Updated September 2026. Tomato Energy ceased trading on 5 November 2025. Ofgem appointed British Gas as Supplier of Last Resort, and all 15,000 domestic and 8,000 business customers transferred automatically from 9 November 2025. Supplies were never interrupted, and nobody had to do anything to keep the lights on.
The reason this page still matters: customers moved across under that process were placed on deemed contracts, which are the most expensive rates any supplier charges. They were meant to be temporary. Nearly a year on, many former Tomato customers, particularly businesses, are still sitting on them and paying well above the market rate, without ever realising they were free to leave.
If that sounds like you, the fix is simple: compare business energy rates with our team and get off deemed rates. There are no exit fees, and there never were.
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What happened to Tomato Energy?
Tomato Energy Limited was a small independent supplier based in Basingstoke, supplying both electricity and gas to around 15,300 households and 8,400 businesses. It marketed transparent pricing, renewable electricity and solar export tariffs to customers generating their own power, and had no parent group behind it.
Its collapse was not sudden. Ofgem banned the company from taking on new customers in April 2025 after it built up around £3 million of debts, then issued a provisional order over its failure to maintain adequate liquidity. A proposed £1.5 million fine for breaching financial resilience rules followed in October 2025. The company filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators at the end of that month and stopped trading days later.
Tomato was the 31st UK energy supplier to fail since 2021. Centrica’s chief executive noted at the time that the cumulative cost of those failures has added roughly £100 to the average household energy bill, which is a useful reminder that supplier collapses are paid for by everyone, not just the customers caught in them.
Who took over Tomato Energy customers?
British Gas. Ofgem appointed it as Supplier of Last Resort on 10 November 2025, with customers formally becoming British Gas customers from 9 November. British Gas supplies over 350,000 organisations and took on both the domestic and the business book.
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Accounts took between 7 and 21 days to set up, and British Gas asked business customers for an opening meter reading. Because information had to come from Tomato’s administrators, some accounts took considerably longer than that to settle. If you never received an account number, or your billing still looks wrong, that history is usually the reason, and it is worth chasing rather than ignoring.
What happened to Tomato Energy credit balances?
This is where domestic and business customers were treated very differently, and the distinction is rarely made clearly.
- Domestic customers: credit balances are protected under the Supplier of Last Resort process. Ofgem confirmed balances would be honoured, and British Gas took them on.
- Business customers: credit balances are not automatically protected. SoLR credit protection applies to domestic accounts. A business in credit when Tomato failed becomes an unsecured creditor of the company and has to claim through the administrators, with no guarantee of recovering the full amount.
If your business was in credit, dig out your final Tomato statement and submit a claim to the administrators if you have not already. If you owed money to Tomato, that debt still stands and the administrators or British Gas will pursue it. The Energy Ombudsman’s guidance for affected customers is the route if you have a complaint about how the transfer itself was handled, once you have raised it with British Gas first.
What is a deemed contract, and are you still on one?
A deemed contract is what a supplier applies when you are being supplied without an agreed contract in place. Every Tomato customer landed on one, because the transfer was involuntary and there was no contract to carry across.
Deemed rates are the most expensive rates in the market. They are not a punishment, they are priced to cover the supplier’s risk on an unplanned customer, but the effect on your bill is the same. For context, our guide to current business electricity rates puts competitive fixed rates for most SMEs at 22p to 30p per kWh in 2026, while out of contract and deemed rates run to 40p per kWh and beyond. On a typical small business bill, that gap is worth hundreds or thousands of pounds a year.
Three signs you are still on deemed rates: you have never signed a contract with British Gas, your bill shows no fixed end date, or your unit rate looks far higher than the figures above. Any one of them is worth ten minutes of checking. Our explainer on business energy contract types covers how deemed and out of contract rates differ from a proper fixed deal.
Can you switch away from British Gas now?
Yes, and you have been able to since your account was set up. Ofgem confirmed at the outset that no exit fees would apply to customers transferred under the SoLR process. The original advice to wait applied only to the transfer window itself, when switching mid-transfer risked billing and credit complications. That window closed in late 2025.
If you are a business still on deemed rates in 2026, every month you stay is money spent for nothing. Switching is straightforward: gather twelve months of usage and a recent bill, compare the whole market rather than accepting a British Gas renewal quote, and check the standing charge as carefully as the unit rate. Our guide to why business electricity is so expensive explains what sits behind those numbers.
What if you had a solar export tariff with Tomato Energy?
Export agreements did not transfer automatically. Tomato marketed solar export tariffs, and customers generating their own power needed to arrange a new export agreement with British Gas or another licensed supplier after the transfer. If you exported through Tomato and never set up a replacement, you may have been generating without being paid for it. That is worth checking today, because a new arrangement can only be backdated at the supplier’s discretion.
How do you contact British Gas about a former Tomato Energy account?
Tomato Energy no longer exists as a trading company, so there is no Tomato contact number to call. Anything about your supply, billing or account goes to British Gas, which runs a dedicated page for former Tomato business customers. Anything about money Tomato owed you at the point of failure goes to the administrators. Complaints about the transfer itself go to British Gas first, then the Energy Ombudsman if it is still unresolved after eight weeks.
Get off deemed rates with Green Light
At Green Light Consultancy Group, we have moved former Tomato Energy customers off British Gas deemed rates and onto contracts that reflect what they actually use. We compare the whole market rather than one renewal quote, handle the switch from start to finish, and make sure your next contract has an end date in your calendar so you never drift onto default rates again.
Whether you need business electricity, business gas or domestic energy, we will tell you plainly whether your current rate is competitive. If it already is, we will say so.
Get in touch with the team and we will review where you stand.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tomato Energy still trading?
No. Tomato Energy stopped supplying energy on 5 November 2025 and is no longer a trading energy supplier. It cannot take on customers, and anyone who was with Tomato is now supplied by British Gas. If you are researching Tomato Energy as a possible supplier, it is no longer an option.
Who took over Tomato Energy?
British Gas, under Ofgem’s Supplier of Last Resort process. It took on around 15,000 domestic and 8,000 business customers with no interruption to supply.
Why did Tomato Energy go bust?
It failed to meet Ofgem’s financial resilience rules. Ofgem banned it from taking on new customers in April 2025 after it built up around £3 million of debts, issued a provisional order over inadequate liquidity, and proposed a £1.5 million fine before the company ceased trading in November 2025. Tomato was an independent supplier with no parent group to absorb the losses, and it was the 31st UK supplier to fail since 2021. The wider lesson for anyone choosing on headline price alone: a very cheap rate from a supplier that is not financially resilient is a risk, not a bargain.
Will I get my Tomato Energy credit back?
Domestic credit balances are protected under the SoLR process and were honoured by British Gas. Business credit balances are not automatically protected; a business in credit becomes an unsecured creditor and must claim through the administrators, with no guarantee of full recovery.
Am I still on Tomato Energy’s old tariff?
No. Tomato contracts ended when the company stopped trading. Customers were placed on British Gas deemed contracts, which are typically far more expensive than fixed deals, and they stay on them until they agree a new contract.
Can I switch away from British Gas after the Tomato Energy transfer?
Yes, with no exit fees. Ofgem confirmed this when the transfer was announced. The advice to wait applied only during the transfer window in late 2025 and no longer applies.
What is the Tomato Energy contact number?
Tomato Energy no longer trades, so there is no customer number to call. Supply, billing and account queries go to British Gas; claims for money owed by Tomato go to the administrators.
Still Paying Deemed Rates?
If you came across from Tomato Energy and have never signed a new contract, you are almost certainly overpaying. Get in touch with the team today and we will benchmark your rate against the market.
Switching to a Better Tariff After the Transfer from Tomato Energy
When British Gas confirms your new account, that is the time to compare. To secure the best possible business electricity contract, you’ll need your usage information, meter reads and a copy of your latest bill.
Check the unit rate, standing charge and contract length so that you’re comparing like for like. Many businesses roll onto default out-of-contract rates simply because they do not review their tariff in time. This is your opportunity to take control of your domestic energy or business energy bill.
Still Paying Too Much After Tomato Energy?
If you were transferred from Tomato Energy to British Gas, you could still be paying more than necessary on a deemed rate. Our team can review your current tariff, compare the market and help you switch to a more suitable energy contract with no disruption to your supply.
