Survey on Electricity and Gas Market Liberalization: Nearly 30% Have Switched from Major Utilities to New Power Providers; Over 40% Still Prefer Major Companies

<< TOPICS >>

Nearly 30% of consumers have switched from major utilities to new power companies since electricity liberalization. About 5% have changed tariff plans within their current provider. Over 40% still prefer major power companies, while just over 10% are interested in new providers.

Among gas users, approximately 14% have changed gas suppliers since gas market liberalization.

MyVoice Co., Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Shintaro Shimizu) conducted its fifth internet-based survey on 'Electricity and Gas Market Liberalization' from June 1 to 7, 2026.

The survey covers changes in electricity and gas providers and tariff plans, as well as future contracting intentions. Key findings are presented below.

[Survey Target] MyVoice's online survey panel

[Method] Internet survey (online research)

[Period] June 1–7, 2026 | [Respondents] 10,934

[Detailed Results] https://myel.myvoice.jp/products/detail/33508

◆ Experience Changing Electricity Providers and Tariff Plans

Respondents were asked about changes made since electricity market liberalization in April 2016 (multiple responses allowed).

'Have switched from a major utility to a new power provider' accounted for 29.4%. The rate was nearly 40% in the Kanto region and over 30% in Hokkaido and Kinki.

'Have switched to a flexible pricing plan within the same provider' stood at 5.3%, slightly higher in Tohoku and Shikoku (over 10% each).

◆ Reasons for Choosing a New Power Provider

Among users of new power providers, the main reasons for their current choice (multiple responses) were:

'Lower electricity bills or access to cheaper plans' (47.9%),

'Availability of bundled discounts' (34.6%).

'High point return rates, points accumulation/redemption, or discount benefits' accounted for 27.2%, particularly higher among those who previously switched from one new provider to another or to a major utility.

◆ Future Electricity Contracting Intentions

40.8% of respondents said they 'prefer to contract with a major utility'. This preference is stronger among older age groups and in Tohoku, Hokuriku, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Younger respondents are less likely to prefer major utilities, with higher rates selecting 'don't know'.

13.4% expressed interest in contracting with a new power provider, with slightly higher rates in Kanto and Hokkaido.

Among current major utility users, 60% prefer to stay with a major company, while only about 3% are interested in switching to a new provider. Among current new provider users, nearly 40% prefer to stay with a new provider, while about 45% are undecided.

◆ Experience Changing Gas Providers and Tariff Plans

Among gas users, 14.1% have changed gas suppliers since gas market liberalization in April 2017. 5.2% have changed tariff plans.

In Tohoku, Hokuriku, Chugoku, and Kyushu, around 80% reported no change in gas provider or plan.

◆ Future Gas Contracting Intentions

For future gas contracts, 40.3% prefer 'traditional urban gas companies', 12.6% prefer 'LP gas'.

6.7% selected 'newly entered urban gas companies', rising to over 60% among current users of such providers.

<< Respondent Comments >>

☆ Reasons for preferring a specific electricity provider (6,045 responses)

Major utility:

'As infrastructure, reliability and peace of mind are essential. Price differences aren’t significant enough to justify switching.' (Female, 32)

Major utility:

'Given the unstable energy supply outlook, stability is crucial.' (Female, 40)

Major utility:

'Living in an all-electric home, I want stable pricing.' (Male, 35)

New power provider:

'They use environmentally friendly generation methods, which is appealing.' (Female, 29)

New power provider:

'With persistent inflation, I want to review and reduce household expenses by switching providers.' (Female, 67)

New power provider:

'Contracting with KABU& gives me shares.' (Male, 54)

Undecided:

'Cheaper is better, but in apartments or condos, I feel I can’t choose freely—so I’m unsure.' (Female, 23)

Undecided:

'It’s hard to tell if I’m actually saving money.' (Male, 24)

<< Detailed Results >>

Survey Results on Electricity and Gas Market Liberalization

https://myel.myvoice.jp/products/detail/33508

Additional questions included 'reasons for not switching electricity providers' and 'reasons for choosing new gas providers'.

※ Regarding Use of Survey Results

This is an independent survey conducted by MyVoice Co., Ltd. via internet research.

When publishing or citing these results, please credit 'MyVoice survey' or 'Survey by MyVoice Co., Ltd.'

<< Contact >>

For inquiries about the survey results, please contact:

[email protected] (MyEL Team)

<< Related Information >>

Survey results and introductions to MyVoice’s AI-powered text analysis tool 'CotoEL' and its survey database 'MyEL' are also available on note.

Note Page

<< Company Overview >>

MyVoice Co., Ltd.

[Representative] President and CEO Shintaro Shimizu

[Founded] July 1999

[Capital] 161.83 million JPY (including capital reserves)

[Business] Internet and offline surveys, text mining, survey databases, AI analytics services

[Headquarters] 5F Sakibana Building, 3-17-11 Kanda-Nishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

[Website] https://www.myvoice.co.jp/

MyVoice is a research company under the Itochu Group, specializing in internet-based market research.

★ We are recruiting survey panelists. For details, please visit our website.