Budget Energy Reviews 

573
TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.2

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 86 reviews, reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the staff for being helpful, polite, and efficient, ensuring pleasant interactions. Many people highlight the excellent customer service, noting that queries are handled promptly and professionally, leading to a smooth overall experience. However, some customers also noted issues with pricing, mentioning that loyalty was not always rewarded with the best rates, and some experienced unexpected tariff changes or high costs. Additionally, a few other people felt the service could be problematic, citing difficulties when switching providers, a lack of support in specific situations, or issues related to service transitions.

What people talk about most

Customer service

Clients share positive opinions on customer service, with many reviewers praising the helpfulness and... See more

Staff

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of staff, consistently praising their helpfulness, politeness, and... See more

Service

Users describe ambiguous interactions with service, with many customers reporting positive experiences,... See more

Price

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about price, with some customers finding the tariffs competitive and... See more

Customer communications

Customers had ambiguous experiences with contact, with some reviewers reporting positive interactions, such... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

First off your advisor was excellent and did a great job all beit they are bound by the rates available. I have been with budget for a long time and always stay when new rates come up, however it was... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I couldn't get logged in despite using a password program & with nothing changed my end. The advisor reset it in seconds & I was able to get topped up - I'd worried it might take hours as sometimes h... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I've been with budget energy for quite a while. I had come out of tariff contract and had a large hike in cost of my electricity. Contacted budget and spoke to a polite and helpful adviser who listene... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I was able to check online on the company's website and see what tariffs were available when my existing contract with them was up for renewal. I also checked comparison sites and found that Budge... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Electric Utility Company
  2. Energy Supplier

Written by the company

We are Budget Energy, an energy provider based in Derry Northern Ireland. We are dedicated to bringing a cost effective choice to the Northern Ireland electricity market. Since 2011, thousands of homes, farms and businesses have switched to Budget Energy. We understand what you need from an energy provider because all our staff are home electricity users, we are a local business and we have a dedicated expert farming team. That’s why we work to provide a variety of electricity tariffs which suit your electricity requirements – so you only pay for what you need.


Contact info

4.2

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

573 reviews

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1-star

Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

Replied to 100% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 week

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4.2

All reviews

(573)

85 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Dreadful company

I have had a terrible experience with this company and will NEVER use them again. Their app doesn't work, account summary figures are misleading. Bills sent by email as a link I could never open. They kept increasing my direct debit but still let my account arrears build up. I only realised when I went to change providers.

August 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Siobhan,

I’m very sorry to hear about your experience with us. We completely understand how frustrating it must have been to deal with issues on the app, difficulties accessing your bills, and concerns with your account balance and direct debit. This is far from the service we want our customers to experience.

I’d like to look into this further to understand what went wrong and ensure it’s resolved properly. I have reached out privately for more information to investigate this. We’ll also make sure the problems you experienced with the app and email links are raised with the relevant teams to prevent this happening again.

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback – even though it’s not the experience you should have had, it helps us improve our service.

Kind regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience Department

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Cheeky rude staff member nasty nasty male person

I called for assistance because we were moving into a new house ,I explained my economy 7 had been taken out in November and I wanted the tariff changed. I told the guy NO YOU NEED YO KEEP IT AS IT IS ...
Explained why ??? We are not coming out to change the meter or tariff ...told him it's ok I'm not paying your daily fee of 22p and not needing a cheaper night time tariff ..
Moved over to power NI no daily fee and cheaper all round ...reading reviews this Derry / London Derry company have horrible staff members and are rude and cheeky to the public ....
Good bye BUDGET POWER ...I HOPE YOU NEVER COLD CALL ON MY DOORSTEP ....GOOD EIDENCES

August 2, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Donna,

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. I would like to sincerely apologise for the experience you had when contacting us regarding your tariff and meter. We are sorry that the conversation left you feeling frustrated and that we did not meet your expectations.

I have reached out privately for more information so I can investigate this and provide feedback to the correct department where needed.

Look forward to your reply, I also wish you all the best in your new home.

Kindest Regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Horrible from start to finish..

Horrible from start to finish... I cant believe i allowed myself to pick the cheapest at the time over a much more well established company, just because its the cheapest doesn't means its any good, avoid and beware, you have been warned.

July 22, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Robert,

I’m very sorry to hear about your recent experience with us. It’s clear from your feedback that we did not deliver the level of service you expected or deserve, and I understand how disappointing this must have been for you.

While we do strive to offer competitive pricing, we also aim to ensure our customers receive reliable service and a positive experience from start to finish. I’m sorry that we fell short in your case. I have reached out privately for more information regards your experience so I can feed this back to the correct business department.

Look forward to your reply.

Kindest Regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Abusive staff member karen

10 minutes ago
New
This one’s for Karen personally other agent was kind and a decent human being unlike her evil vile co worker Never in my life have I ever experienced what I did today , I feel sick rang this company for support which the advisor Karen told me they couldn’t offer additional support to me as they had already done in the past fair enough so I went quiet for a minute on the phone the ‘advisor’ thinking I had hung up then turned to her colleague and MOCKED ME about my situation and then proceeded to say F*k off not at one point on that call did I behave in a way that justified this response and she was aware I suffer with my mental health as she even asked me at the beginning of the call when I then spoke she refused to speak to me and had me on mute and refused to let me speak to a manager I had to then ring back and ask another advisor which was then refused again but eventually the manager came on the phone and told me it will be dealt with internally , I have never been more disgusted with someone in my life and I can tell you now Karen shouldn’t be let near anyone never mind work in a call centre to mock someone with mental health issues for their financial hardships ??? I appreciate the manager has tried to assure me it will be dealt with but I have no faith I’ve worked in call centres before I know how it goes and Karen will be back on calls continuing to abuse her customers !!!

July 21, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Lisa,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us. We want to sincerely apologise for the distress caused during your recent interaction with our agent Karen — especially in what was already a difficult moment for you.

What you’ve described is extremely serious and absolutely not reflective of the standards we expect from any of our advisors. Every customer deserves to be treated with respect, dignity, and care — especially when reaching out for support around financial or mental health challenges. We provide training for our agents around the importance of empathy and events that can happen in our customers lives where they may need extra support. We apologies again this training was not utilised by our agent.

While I appreciate you’ve spoken to a manager already, please know this won’t be brushed aside. We are committed to making sure this does not happen again.

If there is anything you need at all, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Kindest Regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very helpful

Very helpful

July 3, 2025
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Deleen,

Thanks so much for your 5* review! We are delighted to hear the staff were very helpful when dealing with any queries/issues you had. If there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Thanks for being a Budget Energy customer.

Kindest Regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Calm down

When I got on the phone the lady calmed me down I got so upset about my electricity went of I was worried about my medication but they sorted everything out with me and I was overjoyed with the help thank you so very much

July 7, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Irene,

Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm really sorry to hear how upsetting the situation was for you, but I'm so glad our advisor was able to reassure you and get everything sorted quickly. Your health and peace of mind are so important, and it's lovely to hear we could help when you needed it most. We're always here if you need us again.

Kind Regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy
Customer Experience Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Budget energy were very helpful and…

Budget energy were very helpful and great with the telephone calls easy guidance about the energy costs and a fantastic bonus at the end of the day I have recommend your service to friends as well . Well done

June 26, 2025
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Bernadette,

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! We're really pleased to hear you found our team helpful and that the guidance on energy costs was clear and easy to follow. It’s also fantastic to know you’ve recommended us to your friends — that truly means a lot.

We’re glad we could make things easier for you, and we’ll be sure to pass your kind words on to the team.

Thanks again, and take care!

Best regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent service

Excellent service

June 27, 2025
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi EWI,

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback – we're thrilled to hear you received excellent service! 😊
If there's anything else you need, we're always here to help.

Thanks again,
Nadine
Customer Experience

Budget Energy

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Review of monthly payment

I wanted to discuss the most sensible monthly direct debit payment. My home circumstances had changed and historic usage was not an accurate indicator of future use. Your agent fully understood the issue and dealt with me in a professional but sympathetic manner. We agreed an outcome that I was happy with. A very satisfactory conversation.

June 26, 2025
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Mr Small,

Thank you so much for your kind feedback. We're really glad to hear that our agent was able to support you with understanding and professionalism during your conversation.

We know how important it is to take changing circumstances into account, and it’s great to hear you reached an outcome that works for you.

If you ever need anything else or your situation changes again, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Kind Regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Hi been with energy budget for last …5/6

Hi been with energy budget for last 5/6 years and the experience i have recieved has been out standing and at min it's one I dont think I will be leaving for a while

June 26, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Matthew,

Thank you so much for your lovely message and for being with us over the past 5–6 years – we truly appreciate your loyalty.

We're so glad to hear you've had such a positive experience with us, and it means a lot to know you’re planning to stay. If there's ever anything we can do to make things even better, we're only a message away.

Thanks again for your continued support!

Kind Regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Well explained and helped me with…

Well explained and helped me with queries

June 27, 2025
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Ruth,

Thanks so much for your feedback – we're really glad to hear everything was explained clearly and that we could help with your queries.

If you ever need anything else, just let us know – we're always happy to help!

Best regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent service as usual

Excellent service as usual. Prompt reply. Enquiry dealt with quickly. Keep up the good work.

July 1, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Trevor,

Thank you for the great feedback! We’re so pleased to hear you received excellent service and that everything was handled promptly.

We’ll definitely keep up the good work – and we’re always here if you need anything else.

All the best,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

You can check out any time you like but you can never leave

It took me 5 mins to sign up 12 months ago, absolutely no issues until I tried to leave. I had 3 complete time wasting phone calls over the next week offering discounts that couldn't match my new provider, they then sent a letter on 17th June saying I owed them a £40 early exit fee. On receipt I phoned and challenged this, which they said they would waive as the switch over happened only a few days before the 12 months were up.

I thought this was the end of it, however, on 21st June just 4 days after the first request for an exit fee, I was sent another letter threatening me with Debit collections and potential court action if I didn't pay up.

I had to make two more phone calls today to get this sorted. They generated a final bill to confirm that I am not being pursued by debt collectors for £40 at which point they realised that they owe me £20 after they took the last months payment by direct debit.

I had never missed a payment with them in the 12 months I was a customer. It takes 3 to 4 weeks to switch electricity supplier in NI, the exact date the switchover was planned to happen was estimated at about a week after my contract ended. Why it was allowed to happen a few days before was out of my control. My new supplier was aware of the end of contract date and BE had ample opportunity to discuss this with me in the multiple phone calls they made trying to get me to stay by offering a worse rate than the new supplier.

If you are BE customer deciding to leave, make sure you don't go on holidays for a few days the week after moving supplier as you will likely return to some very unncessary and agressive correspondence that will need dealt with.

The energy regulator really need to look into the policies and practices of this company.

BETTER YET ...... AVOID IN THE FIRST PLACE.

June 27, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Declan,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience — I’m genuinely sorry to hear how frustrating and stressful this situation has been for you.

From what you’ve described, it’s clear that the handling of your switchover and the communication around the exit fee fell well short of the standard we aim to deliver. You shouldn’t have had to make multiple calls to have the issue resolved, especially after being told the fee would be waived. I completely understand how receiving a collections letter just days later would have been both upsetting and alarming.

I also appreciate you highlighting your good payment record and the circumstances around the contract timing. We take this kind of feedback seriously, and I’ll ensure your experience is shared with the relevant teams so we can review how these situations are managed going forward.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused. If there’s anything further we can do for you, don’t hesitate to let us know.

Kind regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy Customer Care Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I have never had an issue with budget…

I have never had an issue with budget Energy
Any problems that arose over the years ive been with them, had been looked into and dealt with promptly

June 25, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Kim,

Thanks so much for your message — we really appreciate you taking the time to share this.

It’s great to hear you’ve never had any issues with Budget Energy and that any concerns over the years have been looked into and resolved quickly. We’re always glad to know when our service meets expectations!

If there’s ever anything you need, just let us know — we’re here to help.

Best regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy Customer Care Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I have been with budget energy for at…

I have been with budget energy for at least 4 years now using the keypad option. I have never had any problems with them. Got letter yesterday saying we were coming out of current contract and that the tariff would be doubling in price. I immediately contacted them with phone being answered almost immediately . A very pleasant guy guided me through how tariffs work I only had to mention that it was nearly doubling in price and he straightaway guided me to two best deals of which one was practically the same i had been on previously. I had no signing papers or anything to do and was automatically switched there and then. Can't fault Budget Energy at all and pleasant workers on the phone go a long way. Will definitely never switch from this excellent company.

June 25, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Brenda,

Thank you so much for your kind message and for being with us for over four years — we truly value your loyalty.

It’s brilliant to hear that you had such a smooth experience when you called about your tariff and that our team member was able to guide you to the best option so quickly. We’re especially glad to hear the transition was easy and that you found the process straightforward and stress-free.

Your feedback about our phone support means a lot — we know how important it is to speak to someone helpful and pleasant when it matters.

Thanks again for your lovely comments — we’re delighted to have you with us and look forward to continuing to support you for years to come.

Best wishes,
Nadine
Budget Energy Customer Care Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Budget Energy, Budget Service!

Switched to a new supplier on 15/03/25 and had to contact them numerous times requesting that they close my account and send me my final bill. Eventually forced them to close my account on 16/04/25 and they issued my final bill. No surprise that my account was in credit and was advised that refunds take 7 weeks….. appalling but company policy apparently. 04/06/25 and still no refund! They also torture you with emails asking for reviews… so here you are!
Website and App are pathetic too

June 4, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi EM,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience — I’m genuinely sorry to hear how frustrating it’s been.

Delays in issuing a refund after switching providers are not acceptable, and I completely understand how frustrating it must be to have to chase this yourself. This isn’t the level of service we aim to deliver, and I’ve shared your comments with the relevant team for review.

I’ve also reached out to you privately for more details so we can investigate and get this resolved as soon as possible.

Thank you again for your feedback — we really do value it, even when it’s difficult to hear, as it helps us do better.

Kind regards,
Nadine
Customer Experience Team
Budget Energy

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Don't build any credit, you'll struggle getting it back

Fine until you try to change to a different energy provider. I left 2 months ago and they still have failed to return over £300 of credit. Despite my phone calls and their excuses over 'not issuing final bill' and 'not processing refund' here I am still waiting.
If they do offer you a good deal, don't let them build up YOUR money in THEIR bank account. They don't like giving it back.

June 3, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Skip,

Thank you for your feedback, and I’m really sorry to hear about your experience.

We completely understand how frustrating it is to wait for a refund, especially after leaving the service. This isn’t the level of service we aim to provide, and I’d like to assure you we take these concerns seriously. I have reached out privately for more information so we can look into this issue and resolve this asap for you.

Thank you again for highlighting this—we appreciate the opportunity to put things right.

Kind regards,
Nadine
Customer Experience Team

Budget Energy

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I'd prefer to give these amateurs a 0 zero but instead I'm being generous

I've spent approximately 4 years as a "customer" of this dreadful service provider and here are the issues I raised with them on more than 1 occasion (I put customer in inverted commas because I think Budget seemed to miss the memo that they should make efforts to provide a good service to customers):
- I've seen superior standards of technology built by teenagers than that provided by Budget (the app & website) to customers to allow them to monitor their account. It is completely amateurish and I think possibly deliberately so. Don't bother trying to raise queries through the technology platforms ... you'll still have to trawl through your emails to see if they responded to your query by email .... and that's IF they respond to your query. There are also multiple other issues with viewing historic meter readings, etc. which when raised with them (as I did on a number of occasions), you'll get told they'll "feed it back to their IT team". Are their IT team actually the GCSE kids in a local high school class (apologies, no disrespect meant to the competence of kids doing GCSE Digitial Technology because to be fair they could probably build better than what Budget offer to customers)?
- you'll never see a final bill ... they'll just OVERestimate your final usage and then take an inflated payment without sending you a bill or any notification they plan to take the payment (and because they remove you from accessing your account when you leave, they'll send you an email to tell you they've generated your final bill and to log in to your account to view it but given that they removed access to your account as soon as you leave, you have no idea how much they will take until the money is gone from your account)
- you'll get offered special offers but watch your bill to see if they'll actually apply them - the last time I signed on to a 12 month tariff with them, it was supposed to come with a £100 loyalty discount and at the end of the 12 months I checked my bills and not surprisingly, I hadn't been credited with my loyalty discount and was told it must have just been a mistake that I wasn't credited it. I wonder how many other customers they made this mistake with?
- Really high charges - I've just moved to another provider with the transfer completing on 23rd March. Since then my 2 bills have been £60.40 and £84.57 with the new provider (Share Energy, and that's just going on to their standard tariff where I'm not locked into a contract). I settled my bill up to date with Budget on 3rd March and the final payment taken by Budget (the bill for which I couldn't see because they blocked me from accessing my account) was £154.97 for 20 days!!! So my new provider charges me £144.97 from 23rd March through to 27th May (more than 2 months) but Budget estimated I owed them £154.97 at final bill for 20 days! This is due to 2 reasons - 1) being Budget’s much higher charges and 2) being they estimate the closing electricity reading as way higher than it should be so they can take a large final payment (this is probably also affecting the new electricity providers because effectively Budget have charged me for electricity that Share Energy have probably actually provided ... electricity providers taking over accounts from Budget need to make sure they are asking the new customers for an actual customer reading on the day of transfer rather than allowing Budget to squeeze out as much as they can from a departing customer with an OVERestimate of final usage

Please, if you have any expectations of an electricity provider with a consistent and professional approach and capable of providing customers with accessible information digitally, avoid Budget Energy.

May 27, 2025
Unprompted review
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Sophie,

Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback — and I’m truly sorry for the frustration, disappointment, and inconvenience you've experienced throughout your time with us.
We’ve clearly fallen short of your expectations — and, more importantly, the level of service you deserve. Your experience with our app, website, support channels, billing process, and loyalty offer should have been far smoother, more transparent, and more reliable. It’s especially disappointing to hear those issues you raised multiple times remained unresolved, and that your final billing experience added further stress.

Please know this is not the standard we aim for, and I regret that we didn’t provide you with the consistency, clarity, and care that every customer should expect. I've escalated the points you've raised internally.
I understand you have moved to another supplier, at the signup process the new supplier will have asked you for an actual meter read, this becomes your closing meter read with us and your opening read with them. If this is not provided, we would have no choice but to estimate the final bill.

We value your feedback — even when it’s critical — because it drives change. I’m sorry again that your experience with us was such a source of frustration. We appreciate your honesty and wish you a much better experience with your new provider.

Kind regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy
Customer Experience Department

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Attentive to my query

April 16, 2025
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Mr. F,

We’re delighted to hear that our staff was attentive to your query. Ensuring our customers are happy, informed, and well-supported is always our top priority.

If there’s anything else you need, please don’t hesitate to get in touch — we’re here to help.

Kindest regards,
Nadine
Customer Experience
Budget Energy

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent and knowledgeable customer…

Excellent and knowledgeable customer service

April 16, 2025
Budget Energy logo

Reply from Budget Energy

Hi Stephanie,

Thank you for the kind words! We're so happy to hear that you had an excellent experience with our team. We’re always here to help and it's great to know our efforts made a difference.

Thanks again for your support! 😊

Kind Regards,
Nadine
Budget Energy

Customer Experience Team

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