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 (fewer than 50 employees as of December 2024) in Great Britain — England, Scotland, and Wales. Northern Ireland has a separate regime.
• 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. (The government announced in June 2026 that this will reduce to 6 weeks, but 8 weeks is the current rule.)
• 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).
• Scope: Gas and electricity suppliers, network operators, energy brokers, Green Deal, flexibility service providers, and — from 1 April 2025 — heat networks.

What is the Energy Ombudsman?

The Energy Ombudsman is an independent, Ofgem-approved dispute resolution body for the energy sector in Great Britain. It is not a regulator, a court, or a government department. Its legal basis is The Gas and Electricity Regulated Providers (Redress Scheme) Order 2008 (SI 2008/2268), which requires licensed energy suppliers to belong to a redress scheme. Since 2015, the Energy Ombudsman has also been approved by Ofgem as the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) body for the sector under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes Regulations 2015.

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. Ofgem assesses the Ombudsman's performance on a biennial basis to ensure it continues to meet its approval criteria.

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 — implemented under a 2024 amendment to the Redress Order 2008 — means that approximately 99% of UK businesses now have access to the scheme. Before December 2024, only microbusinesses (fewer than 10 employees) could access the Ombudsman.

For business complaints, the maximum financial award is £20,000 per dispute (increased from £10,000 on the same date as the remit expansion).

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, including billing, customer service, installation, and loss of heat or hot water.

According to the Energy Ombudsman's own data for the first half of 2025, billing remains by far the most common category — accounting for 59% of all disputes received — followed by smart meters (11%) and customer service (9%).

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:

• 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.

Upcoming change: The government confirmed in its June 2026 consultation response ("Fairer, Faster Redress in the Energy Market") that the 8-week waiting period will be reduced to 6 weeks. This change requires new regulations to come into force; as at the date of this guide, the 8-week rule remains in effect. The same response also confirmed the Ombudsman's decision-making window will be cut from 6 to 4 weeks.

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 the fastest route.

How the investigation works

Once a complaint is accepted, an investigator is assigned. The process typically runs as follows:

1. Acceptance check — the Ombudsman verifies that the eligibility and gateway conditions are met.
2. Evidence gathering — the investigator requests information from both you and the supplier. Both sides are given the opportunity to present their case.
3. Provisional decision — an investigator may issue a provisional view, giving both parties a chance to comment before a final decision is made.
4. Final decision — the Ombudsman issues a final decision setting out the findings and any remedy. You then choose whether to accept or reject it.

If you accept the decision, it becomes binding on the supplier, which must implement the remedy within the stated timescale. If you reject the decision, neither side is bound, and you remain free to take the matter to court or to explore other routes.

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). These caps are per complaint. The Ombudsman cannot impose fines on a supplier, cannot award 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.
• 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.

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.

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 June 2026 and are subject to change — always check the Ofgem website and GOV.UK for the most current position.

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