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Energy company complaints
From billing errors to smart meter glitches, we highlight the key issues energy customers have and what you can do about them
In an ideal world, most of us should have little reason to interact with our energy suppliers. But a surprisingly high number of energy customers have cause for complaint, according to our latest energy satisfaction survey and feedback from Which? members.
Below, we've rounded up the most common and thorniest issues plaguing energy customers. Get to know your rights, and learn what you can do to minimise the impact if you've experienced a problem with your energy supplier.
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The biggest energy complaints
In our last annual survey of nearly 12,000 energy customers, more than a third of respondents told us they'd experienced some sort of problem with their energy supplier over the previous 12 months. Topping the lists of frustrations are billing issues, including direct debit payments being set too high, and problems with smart meters.
| Problem with energy provider | How many people experienced problem |
|---|---|
| Direct debit payments being set too high | 9% |
| Smart meters failing to send readings automatically | 8% |
| Suppliers using estimated rather than actual meter readings | 8% |
| Inaccurate bills | 7% |
| Broken smart meter displays | 5% |
| Inaccurate meters | 5% |
| Direct debit payments being set too low | 4% |
Based on a survey of nearly 12,000 energy customers conducted in autumn 2024. Respondents were asked: which, if any, of the following problems have you experienced with your supplier in the last year. Percentages exclude those who answered 'Don't know/can't remember'.
Our survey findings suggest that problems with energy suppliers are more common than we'd like to see. So in June and July 2025, we asked Which? subscribers and members of the public to tell us more about the problems they'd experienced.
We received a deluge of emails and social media messages. Most complaints fell into one of three key themes: smart meter problems, billing issues and poor customer service.
Find out what it takes for an energy company to be a Which? Recommended Provider.
1. Smart meter problems
Smart meters have the potential to help you manage your energy usage and receive more accurate bills. They can even reduce your bills thanks to flexible smart tariffs that offer lower energy rates at off-peak times.
But when they don't work, customers can be left frustrated. Nearly half of the emails and social media messages we received when we asked about your energy company issues were about smart meters.
Smart meters – and the more complicated tariffs they can be associated with – can be the cause of substantial faff when they don't work as they should. This is often the case when the technology involved in a service gets more sophisticated. We've highlighted some of the issues we heard about.
Which? Recommended Provider Octopus Energy, which says it's the UK’s leading provider of incredibly good value smart tariffs, is the supplier for several of the members who emailed us with smart meter problems. We asked it to respond to our members' complaints about its service. It agreed that while smart meters 'unlock the door to smarter tariffs that help customers save money and use energy more efficiently', this innovation can lead to some issues.
An Octopus representative told us: 'We’re huge fans of smart meters - we install 20,000 a week. With the sheer volume we’re rolling out and some of the limitations of the regulated tech, the odd hiccup can happen. But when it does, we’ll always do everything we can to help and ensure our customers are looked after.'
Find out more about smart meters and time of use tariffs.
Smart meter signals: a north/south divide
Energy smart meters send their readings to suppliers wirelessly via networks that were in place before the advent of smart meters. The networks used are different in the north of England and Scotland vs the south of England and Wales. The 'North' region of Great Britain primarily uses long range radio, while the 'Central' and 'South' regions use the 2G/3G network. Since July 2025, 4G cellular communications have been gradually rolled out.
We heard from several members in the north of England or Scotland who feel that the reliance on the radio signal where they live is a blocker to them getting a working smart meter. Some have been told that they simply can't have a smart meter because of where they live, while others have had one installed only for it to remain 'dumb'.
Sandy Wilson has a plug-in hybrid car and a heat pump, and lives on the outskirts of Edinburgh. His smart meter was installed by Octopus in 2021. Despite many engineer visits and, after Which? intervened, the installation of a 4G hub, it has remained 'dumb'. This has left Sandy unable to access a cheap overnight tariff.
Thick or well-insulated walls preventing signals reaching suppliers
Even where smart meters use the cellular network, the location or construction of your property can still prevent smart meter signals reaching suppliers. If you live in a mobile 'dead zone', or in a property with thick or well insulated walls, this can prove a barrier – literally, in some cases.
East Devon-based Bob Workman's smart meter stopped sending readings to EDF after he improved the insulation in the wall that the meter is on. Bob was advised that the problem would likely be fixed by the installation of an aerial, but that the cost was too high to justify it.
After Which? contacted EDF, it agreed to try installing an aerial, although it said that 'while an aerial install might resolve the problem, it isn't guaranteed and they come with high costs'. It added that as household bills contribute to the smart meter roll-out, it's important that energy suppliers manage costs effectively.
Smart gas meters not 'speaking' to smart electricity meters
Thick or well-insulated walls, or simply distance, can prevent two smart meters communicating with each other. If you have both gas and electricity supplies, your smart meter readings are both submitted to your energy supplier via a small communications hub that is attached to the electricity meter. If your provider is not getting your smart gas meter readings, it could be because the distance between the two meters is too great, or there are other barriers in the way.
There is a potential solution to this in the form of a signal repeater (or booster), which can extend the signal range between gas and electricity meters. If your smart gas meter isn't working, ask your supplier whether it offers this.
Which? member Roy Culligan lives in an apartment block in Devon with an indoor smart electricity meter. His smart gas meter is outside, and its transmissions can't reach his electricity meter. Roy applied for a signal repeater with his supplier, Octopus, in mid-2022, but hadn't heard back from it as of July 2025 despite chasing. We contacted Octopus, which agreed to send out an engineer with equipment to extend the signal range to 50 meters.
Broken smart meters
Smart meters’ more complex technology means that they can break more readily than regular energy meters. When this happens, the smart meter won't automatically send readings to the supplier. However, customers may not always be aware of the issue and, even when they are, it can take suppliers a while to send an engineer round to sort things out.
This can result in inaccurate bills for the period during which the meter was out of action, especially if you have a tariff that charges different peak and off-peak rates.
While it shouldn't be necessary, if possible we'd recommend taking your own manual meter readings and uploading them to your account, as well as keeping a personal record, to minimise risk of being inaccurately billed. And alert your provider promptly if you notice a problem with your smart meter.
West-Yorkshire based Chris Freeman’s smart electric meter broke and stopped recording readings (his gas meter continued to operate). But his supplier, So Energy, didn’t advise Chris that it was no longer getting readings, instead sending him a request to submit a reading (which he initially ignored because he believed his smart meter was operational).
Eventually, an engineer came to investigate and replaced the broken meter. So Energy then tried to bill Chris based on estimates, rather than actual usage, as it was unable to recover any readings. Chris appealed this as he’d been away and used less energy than usual over the period (as evidenced by his still-operational gas meter). When Which? intervened, So Energy agreed to write off the bills for the period under dispute, and applied Guaranteed Standards of Performance credits to Chris’s account.
So Energy told us: ‘We take pride in our customer service levels and regret any delay that occurred. We are currently reviewing our communication processes to help prevent this from happening in future’.
Simon Bradshaw*, from Hampshire, experienced issues after his smart electricity meter stopped transmitting readings to Octopus. He has an electric car, which he usually charges during his tariff's off-peak rate. Although he flagged the problem promptly, his meter wasn't replaced for several months. Octopus couldn't recover his peak vs off-peak usage, and billed Simon peak rates for the whole period of downtime.
Although Octopus's T&Cs allowed for this, Simon challenged it on the basis it had taken months to get fixed. He was unable to reach an agreement until Which? got in touch and Octopus agreed to a more realistic bill.
Find out more: Time of use tariffs explained
New smart meter compensation rules
Regulator Ofgem says suppliers and the Data Communications Company, which provides centralised energy infrastructure, should work together to resolve connection issues. Suppliers' licences require them to take all reasonable steps to ensure they're able to communicate with their customers' smart meters. New standards are expected in 2026, which include automatic compensation for customers in the following circumstances:
- where a customer has to wait more than 6 weeks for a smart meter installation appointment
- for a failed smart meter installation due to a fault within the supplier’s control
- if a customer reports a problem with their smart meter, requiring suppliers to provide a resolution plan within five working days of the report
- for smart meters not operating in smart mode if not fixed within 90 days.
Ofgem also plans to extend the requirement for suppliers to offer compensation for smart meters not operating in smart mode, in particular for those facing wider connectivity issues.
Improvements to smart meter connectivity
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told us it's implementing connectivity improvements across Scotland and the north of England, including the roll-out of 4G cellular communication services, which will enable millions of households to feel the benefits of getting a smart meter installed.
A further solution, due to be trialled in early 2026, will involve using customers’ broadband connections, with their consent, to carry smart metering communications securely. A wider rollout of this technology is expected later in 2026, and will be beneficial to consumers who cannot currently access smart metering signal due to property or location issues.
Find out more: Smart meter problems and how to solve them
2. Billing and direct debit problems
Estimated meter readings, inaccurate bills, and unexpected changes to direct debits are familiar issues in our annual energy survey, and also cropped up when we asked people to let us know their particular energy company problems. Around a quarter of the energy issues that we received emails about related to billing issues.
In some cases, we heard about problems dragging on for months or even years. With energy rates so high, the amounts of money involved can soon rack up in such situations.
Such problems can hit lower income households particularly hard. A recent report from the University of York found that in January 2025, 16.3% of households qualified as fuel-poor, meaning that more than 20% of their net household income is spent on energy bills.
The complexities of smart tariffs, which reward customers with lower rates for using energy at off-peak times, or pay them for exporting energy back to the grid from solar panels, can increase the risk of billing errors. One member with solar panels told us that his supplier failed to pay his tariff's export payments for months despite multiple complaints. Eventually he went to the Energy Ombudsman, which ruled in his favour.
Other problems that cropped up included unwarranted direct debit hikes and back-billing issues.
Feeling the pinch with energy bills? Read our tips to cut your energy costs.
Monthly direct debit hikes
When paying by direct debit, you pay a fixed amount to your supplier each month (or each quarter). This is separate to your actual bill, which reflects the actual amount of energy you use, and will be deducted from the balance on your energy account.
When deciding what to charge you each month, energy firms estimate how much they think you will use over the year. They divide this by 12 (or four) to determine your monthly (or quarterly) direct debit amount. Over the summer, you might pay for more than you're using and end up in credit. But this typically balances out when your energy use increases over the winter months.
There may be occasions when energy suppliers adjust direct debit amounts, either up or down, to reflect changes in your estimated annual usage or changes in the energy rates of your tariff. However, energy customer feedback suggests that sometimes these changes can come out of the blue and seemingly without explanation.
Harrow-based Which? member Tim Sale told us he was baffled when EDF increase his monthly direct debit steeply and unexpectedly. He challenged this based on his own monthly readings, but was initially told that EDF's calculations must be correct. After he escalated his complaint, EDF accepted that it had made an error, and lowered the direct debit amount.
EDF told us that the increase was the result of a spike in Tim's usage between December 2024 and January 2025, which led to an increase in his estimated annual consumption (EAC), something calculated by an independent data collector. Tim notes that this 'spike' was no more than 12 months previously. EDF confirmed that it has resolved the issue.
Find out more: How to estimate your energy use
Energy back-billing
Back-billing is the term used when energy companies are unable to issue a bill for an extended period, and bill a customer for several previous months' of energy use in one go. Ofgem rules around back-billing suggest that customers can't be billed for energy used more than 12 months previously if they haven't had a bill for the energy use, despite asking for one. This rule was put in place to protect customers from the substantial financial detriment of receiving a huge bill in one go, rather than payment requests being spread over time.
However, we've heard of cases of suppliers failing to issue a bill for years at a time, then issuing a single bill for the full period.
Which? members Liam and Carol Dalton*, from Cornwall, told us that British Gas failed to provide them with an energy bill for two years due to 'technical issues'. During this time they continued to pay monthly direct debits into their account, building up a large sum. After the Daltons went to the Energy Ombudsman, British Gas finally issued a bill – covering the full two-year period.
When Which? consumer rights expert Tali Ramsey stepped in, British Gas reduced the bill to one year's usage, refunded the credit balance, and apologised. In a letter, British Gas told the Daltons: 'As you've made payments every month and submitted meter readings, it's unfair to penalise you for making payments'.
In the Dalton's case, it appears interpretation of the back billing rules was complicated by the fact that they had enough money built up in their energy account from the direct debits they'd paid to cover the full period. When we asked Ofgem for clarification on the rules, it said that the circumstances of each case are different, but that it would expect suppliers to treat their customers fairly and take the specific circumstances of each customer’s case into account. It recommended that customers go to the Energy Ombudsman if they are unable to resolve a complaint with their supplier.
Checklist: how to minimise energy billing problems
- Check your monthly bill and raise any issues promptly with your supplier. This should usually prevent a glitch becoming a major hassle.
- Make sure meter readings aren't estimated. Statements should say if readings are actual or estimated (including if you have a smart meter).
- Challenge dubious direct debit levels. Suppliers set them based on an estimate of your annual usage, and don't always get it right. If you think the estimate is wrong and you're paying too much each month based on your average usage over the year, ask your supplier to change the amount. As a rule of thumb, aim to have no more than three months' worth of payments in your account at any one time.
- Know your rights. For example, back-billing rules put a cap on how far back a supplier can bill you for if the problem was it's fault.
Find out more: How to complain about your energy supplier
3. Poor customer service from energy suppliers
Whatever the root cause of a problem, prompt and satisfactory responses from a supplier can make all the difference. Unfortunately, we've come across a fair few examples of sub-par customer service – a failing that can be exacerbated when an energy customer is in a vulnerable situation.
We heard from someone with a disability whose resulting vulnerability wasn't taken into full consideration by their supplier, as well as someone who was aggressively pursued for payments when dealing with a bereavement. We've also seem plenty of examples of customers feeling ignored or bounced from pillar to post while their supplier dragged their heels over putting a problem right or, in one case, marked a complaint as resolved when it was anything but.
Karen Bruton, from Carmarthenshire, signed up to a new fixed tariff with British Gas in March 2025, hoping to beat the April price cap rise. She thought everything had gone through, but checking her account a couple of months later, found she was still on its prie-capped variable tariff.
British Gas initially offered her a newer tariff with more expensive rates. Karen made a formal complaint and threatened to contact the Energy Ombudsman, after which British Gas agreed to honour the tariff she had signed up for. 'Don't give up if you're fobbed off by customer services,' Karen recommends. 'Stand your ground and escalate your complaint if necessary.'
British Gas told us: Mrs Bruton applied for her new tariff on 31 March 2025, however it wasn't correctly added to her account. We've apologised for the customer service she experienced and for not putting things right sooner.'
Which? member Jane Jeffries has what she calls a 'dreadful' experience with Scottish Power after her father died. While the provider's bereavement line seemed helpful at first, problems arose when payments bounced during the transition between her father's frozen account and a new bank account. Jane says: 'emails were threatening, and phone calls were unanswered or unhelpful', adding that it seemed the bereavement team and the billing team worked in silos. In the end, she changed supplier and paid off what was owed from her own funds.
Scottish Power told us: 'We're very sorry for Ms Jeffries and her family's loss, and for any distress caused during such a difficult time. We strive to do everything we can to help our customers who are dealing with a loss. However, we recognise more could have been done to improve the experience Ms Jeffries had.'
Tips to minimise the risk of customer service problems
- Don't be fobbed off by an initial rebuttal. Many of our members' experiences serve to reinforce the value of standing your ground if you have a problem. Be polite but firm, keep records of all correspondence – including any phone calls – and escalate your complaint if necessary.
- Look to get help if you're in a vulnerable position. Ofgem's Consumer Vulnerability Strategy outlines how energy companies should identify and treat customers in vulnerable situations. You can also inform your provider if you feel that your household should be on the Priority Services Register, so you can get extra advice and support.
- Consider putting accounts in joint names. If you're married or in a partnership, adding the other person's name to your account can help things go more smoothly if they need to access the account if you're not able to.
- If you're not getting good service, switch to a provider with a better customer service record.
Find out more: Best and worst energy providers
How to complain about your energy supplier
- Contact your energy supplier's customer service or complaints team in writing and lay out the details of your concerns.
- Keep records, including energy bills, photos of faulty meters, copies of emails and letters, and notes of phone conversations.
- Energy suppliers have a set time limit in which to resolve most complaints. This time limit is eight weeks. If you exhaust your provider's complaints procedure without agreement, this is known as a 'deadlock'.
- If your complaint reaches a deadlock situation, you can then refer your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.
Find out more: Read more about your rights with your energy supplier and access template complaint letters
*Names have been changed at members' requests.
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