UK consumers are gifting the "Big Six" energy providers £3.9 billion because we don't search around for the best deal, according to a report by MoneySupermarket.com.

Now that the Big Six have finished their latest round of price hikes, seeing gas go up by an average of 17.4% and electricity rise by 10.08%, consumers could save almost a quarter on their energy bills by moving to the best available product (that would be a collective saving of the 3.9 billion, if we all did it).

But we don't! We might think we are saving ourselves energy, and even if we are, the one thing we are not saving is money.

EDF Energy has the best value tariff in 13 out of 14 UK regions and if you were to switch to them now, living in the north-west of England, you could save yourself £355 a year.

Scott Byrom, from moneysupermarket.com, said: "Bill payers will be reeling from the recent price hikes, yet despite the choice available for both gas and electricity, the majority of UK households are staying loyal to their energy provider and therefore paying way over the odds for their gas and electricity... now really isn’t the time to be apathetic.

"Those who aren’t shopping around for the best deal, are simply burning money."

So, get shopping! Yes, EDF Energy do offer the best fixed tariff amongst the majors, but there are many other companies out there, such as Good Energy, Ebico, Ovo Energy, and Ecotricity, who not only offer great deals but also offer green deals, helping us all save energy in the process.

[Image: Images_of_Money]