Comparison website comparethemarket.com has launched a major update to its energy comparison app – Snapt – enabling people to scan the Quick Response (QR) code on their energy bills simply by pointing their smartphone’s camera at the code.
According to Ofgem, the majority of energy suppliers are now legally required to include a QR code, containing a customers’ tariff and consumption data, on all bills from 1 July 2015. The requirement has the potential to revolutionise the energy market, by making it clearer and easier to compare tariffs online and switch provider.
Snapt scans the code and uploads this data directly from people’s bills. This information is automatically fed into comparethemarket.com’s comparison engine.
At the press of a button, consumers can compare the best energy tariffs on the market – the entire process takes roughly ten seconds. comparethemarket.com  claim that households stand to save, on average, £273.56 on their annual energy bill by switching.
Commenting on the launch of Snapt’s QR code reader, James Padmore, Head of Energy at comparethemarket.com said:
“The energy market is broken. Consumers struggle to make sense of energy bills and too many remain on uncompetitive tariffs because they are unsure of how to compare deals based on their current usage and expenditure. The introduction of QR codes, led by DECC and Ofgem, is a positive move and significant step in the right direction to help fix the market, and our updated app will help to maximise its potential.
It is vitally important that, beyond simply including them on bills, energy companies clearly communicate the purpose of the codes. Using QR codes effectively will give more people the confidence to compare tariffs and switch to the best one, possibly saving themselves hundreds of pounds.
This is a major step-change by the energy market and we are proud to be one of the first providers to offer QR code scanning of energy bills. We have harnessed our technological innovation to produce a first class comparison service that is simple, quick and fun to use.â€
Snapt is available for both Apple and Android phones. Here’s the process for comparing energy bills:
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