How to Complain to the Energy Ombudsman: A Step-by-Step UK Guide

At a glance

• Who can use it: Domestic consumers and small businesses meeting the expanded 19 December 2024 eligibility criteria, in Great Britain — England, Scotland, and Wales. Northern Ireland has a separate regime (contact the Utility Regulator).
• Cost: Free to eligible consumers. The scheme is funded by energy suppliers.
• Pre-condition: You must first complain formally to your supplier. The Ombudsman can only accept cases once your supplier has issued a deadlock letter OR 8 weeks have passed since you first raised the complaint — whichever comes first.
• Time limit to escalate: 12 months from the date of the deadlock letter or from the point the 8-week period expired.
• Decisions: Binding on the supplier if you accept; never binding on you as the consumer.
• Financial remedy cap: £10,000 for domestic consumers; £20,000 for micro and small businesses (from 19 December 2024); disputes against energy brokers remain capped at £10,000. Most awards for distress and inconvenience are far below these ceilings.
• Scope: Gas and electricity suppliers, network operators, energy brokers, Green Deal, flexibility service providers, and — from 1 April 2025 — heat network suppliers.
• Reform in progress, not yet in force: the government confirmed on 17 June 2026 that it will cut the escalation wait to 6 weeks and the Ombudsman's decision window to 4 weeks, and give redress schemes a new power to penalise suppliers for late or non-implementation of decisions. This needs the Energy Independence Bill and further regulations — see "The pre-conditions" below.

What is the Energy Ombudsman?

The Energy Ombudsman is an independent dispute resolution body for the energy sector in Great Britain. It is not a regulator, a court, or a government department. Its statutory basis is section 47 of the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007, under which The Gas and Electricity Regulated Providers (Redress Scheme) Order 2008 (SI 2008/2268) requires licensed gas and electricity suppliers, and certain network operators, to belong to a qualifying redress scheme approved by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (Ofgem). The obligation attaches to a "regulated provider" — a company holding a gas or electricity supply licence under section 7A(1) or section 7(2) of the Gas Act 1986, or section 6(1)(c) or (d) of the Electricity Act 1989.

A separate instrument, The Gas and Electricity (Consumer Complaints Handling Standards) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1898), sets out what a regulated provider must actually do when a complaint is not resolved. Regulation 6 requires the supplier to notify you in writing of your right to refer the complaint to the redress scheme, that the process is independent and free of charge, what kinds of redress may be available, and that any outcome is binding on the supplier but not on you. That notice must be sent on the earlier of two triggers: the day the supplier realises it cannot resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, or the day the scheme's specified waiting period (currently 8 weeks) expires — which is the legal root of the "deadlock letter or 8 weeks, whichever comes first" rule described below.

From 6 April 2026, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 introduced a general accreditation regime for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) providers, replacing the earlier Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes Regulations 2015. The energy redress scheme is not left outside this framework — Part 2 of Schedule 25 to the 2024 Act, in force from that date under SI 2026/284, expressly lists "a qualifying redress scheme for the gas or electricity sector" as an exempt redress scheme. In practice, this means the Energy Ombudsman's redress function does not need separate accreditation from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) — which accredits ADR providers in non-regulated sectors — because oversight continues through Ofgem's sector-specific regime under the 2007 Act instead.

Its job is to look at individual complaints that a supplier and customer have not been able to resolve between themselves, weigh the evidence from both sides, and decide what — if anything — the supplier must do to put things right.

The service is free for consumers. If you accept the Ombudsman's final decision, the supplier must comply with whatever remedy is set out.

Who is eligible?

Domestic consumers

Any domestic energy customer — a person who uses gas or electricity at their home — in Great Britain can use the Energy Ombudsman, provided they have first exhausted the supplier's complaints process (see below). This includes tenants, homeowners, and customers of prepayment meters.

Northern Ireland: The Energy Ombudsman covers Great Britain only. Consumers in Northern Ireland should contact the Utility Regulator instead.

Small business consumers

Since 19 December 2024, the eligibility threshold was significantly expanded. A Small Business Consumer is now defined as a business that meets any one of the following:

• Fewer than 50 employees (or full-time equivalent); and annual turnover of at most £6.5 million, or a balance sheet total of at most £5 million; or
• Annual electricity consumption of no more than 200,000 kWh; or
• Annual gas consumption of no more than 500,000 kWh.

This expansion means many more businesses now have access to the scheme than before December 2024, when only microbusinesses (fewer than 10 employees) could access the Ombudsman.

For business complaints against a supplier, the maximum financial award is £20,000 per dispute (increased from £10,000 on the same date as the remit expansion). Complaints against an energy broker are handled under a separate scheme where the maximum award remains £10,000, reflecting the different, still-developing regulatory position for brokers.

What can you complain about?

The most common issues the Ombudsman handles are:

• Billing disputes — incorrect charges, estimated bills, back-billing (charging for energy used more than 12 months ago), failure to apply credits or payments correctly.
• Smart meter problems — installation delays, meters not working correctly, ongoing estimated billing despite a smart meter being fitted.
• Switching failures — erroneous transfers to a new supplier, delays in completing a switch, objections to a switch.
• Customer service failures — failure to respond within the required timeframe, inadequate handling of a formal complaint.
• Supply problems — interruptions to supply, failure to reconnect, disputes with network operators over connections or repairs.
• Energy brokers — disputes with third-party brokers who arranged your business energy contract (for eligible businesses).
• Green Deal — complaints about Green Deal plans, providers, or assessors.
• Heat networks — from 1 April 2025, disputes about heat network suppliers are within scope. Heat network suppliers must hold a "heat network authorisation" from Ofgem under The Heat Networks (Market Framework) (Great Britain) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/269), and eligible complaints include billing, customer service, installation, and loss of heat or hot water.

The Ombudsman cannot investigate complaints about energy policy, Ofgem itself, the general level of energy prices, or matters that are pending before a court.

The pre-conditions: what you must do before escalating

The Ombudsman operates as a last resort after the supplier's own complaints process has been exhausted. Two pre-conditions apply.

1. Complain formally to your supplier first

You must raise a formal complaint with your energy supplier and give them a genuine opportunity to investigate and respond. Put the complaint in writing wherever possible — by email or recorded letter — so you have a dated record. Ask for the supplier's complaints procedure if you cannot find it on their website or bill. Note the date you submitted the complaint: this starts the 8-week clock.

2. Wait for a deadlock letter or for 8 weeks to pass

Your supplier then has 8 weeks to reach a resolution. There are two routes through this gateway, both derived from the notice duty in regulation 6 of SI 2008/1898:

• Deadlock letter (earlier route): If the supplier decides it has done all it can and cannot resolve the complaint further, it must send you a deadlock letter (sometimes called a "final response letter"). This letter must tell you that you can now contact the Energy Ombudsman, that the service is independent and free, and that any decision will be binding on the supplier but not on you. Once you receive this letter, you can go to the Ombudsman immediately — you do not have to wait for 8 weeks to expire.
• 8-week wait (default route): If 8 weeks pass since you first formally complained and the dispute is still unresolved, you can escalate to the Ombudsman even without a deadlock letter.

Reform in progress — not yet in force

In its consultation response "Fairer, faster redress in the energy market", published 17 June 2026, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) confirmed the direction of a package of reforms:

• Faster escalation: the 8-week wait will be shortened to 6 weeks.
• Faster decisions: the Ombudsman's own window to issue a decision will be shortened from 6 weeks to 4 weeks.
• New enforcement power: redress schemes will gain a power to require compensation, or levy a penalty, against a supplier that fails to implement a decision on time and in full.
• Easier access: with the consumer's consent, key complaint details may be passed automatically to the Ombudsman once a complaint has been open for 6 weeks or reached deadlock.

The same response confirmed the government will not designate the Energy Ombudsman by name in statute as the sector's redress provider, and will not introduce proactive outreach to consumers without their consent — both were consulted on and dropped. These changes depend on the Energy Independence Bill, described in the response as the legislative vehicle for several of the proposals, which had not been introduced to Parliament as at the date of this guide, plus further Ofgem-made regulations. Until that legislation and any related regulations are in force, the current 8-week escalation window and 6-week Ombudsman decision window remain the operative rules.

The 12-month time limit to escalate

You must bring your complaint to the Ombudsman within 12 months of the date of the deadlock letter, or within 12 months of the point at which the 8-week period expired. Do not delay: if you are approaching this deadline, contact the Ombudsman and keep documentary evidence of when you first raised the complaint.

How to submit your complaint

Once you satisfy the gateway conditions, you can submit your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman. You will need to:

1. Explain what went wrong — describe the issue factually and chronologically. Focus on what the supplier did or failed to do, not how you felt about it (the Ombudsman will consider distress and inconvenience separately if relevant).
2. Set out what you have done so far — summarise the steps you took with the supplier, including dates, and attach your correspondence.
3. State what outcome you are seeking — be specific: a bill correction of a particular amount, a formal apology, compensation for out-of-pocket costs, or a combination.
4. Attach your evidence — bills, meter readings, account statements, emails, call logs (with dates and names), photographs, and the supplier's deadlock or final response letter.

Complaints can be submitted online, by telephone, by post, or by email. Online is generally the fastest route.

How the investigation works, step by step

Once a complaint reaches the Ombudsman, it moves through a defined sequence. Understanding each stage helps you know what to expect and roughly how long it should take.

1. Acceptance check. The Ombudsman checks that the eligibility and gateway conditions are met — that is, that you are a covered consumer, and that you have either a deadlock letter or have waited out the 8-week period.
2. Notification to the supplier. Once accepted, the supplier is notified and asked to respond, either by providing its evidence and view of the dispute, or by making an offer to resolve it directly.
3. Facilitated Complaints Resolution (an optional early stage). The supplier has a short window to offer to resolve your complaint before a full investigation begins. If you accept an offer that fully resolves the problem, the case closes at that point. If you decline, or the supplier makes no offer, the case moves on to a full investigation. Any offer made this way should be capable of being delivered promptly, and only a short extension is normally available if delivery genuinely cannot be completed within that timeframe (for example, because it depends on arranging an engineer visit). Declining an offer never counts against you.
4. Evidence gathering. If the dispute is not resolved at the facilitated stage, you are given a window to send in your supporting evidence — correspondence, meter readings, bills, and bank statements. The supplier is separately asked for its evidence.
5. Review and decision. An investigator reviews the evidence from both sides against the facts, relevant law and regulation, and what is accepted as good industry practice, before issuing a decision. Straightforward cases are typically decided well within the scheme's target window; complex cases can take longer. You then choose whether to accept or reject the decision.
6. Delivering the remedy. If you accept the decision, it becomes binding on the supplier, which is required to implement the remedy within a set number of weeks of acceptance. If matters remain outstanding after that point, the Ombudsman will follow up with the supplier and keep you informed until it is resolved. If you reject the decision, neither side is bound, and you remain free to take the matter to court or explore other routes.

If you disagree with the decision

There is no general right of appeal once a final decision has been issued. A request for the decision to be looked at again will only be considered in narrow circumstances — typically a factual error that made a material difference to the outcome, or genuinely new evidence that was not available at the time and would make a material difference. Outside those grounds, disagreeing with the outcome means rejecting it and, if you wish to pursue the matter further, doing so through another route such as the county court, rather than through an internal review of the decision itself.

Worked example: a billing dispute from start to finish

Aisha, a fictional domestic customer, is charged for an estimated bill covering nine months where her supplier failed to act on meter readings she submitted online. She emails a formal complaint on 3 February, attaching screenshots of her submitted readings.

Her supplier does not resolve the issue. On 31 March — eight weeks later, with no deadlock letter received — Aisha registers her dispute with the Energy Ombudsman, attaching her original complaint email, the meter reading screenshots, and her billing history. The supplier is offered the chance to make an early offer to resolve the case directly; it does not do so within the window allowed, so the case proceeds to a full investigation. An investigator reviews both sides' evidence and issues a decision requiring the supplier to rebill Aisha's account using her actual readings and make a modest goodwill payment for the inconvenience. Aisha accepts the decision, and the supplier is required to carry it out within the set timescale that follows acceptance.

This example is illustrative only — actual timescales, evidence requirements and outcomes depend on the individual facts of each case.

What remedies can the Ombudsman order?

The Ombudsman's remedies are focused on putting you back in the position you should have been in. They typically fall into three categories:

| Remedy type | Examples | |---|---| | Apology | A formal written apology from the supplier | | Practical action | Bill correction, removal of a debt marker, completion of a repair, updating account records | | Financial award | Compensation for distress and inconvenience, reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs, goodwill payment |

The maximum financial award is £10,000 for domestic consumers and £20,000 for micro and small businesses (from 19 December 2024), with disputes against energy brokers remaining capped at £10,000 under their separate scheme. These caps are per complaint and are separate from the prospective new power (see above) for a redress scheme to compel compensation or a penalty specifically where a supplier fails to implement a decision. In practice, financial awards for distress and inconvenience are typically far below the caps — the caps exist to cover cases involving substantial demonstrable loss, not the ordinary run of complaints. The Ombudsman cannot impose unlimited sums and cannot order remedies that go beyond the scope of the individual dispute.

If your supplier has failed

When an energy supplier becomes insolvent, Ofgem uses its statutory powers to appoint a "supplier of last resort" to take over customers' accounts. Your credit balance is protected under this process, and supply continues uninterrupted. For complaints about the failed supplier, the position is more complex: the original company may no longer be able to implement a remedy. Contact the Ombudsman and the new supplier at an early stage to understand what routes remain open.

What the Ombudsman cannot do

It is worth being clear about the limits of the scheme. The Energy Ombudsman cannot:

• Set or challenge general energy prices or tariffs — that is Ofgem's role.
• Investigate or adjudicate complaints about Ofgem itself.
• Take action against a supplier on behalf of all customers — it resolves individual disputes only.
• Impose financial penalties on a supplier beyond the remedy for the individual complaint (though see the prospective non-implementation penalty power described above).
• Intervene while a complaint is still being actively handled within the supplier's own complaints process (the gateway conditions must first be met).
• Accept cases that are already before a court.
• Offer a general right of appeal against its own final decision (see "If you disagree with the decision" above).

Alternatives to the Ombudsman

The Ombudsman is not the only option. Depending on the nature of your complaint:

• Citizens Advice (in England and Wales) provides free, impartial guidance on resolving energy disputes — a useful first stop if you are unsure how to frame your complaint.
• County court (small claims track) — you can bring a claim in court without using the Ombudsman first. In practice, the Ombudsman route is quicker and costs nothing.
• Ofgem — the energy regulator does not investigate individual customer complaints, but it does set the rules that suppliers must follow and can take enforcement action if a supplier is systematically breaching its licence conditions.

If your wider dispute crosses into another regulated sector — for example, where an energy billing dispute overlaps with a disputed direct debit or refund from your bank — see our general guide to complaining to an ombudsman in the UK for the full list of schemes, including the Financial Ombudsman Service.

This guide provides general information about how to complain to the Energy Ombudsman in Great Britain. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The law and scheme rules described were accurate as at August 2026 and are subject to change — always check the Ofgem website and GOV.UK for the most current position.

Last reviewed: August 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: August 2027 or on legislative or scheme change.