Energy Complaints and the Energy Ombudsman

Energy complaints typically fall into several categories, all of which the Energy Ombudsman is equipped to handle:

• Billing and metering: Incorrect bills, estimated bills not reflecting actual usage, unexplained charges, disputed final bills after switching or moving.
• Smart meters: Failed installation appointments, meters not working correctly, incorrect readings being submitted.
• Switching: Delays in switching supplier, erroneous transfers (being switched without consent), disputes over final settlement statements.
• Prepayment meters: Issues with top-up, being placed on a prepayment meter without proper process, self-disconnection during hardship.
• Customer service: Failure to respond to correspondence, not honouring agreed payment plans, aggressive debt collection practices.
• Direct debits: Unexplained increases in direct debit amounts without prior notice.

One protection worth knowing before you start: under Ofgem's back-billing rules, a supplier cannot charge you for gas or electricity used more than 12 months ago if the delay in billing was the supplier's own fault. If a large catch-up bill arrives out of the blue, check the dates it covers before paying anything.

Start by contacting your energy supplier's customer service team and clearly stating that you are making a formal complaint — use the word "complaint" so it is logged as one, because the 8-week escalation clock runs from the date you first raise it. All Ofgem-licensed suppliers must have a published complaints procedure, and under Ofgem's complaint handling rules they must log your complaint, keep records of it, and tell you about your right to go to the Energy Ombudsman when they cannot resolve it.

In your complaint, include:

• Your account number and the address the supply relates to
• A clear description of the problem, with relevant dates and amounts
• Meter readings or photographs of the meter if the dispute is about billing or usage
• The resolution you want — a corrected bill, a refund of credit, a payment plan, or compensation

Keep a record of every contact: call dates, reference numbers, the names of agents you spoke to, and copies of emails. If the first response does not resolve the issue, ask for the complaint to be escalated to the supplier's specialist complaints team, and ask explicitly for a deadlock letter if they tell you nothing more can be done. If the supplier has not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks, or has issued a deadlock letter, you can refer to the Energy Ombudsman without waiting further.

The Energy Ombudsman is free for complainants and covers domestic customers and small business (microbusiness) customers of energy suppliers trading in Great Britain. All Ofgem-licensed suppliers are required to belong to the scheme, so you never need to check whether your supplier is a member.

You can refer a complaint when either of these applies:

• 8 weeks have passed since you first raised the complaint with your supplier and it has not been resolved; or
• Your supplier has sent you a deadlock letter confirming it cannot take the complaint any further — in which case you can refer immediately.

There is also an outer time limit: the Energy Ombudsman can refuse a dispute that is not brought within 12 months of the date of the deadlock letter. In practice, refer as soon as you have the deadlock letter or pass the 8-week mark — evidence is fresher and nothing is gained by waiting.

The ombudsman deals with disputes between customers and suppliers. It cannot investigate the level of energy prices themselves (Ofgem sets the price cap framework), and complaints that are already before a court will generally not be accepted.

To refer your complaint:

• Visit energyombudsman.org and complete the online referral form
• Or call 0330 440 1624 (Monday to Friday, 8am–8pm; Saturday 9am–1pm)
• Provide your complaint summary, a chronology of your contact with the supplier, evidence (bills, meter readings, correspondence), and any deadlock letter received

What happens next follows a broadly standard path:

• Acceptance check: The ombudsman first confirms the complaint is eligible — that 8 weeks have passed or a deadlock letter was issued, and that the dispute is within its remit.
• Evidence gathering: Your supplier is asked for its file on the complaint. You may be asked follow-up questions. Most cases are decided on the documents, so a clear written chronology carries real weight.
• Decision: An investigator weighs both sides and issues a decision setting out whether the complaint is upheld and what remedy the supplier must provide.
• Acceptance: If you accept the decision, it becomes binding on the supplier, which must then implement the remedy — typically within a set number of days stated in the decision. If you reject it, you keep your right to pursue the matter elsewhere, including through the courts.

Straightforward billing disputes are often resolved within a few months; complex cases involving metering investigations or erroneous transfers can take longer.

Where your complaint is upheld, the ombudsman can direct your supplier to provide:

• A financial award of up to £10,000 — covering money you are owed, out-of-pocket losses, and a payment recognising distress and inconvenience
• A corrected bill or removal of charges that should not have been applied
• An apology and an explanation of what went wrong
• Practical action — for example fixing a meter, unwinding an erroneous transfer, or amending incorrect credit-file data caused by the dispute

Separately from the ombudsman, Ofgem's Guaranteed Standards require automatic payments (from £30 upwards) when a supplier fails in specific ways — for example missing a meter appointment or failing to restore supply in time. If a Guaranteed Standards payment was due and never made, say so in your referral.

The ombudsman cannot fine or punish your supplier — that is Ofgem's job as regulator — and it cannot change the price of energy or rule on matters outside the supplier relationship, such as disputes with a district heating network that is not an Ofgem-licensed supplier. Awards are compensatory, not punitive: expect a remedy that puts you back where you should have been, plus a proportionate payment for the trouble caused, rather than a windfall.

The Energy Ombudsman handles individual complaints, but if you believe your supplier is systematically breaking rules — for example, consistently failing to process switches on time or sending inaccurate bills to many customers — you can report this to Ofgem directly.

Ofgem cannot resolve individual disputes but can investigate supplier conduct and take enforcement action, including fines. Citizens Advice also runs the Consumer Service on behalf of Ofgem, providing free advice and recording complaints for intelligence purposes.

For consumers on low incomes or in vulnerable situations who cannot resolve a complaint through normal channels, Citizens Advice's Extra Help Unit provides specialist support, including direct liaison with suppliers on your behalf.

Ombudsman decisions bind the supplier only if you accept them — they never bind you. That gives you a genuine choice at the end of the process:

• If the decision is partly in your favour, weigh the certain remedy against the cost and uncertainty of going further. Accepting closes the matter; you cannot then sue over the same dispute.
• If your complaint is not upheld, or you reject the award, you can still pursue the supplier through the courts. For clear financial losses up to £10,000 in England and Wales, the small claims track is designed to be used without a solicitor.
• If you believe the investigation itself went wrong — evidence was overlooked or you have significant new evidence — raise this with the ombudsman before the decision is finalised. Once a decision is issued and accepted, it will not normally be reopened.

Losing at the ombudsman does not prevent you reporting the supplier's conduct to Ofgem, and it does not affect your ordinary consumer rights. Before starting court action, get advice from Citizens Advice — an unsuccessful ombudsman case is a useful signal to test the strength of your evidence first.