Ceased trading · March 2019

Brilliant Energy archive

Brilliant Energy ceased trading on 11 March 2019. Its customers were transferred to SSE under Ofgem's Supplier of Last Resort scheme. This page is kept as a historical record.

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Founded 2017 About 17,000 domestic customers at closure

Ceased trading · 11 March 2019

Brilliant Energy no longer supplies UK households

Energy-market squeeze on small budget suppliers. Brilliant Energy was unable to sustain its low-cost model and ceased trading; Ofgem appointed SSE as Supplier of Last Resort. Customers were transferred to SSE under Ofgem's Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) scheme. This page is kept as a historical record. Information presented below was accurate at the time of original publication.

Founded

2017

Years on the UK market

Customers

About 17,000 domestic customers at closure

Households served

About

Who is Brilliant Energy?

Registered as Brilliant Energy Limited, Brilliant Energy uses this legal name for Ofgem licence filings, contracts and any formal communications. The trading name customers see on bills is the shorter, more recognisable form.

Brilliant Energy was founded in 2017. The supplier operated under a domestic-supply licence until its closure, with a track record of customer service and billing publicly documented for the years it traded.

Brilliant Energy is part of the Stromio Energy (Germany) group, which provides shared governance, financial backing and a broader pool of expertise in trading, hedging and regulatory work.

The company is regulated by Ofgem, the UK's energy regulator, and its complaint handling falls under the Energy Ombudsman alternative dispute resolution scheme.

Timeline

Brilliant Energy — key dates

A short timeline of the Brilliant Energy brand — founding, milestones, regulatory events and the closure that brought it to an end.

2017
Brilliant Energy launches as part of the German Stromio Energy group, offering budget electricity and gas to UK households. Northumbria Energy is operated as a sub-brand.
2019
Brilliant Energy ceases trading in March 2019. Ofgem appoints SSE as Supplier of Last Resort. All customers, including those of the Northumbria Energy sub-brand, are transferred to SSE's Standard Variable Tariff.

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Common questions

Brilliant Energy — frequently asked questions

Energy-market squeeze on small budget suppliers. Brilliant Energy was unable to sustain its low-cost model and ceased trading; Ofgem appointed SSE as Supplier of Last Resort.

Existing customers were transferred to SSE under Ofgem's Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) scheme — supply was never interrupted.

Your supply has not been interrupted: under the SoLR scheme, your supply is automatically handed to the successor supplier. Log in to the successor's online portal as soon as possible to set up your account, confirm your bank details and download any final Brilliant Energy statements while the legacy website is still online.

You are not required to pay any exit fee to leave the deemed tariff. Once your account is set up, compare current deals through Selectra to find a cheaper plan that fits your usage.

Yes. Customer credit balances on accounts at the date of cessation are protected under Ofgem's SoLR scheme. The successor supplier (SSE) is required to honour your credit balance. Confirm the balance in writing within the first 30 days to avoid disputes later.

Yes — outstanding debts owed to Brilliant Energy transfer to the administrator of the company's estate, not the SoLR. You may receive a written demand for the outstanding amount from the administrators. Verify any demand against your final Brilliant Energy statement before paying.

You can complain about the conduct of Brilliant Energy (mis-selling, billing errors, customer service) to the Energy Ombudsman, even after the supplier has ceased trading. For complaints about the SoLR transfer itself (delays, incorrect tariff), the route is the same — Ombudsman first, then Ofgem.