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The number of people switching energy supplier has bounced back from a lockdown slump with the highest number of switches completed in the month of July since records began.

Data from ElectraLink’s Energy Market Data Hub (EMDH) shows 543,000 consumers changed energy provider in July, which was 3 per cent higher than July 2019 and 16 per cent up from June.

April saw a slowdown in switching when figures reached their lowest point since 2016 during lockdown.

In July 680,000 changes of supplier started, which is seven per cent more than June and four percent higher than July 2019.

Challenger energy retail brands benefited with 230,000 people leaving a big six supplier for a challenger brand while 58,000 billpayers changed from a challenger to a big six company. This represented the lowest number of switches from challenger to big six that the EMDH has recorded in more than one year.

Big six to big six switches reached 107,000, down 26 per cent year on year. A further 147,000 people changed from challenger to challenger brand, which was an increase of 17 per cent compared to July 2019.

The EMDH figures suggest consumers are paying more attention to their bills as life normal resumes after lockdown, ElectraLink suggested.

It said many suppliers may also be catching up on a backlog of switching requests caused by the lockdown, which may contribute to the rise in activity.