4 top energy company issues and how to solve them
Incorrect payments and smart meter problems are the most common bugbears among energy customers in our survey.
If you've ever been fuming when your energy firm has set your direct debit too high or low, or because your smart meter isn't sending readings, then you're not alone. These are the two top issues energy customers face, according to our latest research.
Some 7% of people in our latest energy customer survey told us they'd experienced each of these problems in the past year.
The most common issues were:
- Direct debit payments set too high or too low by the energy supplier - 7%
- Smart meter not sending readings automatically - 7%
- A new energy meter had to be installed - 6%
- Incorrect bill or statement - 6%.
But the issue that energy customers had found trickiest to resolve with thier energy company was getting a refund of excess credit, according to customers.
Around two thirds of customers told us they had had cause to contact their supplier during the year prior to they survey; of these people, 23% had done so to get help with a problem.
In September and October 2025, we surveyed nearly 12,000 members of the general public who are at least jointly responsible for paying the gas and/or electricity bills in their household.
Fed up with your energy firm falling short? Find out which energy suppliers we named Which? Recommended Providers for 2026.
1) Direct debit set too high or low? Here's what to do
Your supplier will typically set your direct debit by estimating how much gas and electricity you'll use in a year and charging you for a 12th of this each month.
This makes your payments predictable and spreads out the cost of your higher winter energy use. It means your summer bills will be a bit less than your payments and your winter bills will be a bit more.
However, if you've built up more than three months' worth of credit in your account, your direct debit might be set too high.
You can ask your supplier to review your direct debit at any time. Some suppliers will let you adjust your monthly payments in your app or online account. It should review your direct debit annually anyway.
You can also request a refund of excess credit in your account. Sometimes you can do this in your app or online account.
You'll usually need to submit an up-to-date meter reading first to make sure that your account is up to date.
Bear in mind that your supplier may need to increase your direct debit again if your payments dip below your energy use. If you spot this happening, you can ask to raise your direct debit payments or make a one-off payment to cover the difference.
See how your supplier fared in our full table of the best and worst energy companies for 2026.
2) Smart meter not sending readings? Try this
Smart meter readings are usually marked as 'smart' or just 'S' on your statement, in your energy company's app or online account.
If they're marked as 'estimated' or 'E' instead, it's likely your smart meter hasn't sent its latest readings.
- Check if your energy supplier is having connectivity issues, which might mean your smart meter's readings aren't being received.
- Contact your energy supplier and ask it to investigate. Energy firms are required to keep their customers' smart meters working in smart mode.
New rules mean that if you report a problem with your smart meter, your supplier should tell you its plan to resolve it within five working days. If it doesn't, you are owed £40 compensation.
Even if your smart meter isn't sending readings, it will usually still be recording how much gas and electricity you use. If this is the case, we recommend sending manual meter readings until the issue is fixed to keep your bills accurate.
Find out why this happens, plus other smart meter problems and how to solve them.
3) Broken energy meter? Know what to do
If your smart meter, or traditional gas or electric meter, isn't working at all or isn't registering your energy use accurately, your energy supplier won't have the information it needs to charge you accurately for your energy use.
If you think it's inaccurate, record regular meter readings to help prove your case. If you have a smart meter, it might already be doing this and showing it in your app or online account.
You can also try turning off all your appliances for a short period of time and watching your meter to see if it still ticks up usage. It shouldn't still be registering significant amounts of energy use.
Contact your energy supplier if your meter is faulty. They must investigate because they have a legal obligation to make sure all gas and electricity meters are accurate.
Your meter might be tested at home or sent away to an independent lab.
The test itself is free but your supplier may charge for removing and replacing your meter. Many will reimburse you if the meter does turn out to be inaccurate.
4) Energy bill incorrect? Follow these steps
Submitting regular meter readings is the key to keeping your bills accurate.
Smart meters shoud do this for you. They'll send readings at least monthly, and often daily or every half hour, depending on what you agreed when it was installed.
You can increase the frequency of the readings your smart meter sends. Check your app or online account or contact your energy company to do this.
If you don't have a smart meter, we'd recommend sending meter readings at least monthly.
Check your account occasionally to make sure that meter readings are getting through and that you are being billed as expected.
Contact your supplier to question a bill that you think is wrong and explain why. It should be able to explain how it was calculated and investigate, if needed.
See the five cheapest energy deals plus how to get the best energy deal.
Use our free, independent energy comparison service to compare gas and electricity prices and find the best provider for you.
Tricky issues: How to get a refund of excess credit
As well as the four most common issues above, energy customers in our suvery told us they'd struggled to reach a resolution with their provider when it came to requesting a refund for excess credit.
According to the energy regulator Ofgem's rules, you have the right to request a refund back from your supplier if you believe your account has built up too much credit. To reject your request, a supplier must have reasonable grounds. For example, if you have built up credit in summer, and request a refund in autumn, they may argue that you will need it to pay for higher winter costs.
If you disagree with your supplier's decision, you can raise a formal complaint. If you still cannot reach resolution, you may be able to raise it with the Energy Ombudsman.
Find out how to formally complain to your energy provider, and how to take an unresolved dispute to the Ombusdman, in our consumer rights guide to energy company issues.
Refunding credit on a closed energy account
When you switch energy supplier, Ofgem rules apply to the release of your account credit by your previous provider. When you switch providers, make sure you take a screenshot or otherwise save a record of your closing account balance, including your last meter readings and your final credit account balance.
The old supplier has six weeks to send you a final bill, then another 10 working days to refund you any remaining credit.
This should happen automatically, triggered by you switching supplier.
If it doesn't, contact your old supplier to ask it to refund your credit. Have your old account information ready.
If it missed the timescales above, then your old supplier owes you £40 compensation for each deadline it missed. If you think you're due compensation, contact the supplier to tell it.
