We’re the Energy Ombudsman.

Common complaints in the energy sector.

We know how inconvenient it is when issues occur with a service that you rely on. Our experience dealing with complaints means we understand the most common types of problems and how to go about resolving them as quickly as possible.

The most common types of energy complaints are about:

• Gas and electricity bills.
• Problems that arise as a result of switching energy supplier.
• The way an energy product or service has been sold, including door step sales.
• The supply of energy to a home.
• Micro generation and Feed-in-Tariffs.
• Problems relating to the provision of services under the Green Deal.
• Problems relating to District Heating suppliers who are part of the Heat Trust Scheme.
• Network Providers when there is a loss of supply or a problem with a connection or repair.

We’ve helped over 90,000 people like you.

If you are a domestic or micro business consumer of an energy company, you have the right to use our service. We’ve resolved over 90,000 of complaints about providers in the energy sector.

We learn from all the complaints we handle and use that insight to work with providers to help them improve their service, by making recommendations, such as:

Using insight and experience to support the supplier of last resort process, ensuring affected customers receive a fair deal. Identifying annual statement inaccuracies, which resulted in corrections to a wide-ranging billing system error. Correcting incorrect calorific values to ensure accurate billing.

Who we work with.

We have more than 450 energy providers signed up to our scheme.

Search by supplier

Want to escalate a complaint to us?

If your provider is signed up to our scheme and you’ve tried to resolve your problem with them already, then we may be able to help.

Unfortunately, our online service is not available for complaints about the Green Deal and network providers, see the common questions section below for how to complain.

Common questions about complaining to your energy supplier.

What’s the difference between a domestic and micro business consumer?

A domestic customer is a person who has energy provided to their home. Whereas a micro business customer will meet the below criteria:

• An annual consumption of electricity of not more than 100,000 kWh; or
• An annual consumption of gas of not more than 293,000 kWh; or
• Fewer than the equivalent of ten full time employees and an annual turnover or annual balance sheet not exceeding €2 million. Where the micro business receives gas and electricity supplied by the same energy supplier, the annual consumption of gas and electricity shall be treated separately for the purposes of determining its capacity to make a complaint to Ombudsman Services: Energy.

Which complaints can you review within the Feed-In Tariff scheme?

The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) set the rules for FIT applications, which are administered by Ofgem – the sector regulator. If electricity suppliers who are obligated by the scheme don’t follow these rules, we can consider complaints about FITs.

It’s the FIT applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application:

• Is fully completed and contains the correct information.
• Is received by the electricity supplier before the deadline.

We are not in a position to require that the electricity supplier apply a higher FIT rate if it didn’t receive a correctly completed application before the deadline.

The FIT scheme is now closed to new applications, but still operates for existing arrangements.

Relevant links

• Guidance on FIT dispute resolution (Ofgem)

What is the Green Deal?

The Green Deal helps you make energy-saving improvements to your home and find the best way to pay for them. The improvements that could save you the most energy depend on your home, but typical examples include:

• Insulation, such as solid wall, cavity wall or loft insulation.
• Heating.
• Draught-proofing.
• Double glazing.
• Renewable energy generation, such as solar panels or heat pumps.

You can find out more about the Green Deal at gov.uk.

Do you handle complaints about the Green Deal?

Ombudsman Services has been appointed as an ombudsman and investigation service for the Green Deal. Our job is to help resolve complaints about Green Deal providers, if they’re unable or unwilling to help if something goes wrong with a Green Deal plan.

Green Deal providers must be authorised by the Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body and they’re required to be part of our scheme.

Green Deal complaints we can deal with.

• We have the power to look at complaints that aren’t resolved to the satisfaction of the consumer within eight weeks, or if the consumer has been unable to register a complaint with the Green Deal provider.
• We also deal with complaints where the seller or landlord of a house fails to disclose key information about a Green Deal plan, which they should do by giving the new bill payer a copy of an Energy Performance Certificate. Acknowledgement should be made on the contract is sale for a buyer, or by signing an acknowledgement form for a tenant.
• We can accept complaints that have happened within a period of six years.

Green Deal complaints we can’t deal with.

There are some complaints that we cannot deal with such as:

• Customer credit act-related complaints which should be handled by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
• Complaints that would be better handled by the energy regulator, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem).
• Complaints that would be better handled by enforcement or advocacy bodies such as Trading Standards or Citizens Advice.
• Complaints where the Green Deal provider has gone into liquidation. Consumers will need to contact the Secretary of State via the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

You can find out more information in the governments Green Deal Code of Practice.

How to make a complaint about the Green Deal.

Contact us for more help and advice on 0330 440 1624.

What is District Heating?

District Heating, sometimes known as Communal Heating, is a heat supply that is an alternative to gas. The technology has been developed to help reduce the carbon emissions within the United Kingdom in accordance with the Government’s commitments. A contract is usually formed between the District Heating supplier and the developer / housing association to use the heat technology within the premises. This is usually for a period in excess of 20 years, which means that a customer cannot transfer their supply to an alternative energy source, such as gas.

To ensure that District Heating customers receive an efficient service from their heat supplier, a scheme called Heat Trust was created in November 2015. Although it’s a voluntary scheme, it’s supported by Government as a self-regulation initiative that recognises best practice.

Heat Trust sets the customer service standards and customer protection requirements it expects District Heating suppliers that are a member of its service to provide.

Do you handle complaints about District Heating providers?

Ombudsman Services has been appointed as an ombudsman and investigation service for the Heat Trust Scheme. Our job is to help resolve complaints about District Heating providers, who are part of the Heat Trust scheme, if they’re unable or unwilling to help if something goes wrong. They are:

• Aberdeen Heat and Power Company Ltd
• AMP Clean Energy Services Ltd
• Anchor Hanover Group
• East London Energy Ltd (Equans)
• Energetik (Lee Valley Heat Network Operating Company Ltd)
• Equans Urban Energy Ltd (formerly Engie Urban Energy Ltd)
• E.ON UK Infrastructure Services Ltd
• GTC Infrastructure Ltd (Metropolitan)
• Independent Community Heating Ltd (Metropolitan)
• Loka Energy Ltd (Pinnacle Power)
• Metropolitan Infrastructure Ltd
• Metropolitan King’s Cross
• Platform Housing Ltd
• The Movement ESCO Ltd (Vital Energi)
• The Paintworks ESCO Ltd (Vital Energi)
• SSE Heat Networks Ltd
• Switch2 Energy Ltd
• Veolia Energy and Utility Services UK
• Watkins Energy Ltd
• With Energy Ltd (Pinnacle Power)

If you have a complaint with one of the above suppliers, we recommend that you contact the company in the first instance. If your complaint remains unresolved after eight weeks, you can escalate to us.

District Heating complaints we can deal with.

Ombudsman Services can look at complaints that relate to:

• Billing & payments.
• Customer service.
• Installation & delays.
• Loss of service.

District Heating complaints we can’t deal with.

• Switching suppliers.
• Billing & payments relating to standing charges or a capital replacement fund charge.
• Billing and payments relating to the Energy Performance Certificate and charges within the final bill.

How to make a complaint about the District Heating providers.

Start your complaint online