First Utility quadruples customer base in 4 years

First Utility has announced it has quadrupled in size, having increasing its customer base to 950,000 in the last four years.

The announcement was made at an event, attended by energy secretary Amber Rudd, to celebrate the opening of the firm’s new Coventry customer care centre. The independent supplier said it aims to add a further 170 to its existing 1,500-strong staff base by the end of the year.

Energy secretary Amber Rudd said: “First Utility is a relatively recent entrant to the market but has grown astronomically over the past few years. Its rapid growth is a great example of the UK’s increasingly competitive energy market.

“The company’s investment is great news for the city as a whole – the new centre has already created around 600 local jobs, meaning financial security for working people and their families and, as the company continues to expand, even more opportunities are likely to be generated.”

The supplier claimed it has saved the UK £500 million in lower energy bills in the last five years, and that a new customer joins every 90 seconds on average.

First Utility chief executive Ian McCaig said: “I am immensely proud of First Utility’s growth and how we have been at the forefront of driving positive change in the energy industry.

“My thanks go to the entire 1,500-strong First Utility team… and to all our customers, who have helped us grow over a very short period of time from a small, relatively unknown start-up to a serious challenger to the established suppliers.”

Growth of independent suppliers has not gone unnoticed, with switching figures from Energy UK in June revealing more than 350,000 customers switched energy supplier during the previous month. 39 per cent of switches were from larger to small and mid-tier suppliers, compared to 12 per cent of switches from small and mid-tier to larger suppliers.