for a green recovery. This amounts to 12GW of wind, solar and nuclear power – meeting one fifth of UK demand.'

When we compared energy companies on their green credentials in November 2023, EDF 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 and how EDF Energy compares to others.