More than 3.2 million customers switched to a different supplier to get better energy deals this year.

That’s according to latest statistics from Energy UK, which reveals just under half a million – or 477,106 – customers moved to a cheaper energy provider last month.

That’s up by nearly a quarter compared to July last year.

More than 180,000 customers moved from the Big Six suppliers to small and medium sized companies last month – 38% of all switches – while 8% switched vice-versa.

Lawrence Slade, Chief Executive of Energy UK said: “It is positive to see that nearly half a million customers switched to a better energy deal in July despite the record high temperatures.

“It has never been a better time to shop around or call your existing supplier to see if you could be on a better deal for you – whether that’s a cheaper deal or a green tariff or better customer service. switching can take as little as 10 minutes and with the Energy Switch Guarantee in place, customers should feel confident it will be simple, speedy and safe.”