Energy Ombudsman

The Energy Ombudsman is the free, independent dispute-resolution service for UK energy complaints. It covers domestic customers and micro businesses, and it can make decisions that energy suppliers must follow. If a supplier has failed to resolve your complaint, the ombudsman is usually the strongest route short of court.

What it can do

• Review the complaint and the supplier's response.
• Order an apology and a clear explanation.
• Require the supplier to correct the account, repair a meter, stop a wrongful charge or take another specific action.
• Award financial compensation for loss, inconvenience and distress.
• Decide a case in a way the supplier is bound to accept if you accept the decision.

What it cannot do

The ombudsman cannot hear a case before the supplier has had eight weeks to resolve it, unless the supplier issues a deadlock letter. It cannot change government policy, set the price cap or order a supplier to offer a tariff it does not sell. It also cannot handle water, broadband or financial complaints.

When to escalate

Start with a formal complaint to the supplier. Keep the date, the complaint reference and any written responses. After eight weeks, or sooner with a deadlock letter, you can submit the case. The scheme normally expects the complaint to be about something the supplier did or failed to do, not a general disagreement with energy prices.

Build a short chronology: what happened, when, who you spoke to, what you were promised and what it cost you. Attach bills, meter photos, call logs and the supplier's final response. State the remedy you want in one sentence, and separate the account correction from any compensation claim.

Common outcomes

The most common remedies are a corrected bill, a refund of overcharges, a payment arrangement, a meter repair or a switch back to the right tariff. Compensation is usually modest and tied to the evidence of loss and the supplier's conduct. The ombudsman can also require the supplier to improve how it handles the case going forward.

Read how to complain to the Energy Ombudsman for a step-by-step walkthrough. If the problem is a missed appointment, missed appointment compensation explains the evidence that supports a claim.

After the decision

If you accept the decision, the supplier must comply. Keep the decision document and check your next bill to confirm the credit or repair has happened. If the supplier does not implement the decision, contact the ombudsman immediately with the decision reference. If you reject the decision, you keep the option of court, but the ombudsman's findings may still be relevant.