Most of the major energy companies in the UK have reduced the time it takes customers to switch suppliers to 17 days.

That’s down from five weeks last year but still short of the Government’s target of 24 hours.

Energy Secretary Ed Davey challenged the energy sector to dramatically cut switching times in October 2013.

He said: “We’ve introduced more competition in the energy market and made it much quicker for people to switch energy supplier.

“The job is not done for energy suppliers. They must offer 24-hour switching for consumers as quickly as possible.”

DECC claims consumers could save as much as £300 on their energy bills- or more for a first-time switcher – by moving to a different energy provider. It said smaller, independent suppliers have also confirmed they are on track to introduce faster switching this year.

So far, 11 energy providers including smaller suppliers such as GnERGY, Ecotricity and First Utility are offering switching in 17 days.