How to Buy Energy Commodities on Trading 212: AIGE Explained

Updated 24 August 2026

You can get exposure to a basket of energy commodities, including oil, gas, gasoline and heating oil, through a single investment. It trades on the stock market just like a share, giving you diversified energy exposure without having to buy each fuel separately. This guide shows exactly how to buy energy commodities on Trading 212, how the basket is put together, and how to place your order.

Each fuel moves for its own reasons: oil on geopolitics and OPEC+ decisions, natural gas on the weather, and refined products like gasoline and heating oil on demand at the pump and in the home. Predicting which one leads next is difficult even for professionals, which is why a basket spreads that bet across the whole complex. If you’d rather target a single fuel, we also cover how to do that using individual products on Trading 212.

Key Takeaways

• An energy basket ETC gives you oil, natural gas, gasoline and heating oil in one futures-based product.
• The main option available on Trading 212 is WisdomTree Energy (AIGE), which tracks the Bloomberg Energy Subindex; at the time of writing it is the broad energy basket on the platform.
• AIGE trades in US dollars with no GBP line, so a pound account pays the 0.15% currency fee on the buy and the sell.
• The ongoing charge (expense ratio) is around 0.49% a year, and the exposure is futures-based rather than physically backed.
• Because energy curves are often in contango, the roll can drag on returns, which suits the basket to a diversifying or tactical role.

What You Are Actually Buying

Buying energy commodities on Trading 212 does not mean a barrel of oil or a tank of gas arriving at your door, and it does not mean buying shares in an energy company either.

Owning the fuels physically would be completely impractical, and energy company shares behave quite differently from the fuel prices, moving on earnings and dividends rather than the commodity itself.

So what are you actually buying? Instead of taking delivery of anything, you buy a single investment that tracks the price of a basket of energy commodities.

This type of product is called an Exchange-Traded Commodity (ETC). Rather than storing physical fuel, it uses futures contracts to follow the market, with collateral held to back the position.

Energy is one corner of a wider asset class, and our guide to buying commodities covers the full range.

Basket vs Individual Fuels: Which Is Better?

An energy basket ETC holds a spread of the main fuels and rebalances to its index methodology, so if one fuel outperforms and another lags, the basket smooths the ride and you get diversified exposure in a single trade.

WisdomTree Energy (AIGE) tracks the Bloomberg Energy Subindex, holding WTI crude, Brent crude, natural gas, gasoline and heating oil, with crude oil usually the largest slice.

Buying separate ETCs for each fuel instead gives you full control: you can overweight the fuel you are most bullish on and leave out the rest.

The basket suits a set-and-forget approach without managing several positions; the individual route suits investors with a strong view on a specific market like oil or gas.

Things to Watch Out For (Fees, Currency and Contango)

The exposure is futures-based. Energy futures curves are often in contango, where later-dated contracts cost more than near-term ones.

Each time the ETC rolls an expiring contract into a dearer one, that roll can drag on returns, so the product may lag the headline spot price over long holds.

It is not a flaw, it is simply how futures-based energy exposure works, which is why an energy basket is often held tactically rather than bought and forgotten.

On costs, WisdomTree Energy is priced in US dollars and currently has no pound-denominated line, so a GBP account pays Trading 212’s 0.15% currency conversion fee on both the buy and the sell.

This is different from gold or copper, where a GBP line lets you sidestep the fee. The ongoing charge, shown as the expense ratio, is around 0.49% a year, and as a relatively small ETC the spread can be a touch wider, which is a good reason to use a limit order when you buy.

The ETC Questionnaire

There is also one quick step to know about before your first purchase. Because ETCs are classed as complex products, Trading 212 may ask you to complete a short appropriateness questionnaire before you can buy one. Our guide to the Trading 212 ETC questionnaire explains exactly what it asks and how to complete it.

How to Buy Energy Commodities on Trading 212: Step by Step

Step 1: The Search

Open the search, the magnifying glass icon, and type Energy.

A search for “energy” will also surface energy equity funds and leveraged products, so the ticker is the quickest way to land on the right commodity ETC. Filter to the ETFs section to narrow the list.

 

Step 2: Choosing Your Product

At the time of writing, the main option available on Trading 212 is WisdomTree Energy (AIGE), which tracks the Bloomberg Energy Subindex across oil, gas, gasoline and heating oil.

Check the name says “Energy” on its own rather than “Energy Transition Metals” or an equity energy fund, which are different products. Note that it currently trades in US dollars, as there is no pound-denominated line at the time of writing.

Fund availability can change, so it is worth checking Trading 212 for the latest options before you buy.

 

Building Your Own Basket

If you would rather build your own energy mix, you can combine individual fuel ETCs and set the weighting yourself. For the oil portion, our guide to buying oil covers the Brent and WTI options. For the gas slice, our natural gas guide walks through the most volatile fuel of the group. To hold crude and the refined products together, buying petroleum covers the whole petroleum basket. On the refined side, our gasoline guide covers petrol. And for the fuel that warms homes, our heating oil guide covers the distillate.

 

Step 3: Checking the Details

Click into the product and scroll to Instrument Details. Confirm the ongoing charge, shown as the expense ratio, is around 0.49%, and check the currency, which will read USD for AIGE. This is also where you can confirm it is the futures-based commodity ETC rather than an equity fund.

 

Step 4: Market vs Limit Orders

When you press buy you have a choice in the top right. A market order buys instantly at the current price, which is convenient but can slip if the price moves while it processes.

 

A limit order lets you set the maximum you will pay and only fills if the price dips to your level, giving you more control, which is handy on a smaller ETC where the spread can be a touch wider.

 

Market and limit orders are just the starting point. Trading 212 also offers stop orders, stop-limit orders, and other tools that can help you buy at a specific price or protect against sudden drops. For a full breakdown of how each order type works and when to use them, see our guide on Trading 212 order types.

Conclusion

For most people, a broad energy basket like WisdomTree Energy (AIGE) is the simplest way to hold a basket of energy commodities in one trade on Trading 212, without managing several separate positions.

Bear in mind it is priced in dollars, so a pound account pays the currency fee, and the exposure is futures-based, so contango can drag on long-term returns.

That makes energy better suited to a diversifying or tactical role, and if you have a view on a single fuel, a dedicated oil or gas ETC may fit better.

FAQ

What Is an Energy Basket ETC?

It is a single product that tracks the price of several energy commodities at once, typically crude oil, natural gas, gasoline and heating oil. WisdomTree Energy (AIGE) is the main example and tracks the Bloomberg Energy Subindex.

Is WisdomTree Energy an ETF of Energy Shares?

No. It is a commodity ETC that tracks energy futures, not the shares of energy companies, so it moves with the price of the fuels rather than company earnings.

Does It Have a Currency Fee?

Yes, if your account is in a currency other than US dollars. Because AIGE is priced in US dollars, Trading 212’s 0.15% currency conversion fee applies each time you buy or sell, so a pound account pays it on both trades. The ongoing charge is around 0.49% a year.

Can I Hold an Energy Basket in an ISA?

Yes. Energy ETCs can be held in a Stocks and Shares ISA, so any gains are tax-free.

Why Might an Energy ETC Lag the Oil Price?

There are a few reasons, not just one.

First, it is a basket rather than pure oil, so natural gas, gasoline and heating oil can pull it away from the oil price.

Second, it tracks futures rather than a physical barrel, so when energy curves are in contango, rolling contracts forward costs a little each time.

On top of that, the ongoing charge is deducted over time, and for a pound investor movements in the US dollar can widen the gap further.

Together these mean the ETC can trail the headline spot oil price, especially over longer holds.