Terminating your electricity or gas contract

Don't get caught out

If you have signed a contract or accepted a verbal agreement with an energy supplier you should be aware of your obligation under their terms and conditions to give the correct notice to leave when your contract expires.

Some suppliers rely on your failure to do this, so that they can lock you into another one or two year’s business, often at inflated rates. This applies even though a renewal contract may never have been signed.

The period of notice required by two of the leading suppliers is NOT LESS THAN 90 days notice in writing prior to the contract end date. Others require either 45 days or 28 days. Some suppliers only have a set review period of a few weeks in which to end your contract, which can be very inconvenient.

So what can you do about it?
  • Set a reminder on your calendar/diary to give written notice as soon as you receive your first bill on a new contract. This is effectively well within their stated period.

  • Send written notice by registered delivery and ask for confirmation in writing of your termination notice. Notice can also be given by e-mail if preferred. Again ask for confirmation of receipt.

  • Keep a copy of your notice to quit and the confirmation reply. If you need to chase this confirmation up, take notes of who you spoke to, at what time and the date.

Suggested wording for a contract termination is available below.

Termination of Electricity/Gas Contract

To …… [Current Electricity/Gas Supplier]

Dear……,

Please accept this letter as written notice as per your terms and conditions, that I wish my current contract(s) for MPAN No.s1/MPRN No.s2…………………… to expire on their termination date(s).

Could you please confirm receipt of this letter.

I am happy to receive renewal prices from you nearer to the end of the contract so that I can make an informed decision whether to stay with you for a further term or look for an alternative supplier.

Yours faithfully,


1 MPAN number (electricity contract) is the bottom line of your supply number which should be found on your electricity bill. It is in an oblong box with a large letter ‘S’ on the left hand side of it.
2 The MPRN number (gas contract) should be on your bill.

We hope this information is of help to you. If you require help in finding an alternative supplier please remember that we do operate an energy service in partnership with the NFU and RABDF. Give Peter or Mick a call on 024 7669 6512; they will be pleased to help.