Have a complaint with your energy provider? Here is what to do

Billing errors, a botched smart-meter install, a switch gone wrong, poor treatment on a prepayment meter: energy complaints are common, and there is a clear, free route to get them fixed. The key is to follow the steps in order, because the escalation route only opens once you have given your supplier a fair chance.

Most complaints are about billing

The single biggest source of energy complaints is billing: estimated bills, a wrong balance, debt and refunds. Most of these trace back to the meter reading. The simplest way to prevent them is an accurate reading. Submit a manual reading regularly (a dated photo is ideal), or fit a smart meter so readings are sent automatically and your bill is based on what you actually used rather than an estimate. If a dispute does arise, your own reading history is the evidence that settles it.

Step 1: complain to your supplier first

Always start with the supplier. Use whatever channel suits you (phone, email, online form, or in writing), explain the problem and what you want done, and ask for a complaint reference. Keep a record of dates, names and what was said. Every supplier must have a complaints procedure and has to try to put things right. Each supplier sets its own policy, though, so the channels, timescales and escalation contacts differ; check your supplier's own complaints page for the specifics. What does not change is the backstop below: the 8-week rule and the Energy Ombudsman apply to every licensed supplier.

Step 2: give it up to 8 weeks

Your supplier has 8 weeks to resolve the complaint. Most issues are sorted well inside that. If it is fixed to your satisfaction, you are done. If the supplier decides it can do no more before the 8 weeks are up, it will send a "deadlock letter", which lets you escalate straight away rather than waiting.

Step 3: take it to the Energy Ombudsman

If 8 weeks pass without resolution, or you get a deadlock letter, you can take the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman. It is free, independent and does not take sides. You must escalate within 12 months of the deadlock letter. The Ombudsman reviews the evidence from both sides and makes a decision that is binding on the supplier but not on you: if you do not accept it, you keep your right to go elsewhere, but if you do accept it, the supplier must comply.

What the Ombudsman can award

Remedies usually take one of these forms, and can be combined:

• A correction to the account: a refund, credit or adjusted bill.
• A goodwill payment, typically in the £25 to £250 range for service failings.
• A written apology (useful alongside one of the above).
• A specific action with a deadline, for example "complete the smart-meter installation within 28 days".

The Energy Ombudsman can award compensation of up to £10,000 and require the supplier to take corrective action.

Where to get help, and a note on vulnerability

For free, independent advice at any stage, contact the Citizens Advice consumer service. If you or someone in your home is in a vulnerable situation, ask your supplier to add you to the Priority Services Register, which is free and unlocks extra protections. Regulators do act on poor treatment, and not just at one supplier. OVO recently settled an Ofgem case over its prepayment-meter customers for more than £10 million. British Gas agreed the largest such settlement to date, up to £112 million in compensation and debt write-off for prepayment meters force-fitted on struggling customers. ScottishPower, EDF, E.ON, Octopus and others collectively committed more than £18.6 million in compensation and debt write-off after Ofgem's prepayment-meter review. The point is that this is industry-wide, not one bad apple. That enforcement record is part of how we score fairness and transparency in the supplier rankings, so a supplier's complaints history is worth checking before you sign up.