Last chance EDF/Octopus, free Ideal Home, refund for 1m+, 90p Nutella, 'I made £250 in hospital', cheap tampons, 3% savings, new £125 Halifax, 12 roses £5

ENDS 10PM THU. MSE Big Energy Switch Event 9

- MSE Winner 1: Octopus - top-service cheap 1 year fix. 15,000 left
- MSE Winner 2: EDF - cheapest big-name TWO-winter fix. 10,000 left

Our collective switch is where we ask energy firms to bid to provide special tariffs that slash your bills. 20,000 have switched so far, but the clo ck is ticking.

Being straight, the days of us beating the market's very cheapest are over, as we won't put our stamp on new tiddler suppliers with no track record and an inability to cope with big switch volumes (though of course we show you them when you compare).

The two MSE winners in a nutshell...

We've two FIXED tariffs, where your rate's locked, so you won't be hit by price rises. Around 60% of people are on a Big 6 standard tariff, paying on avg £1,130/yr (with typical use and on direct debit) - we use the same usage as a basis for all savings below. Our winners (full info later) are...
1) Winner: Top service with MSE backing. With typical use £861/yr, so £270 cheaper. Our Octopus 14mth collective fix is a top cheap fix with 90% 'great' customer service, plus enhanced service commitments.
2) Winner: Big-name TWO-winter fix: With typical use £928/yr, so £400 cheaper over the two years. Our EDF two-winter collective fix lets you lock in the rate until March 2020 - great if you're worried about future price rises or don't want to switch every year.

The links take you to our Cheap Energy Club (use the same email address you use for this email to be eligible for them), and use our filters there to show similar tariffs (eg, top service / big name only) - do play with them.

Whatever you do, even if it's not with one of our deals, take some action - it's worth it. As Jess tweeted: "@MartinSLewis I think I love you. Your MoneySaving email on the Big Switch just saved me £30/mth [£360/yr]. I could kiss you." Though there's no need for the kiss, we feel a warm glow just at the savings.

How to pick the right deal for YOU

The explosion of new energy firms has made picking a new deal daunting. We want to help you through that. In practical terms switching isn't a biggie. No one visits your home. It's the same gas, same electricity, even the same safety - the only change is price and service.

This doesn't apply if you're on prepay or in N Ireland. For that see below...

PS: Small provider Engie has since launched a slightly cheaper 2yr fix - it'll show in your results when you do a comparison.

Want prepay, green tariffs or live in Northern Ireland?

As usual, we tried to get deals for prepay and renewable tariffs and as usual no suppliers would give us (a decent) one.

- Prepay customers can still switch and save: Try our prepay comparison. Savings are smaller, typically £55/yr, but it could still be worth doing. For bigger savings see if you can switch to a credit meter. Full help in cut the cost of prepay energy.

- Want a green tariff? We didn't get any cheap green bidders this time. Yet do an Energy Club comparison and from the results, click '100% renewable' in the filters.

- Northern Ireland: No UK comparisons include NI, but see Cheap NI Electricity or the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland's tool.

Key energy switching info...
For more, see the full Cheap Energy Club FAQs

Q. What info do I need to switch? It's best if you have a bill, and input kilowatt hours (kWh) into Cheap Energy Club, rather than cost. But DON'T WORRY if you don't know your usage; the tool can guesstimate for you. While the answer won't be perfect, it's usually far better than doing nowt.

Q. How does Cheap Energy Club work? It does 3 things:
1) We compare ALL market tariffs to show your price and saving.
2) You get £25 dual-fuel cashback (£12.50 single fuel) if we can switch you. It's paid roughly 90 days later.
3) We check for better deals. You set a 'trigger saving', eg, £150/yr, then we alert you if you can save this by switching again.

Q. Does MSE make money from this? Yes. Like all energy comparison sites, we're paid each time you switch through us, and we give you about half in cashback (money you don't get if you go direct). The rest helps cover our costs and hopefully makes us some profit.

Q. What happens if my supplier goes bust? New rules mean any credit is protected and your energy stays on as you'll be transferred to another supplier. However, you could lose any cheap deal you're on.

Your most common queries answered...

Q. Can I switch if I've a smart meter? Yes, but you may lose functionality. See Smart switch.
Q. How come it's put my price up when I'm fixed? The rate's fixed, but your bill depends on usage. See Unfair direct debits.
Q. How do I find the standing charge and kWh cost? They vary by region, so we display yours in the comparison result.
Q. Can I pick a date for the switch? No. Providers don't allow this.
Q. I'm in credit. You will get your credit back. See Reclaim credit.
Q. I'm in energy debt. You can usually switch while in energy debt.
Q. I've solar panels. You can still switch. See Solar info.
Q. Is monthly direct debit cheapest? Yes, but do regular meter readings.
Q. Why do you show a different cost to my bill? Enter kWh and we show the avg each month, yet your direct debit's an estimate so can differ. Direct debit help.
Q. I have an independent gas transporter. You can still switch. See IGT help.

Over to Martin: "Another stonking rating - 3.7m of you watched my 'PPI and £2 for a week's shopping' show on Monday (watch again online or the Sun morning ITV repeat) - thank you. Next Mon: 1) Should you panic or pay off 6.1% student loan interest? 2) Are you owed a student loan refund (even if you paid it off years ago)? 3) How to halve your broadband costs. Do watch or set your Betamax."