How to complain about UK energy bills

UK energy companies pay out millions of pounds each year to customers who have been let down by incorrect billing, technical errors and poor service. It can be very frustrating to encounter a problem that you cannot resolve and your provider will not take seriously, especially when it is costing you money. Some of these mistakes have pushed consumers into serious financial difficulty and caused significant distress. If your energy company is charging you more than it should be, it is important to know how to resolve the issue and get a fair deal. In this article, you can find everything you need to know about making a complaint to your energy company.

What energy bill issues can you make a complaint about?

You can make a complaint if you think you have been treated unfairly by your energy supplier. This could be because of:

• Billing errors
• A slow response to an issue
• Late bills
• A faulty meter
• Technical issues
• Poor customer service

Complaints about energy prices being too high are unlikely to have much effect unless there has been an error, as prices are limited by energy regulator Ofgem’s energy price cap. If you are struggling with your bills and you receive benefits, you may be able to use the Fuel Direct Scheme. There may also be grants and schemes offered by your energy supplier, or you could explore the British Gas Energy Trust, which is available to customers of all energy companies. Citizen's Advice can help you find schemes you may qualify for. There are a number of other charities and organisations that can also provide free advice, including MoneyHelper, The Money Charity, StepChange, National Debtline and Turn2us.

Issues relating to connection failures or power cuts are not the responsibility of your energy provider, so you would need to contact the company that supplies your area.

How to complain about UK energy bills in 5 steps

If there is something wrong with your energy bills, you will need to find where the mistake has been made and contact your provider to get a refund. Here are five simple steps to follow:

1) Check your bill

Your first action should be to check that the numbers on your bill add up to the right amount. This means taking your usage (in kWh) for the relevant period and multiplying it by the unit rate. You should then add on the standing charge for each day the billing period covers. This will give you the amount in pence that you have spent in that timeframe. You can divide by 100 to get the price in pounds.

Some gas meters can complicate this maths as they may record your usage in cubic metres or even cubic feet, as it is measuring the volume of gas. Converting to kWh is not simple and can vary from supplier to supplier, but there should be information on your bill about how your supplier calculates it.

If your bill does not add up to the number you expect, it could be because an error has been made, or because your supplier has been relying on estimated readings for a long period. Contact your supplier to explain why you think your bill is wrong and include all of your calculations. Try to avoid calling as keeping correspondence in writing may be useful if you have to escalate the issue later.

What if you get no bills?

If you have not been issued a bill by your energy supplier for more than a year, you can only be charged for the last 12 months of usage. This rule is part of Ofgem’s ‘back billing principle’ that all UK energy suppliers have signed up to. However, it does not apply if you have avoided paying for your energy intentionally. In that case, your supplier could charge you for any period you have not paid in the last six years.

2) Check your direct debit

Direct debit may be the preferred way to pay an energy supplier for many people, but it does mean that you are not directly paying for the energy you use when you are billed for it. The system of topping up your account with a monthly direct debit, then paying a bill with the money that has built up, is ripe for error and confusion due to the amount of estimating involved. You and your provider are estimating how much energy you will use, how much that energy will cost and how your usage will change as the seasons change.

If you think your direct debit is too high, check to see if your account is in credit. You can request to have the money you have built up refunded or choose to keep building up a pot to cover the colder months.

Keep in mind that your provider can decide to increase your direct debit, though it must inform you if it is going to change. You can request a refund from your bank under the direct debit guarantee if you were not told by your supplier.

3) Check your meter

If you are suspicious that your meter may be faulty, make sure to take regular photos of your readings, as these may be useful if you make a complaint. The first thing to check if you think your billing is incorrect is the identification number on your meter, as it should match what is on your bill. It is not unheard of for energy firms to charge consumers using the readings from the wrong meter, especially if that meter is in shared space in a block of flats.

Your provider can send a technician out to check that your meter is working correctly, though you may have to pay a fee if it turns out to be functioning normally. This is considered to be +/- 2% accuracy for gas meters and between +2.5% and -3.5% for electricity meters.

You can try to avoid any potential callout charges by testing the meter yourself. Unplug every single electrical appliance – standby mode will still use some power – and make sure the numbers on the electricity meter are not going up. As you turn each electrical item back on, check the meter again to see if plugging anything back in causes the numbers to shoot up. One appliance triggering a sharp increase may suggest it is faulty. Your gas meter is harder to check, but the number displayed should increase slowly. A dramatic rise could be a sign of a leak. If you think you have a gas leak in your home, call the National Grid gas emergency line on 0800 111 999 urgently.

If you still think your meter is faulty, contact your supplier and send an image of the meter in question. It will need to investigate, take action and inform you of what it has done and plans to do, all within five days. If it does not do this, you can claim £40 in compensation. Similar rules apply to prepayment meters. If your meter is displaying an error message, your supplier will need to check it within three hours of being notified by you on working days, or four hours on weekends and holidays. You will be able to request tokens from your provider while any issues are being resolved and you will also be able to claim £40 compensation if the meter is not repaired or replaced, or if the provider does not notify you in writing of its actions and plans.

What if you have a smart meter?

Smart meters are far from foolproof and are still susceptible to communication errors, display problems and reading issues. Make sure to still follow through with all of our suggested actions for potentially faulty meters if you think there is an issue.

4) Check your rights

Energy suppliers must follow Ofgem’s conduct guidance and treat customers fairly. These firms should be easy to contact, act swiftly and correct any errors made. Any communication should be clear, fair, complete and relevant. Falling short of these standards should mean you are due £40 compensation within 10 working days.

Not every company will stick to all of the rules all of the time, which means some complaints may need to be escalated.

5) Escalate your complaint

If you cannot get a fair resolution from your supplier, you don’t think it is following the rules or you are being ignored altogether, you should give notice that you will be contacting the Energy Ombudsman. Once eight weeks have passed from the date your complaint was first made, you can register the complaint with the ombudsman. Alternatively, you can turn to the ombudsman as soon as your supplier confirms it will not agree to a resolution.

The Energy Ombudsman has the power to ensure your supplier responds to your complaint or reconsiders its decision, if one has already been made. Keep in mind that it may ultimately decide that the provider's original decision was correct, though if it concludes that mistakes were made, you may be due financial compensation for the inconvenience and stress caused.

You can register your complaint on the Energy Ombudsman website or by emailing enquiry@energyombudsman.org. There is also a phone line (0330 440 1624) and postal address (The Energy Ombudsman, PO Box 966, Warrington, WA4 9DF), though these options will make keeping records more difficult.

What to include in your complaint

The key to an effective complaint is to be clear and polite. You may be frustrated with your energy provider and unhappy with the service you received, but try and focus any correspondence on the specifics of what went wrong, when it happened, why it is a problem and what you want to happen next.

Include as much supporting evidence as you have available, including copies of bills, photos of your meter and records of previous communication with your supplier.

Always try to communicate by email if you can. It can be easy to lose your temper during a frustrating phone call and you will be unable to keep a record of what was said. If you decide to complain by post, it will be harder to include photographic evidence.

Keep in mind that even if you have carried out everything correctly, your energy provider may refuse to reach an agreement or be unable to do so within eight weeks. If you reach this deadlock situation, don’t be afraid to escalate the issue to the Energy Ombudsman or seek out extra help.

How to get extra support

The best way to get help with submitting a complaint is through Citizens Advice in England and Wales, or energyadvice.scot in Scotland. These organisations offer independent advice and support to get your problem resolved. You may need to use the Citizens Advice Extra Help Unit if you are unable to deal with your supplier directly, or your issue is particularly complex or urgent.

 

 

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