How to complain about your electricity, gas or energy bill

How to complain if your energy supplier overcharges you, puts up its prices, stops sending you bills, or tries to charge you an exit fee.
Which? Team

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When should you complain about your energy bill?

There are lots of reasons why you might need to complain about an electricity or gas bill. 

You may believe you’ve been charged too much, your provider might be trying to charge you an unfair fee, or you could be unhappy with the service it's providing. 

Here we look at a few scenarios where you have the right to complain.

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The cost of my gas or electricity has increased 

Your gas or electricity supplier needs to give you fair warning ahead of any price rises. 

If you’re on a fixed-rate tariff, it can’t increase your prices for the time they are fixed, unless the government raises VAT or you're on a staggered tariff, where set price increases are only allowed on specific dates and you won't get a reminder. 

If you have a tracker tariff or you’re on a standard variable tariff (SVT), the price can change but you’re also free to leave at any point.  

What is the energy price cap?

If you’re on your provider’s SVT, you will be protected under Ofgem’s energy price cap. 

This caps the price you pay for each unit of energy. The exact amount you pay will depend on how much energy you use, as measured by your energy meters. 

You can read more about the current price caps and the help available if you’re struggling to pay in our guide to the energy price cap.

I've been overcharged for my energy use

If you get a bill you think is incorrect you can dispute it with your supplier.

In order to make a complaint you will need to be able to say why you think you've been charged the wrong amount and include evidence to support your claim.

Use our template energy bill complaint letter if you've been overcharged.  

I haven’t been receiving my energy bills

If you haven’t received a bill from your supplier, don’t ignore the issue.

You’re legally obliged to pay for the gas and electricity you use, so make sure you make contact as soon as possible.

If your supplier doesn’t send you a bill after you get in touch with it, Ofgem’s back-billing principle offers some protection.

Your supplier should offer you a payment plan that allows you to repay any debt over the same length of time it’s built up.

You can also suggest an alternative plan if you feel your supplier is being unreasonable.

Key Information

What is Ofgem's back-billing principle?

  • Back-billing is when a supplier charges you for gas and electricity you've used but haven't been billed for – usually due to a billing error.
  • Energy firms are banned from back-billing you for energy used more than 12 months before the error was detected, if it's found that it's the energy supplier's fault for not sending you your bills.
  • Importantly, the ban doesn't apply to customers who actively prevent suppliers from taking readings. If you were at fault, they can back-bill you for up to six years.

I’ve been asked to pay an exit fee

Exit fees, also called cancellation fees, are regularly applied to energy tariffs that have a fixed price and end date. 

If you want to leave a fixed-term tariff before the end of the contract, you may need to pay an exit fee.

But, if you are in the last 49 days of your fixed-term contract, you don't have to pay an exit fee and have the right to freely switch to any other energy supplier without being charged.

Your energy supplier is required to contact you 42-49 days before the end date of your fixed-term tariff, informing you that your tariff is coming to an end and that you can switch without a fee.

If an exit fee payment has been taken when it shouldn't have been, you can complain.

Key Information

I've been switched by mistake

If you're switched by mistake, the Ofgem rules set out what the suppliers need to do to put things right.

Both your original and new energy supplier share equal responsibility for resolving the problem, and you can contact either of them. 

  • Within five days you should receive written confirmation from the energy supplier you contact clearly explaining what action they're going to take and keep you updated with progress.
  • Within 20 working days you should receive confirmation that you're being returned to your original supplier.

How to complain to your energy company

If you need to complain about your energy company, follow these steps:

  1. Contact the customer service or complaints team of your energy supplier (you’ll find contact details on its website) by letter or email.
  2. Keep a copy of everything you send to your supplier, including energy bills, and note when you sent them, even if it's just to keep a record of what is discussed over the phone.
  3. Make sure you include evidence to support your case, including bills, photos of faulty meters or boilers, and records of previous correspondence.
  4. Reach deadlock. A deadlock situation means you’ve exhausted your energy company’s complaints procedure without agreement. Energy suppliers have a set time limit in which to resolve most complaints. This time limit is eight weeks.
  5. If your complaint reaches a deadlock situation, you can then refer your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.  

Contact the Energy Ombudsman

If you’ve gone through your energy supplier’s complaints procedure and can’t resolve the issue or you’ve not been given a decision within eight weeks, you can take your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

You must send your complaint to the ombudsman within 12 months of receiving the deadlock letter or final response from your energy supplier.

The Ombudsman Service is independent and free to use. The ombudsman has the power to force an energy supplier to take action, which could be practical steps to sort out your problem, an apology or compensation.

Complaining in Northern Ireland

Consumer complaints about energy suppliers are dealt with by the Consumer Council.

The Utility Regulator is the energy regulator in Northern Ireland.

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