Energy · 7 min read
Energy complaints and redress schemes for small businesses
How to complain to a supplier or broker, the deadlines that matter, and when the Energy Ombudsman can help.
Written by the ITEA Limited energy team · Last reviewed 30 October 2026
A wrong bill, a switch that never happened, a contract you did not expect to be on: most energy problems can be fixed, but the route matters. Small businesses have more protection than many owners realise, as long as they raise the problem in the right order and keep a record of each step.
Does your business qualify?
The strongest protections are for micro-businesses. Under Ofgem’s definition, that is a business with fewer than 10 employees (or full-time equivalents) and an annual turnover or balance sheet of no more than €2 million, or one that uses no more than 100,000 kWh of electricity or 293,000 kWh of gas a year. Ofgem has since extended several protections, including the broker redress rules below, to small businesses. If your business is larger than a micro-business, ask the scheme whether your complaint is eligible before you assume it is not.
Step 1: complain to the right company first
A redress scheme will normally only look at a complaint once the company has had a chance to put it right. So start by working out who is responsible:
- Your supplier for anything about your bills, meter readings, the rates you are charged, payments, switching dates and deemed or out-of-contract rates.
- Your broker or consultant for how a contract was sold to you, what you were told about its length or cost, and how a Letter of Authority was used.
Put the complaint in writing, by email or through the company’s complaints form. Include your business name, account number, the MPAN or MPRN for each meter affected, what went wrong, the dates, and what you would like the company to do. Keep copies of everything you send and receive, and make a note of any phone calls.
Step 2: the eight-week point
Each company has its own procedure, but the key moment is the same. You can take an energy complaint to the redress scheme when either of these happens:
- the company sends its final response (sometimes called a deadlock letter) and you are not happy with it; or
- eight weeks have passed since you first complained and the problem is not resolved.
After a final response, you normally have 12 months to contact the Energy Ombudsman. Do not let a complaint drift: put the date you first complained in your calendar, with a reminder at eight weeks.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | You complain to the supplier or broker in writing. |
| Up to 8 weeks | The company investigates and sends its final response. |
| After the final response, or at 8 weeks | If you are still unhappy, you can go to the redress scheme. |
| Within 12 months of the final response | The usual time limit for contacting the Energy Ombudsman. |
Step 3: the Energy Ombudsman
The Energy Ombudsman is the approved redress scheme for the energy sector. It is free for eligible businesses, and it is separate from the company you are complaining about. You apply through its website, energyombudsman.org, with copies of your complaint and the company’s replies.
If it finds in your favour, it can ask the company to apologise, explain what went wrong, take action to put things right, and pay a financial award. If you accept its decision, the company must carry it out. If you do not accept it, you are not bound by it and keep your other legal options.
Complaints about energy brokers
Brokers are not yet licensed by Ofgem directly. Instead, Ofgem’s rules require suppliers to work only with brokers that belong to a qualifying redress scheme when they arrange contracts for micro and small businesses. The schemes that cover brokers include the Energy Ombudsman, the Utilities Intermediaries Association (UIA) and the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman. The government has said it intends to give Ofgem direct powers over brokers, but until those rules are in force, the broker’s redress scheme is your main route if its own complaints process does not resolve things.
Before you use any broker, ask which scheme it belongs to and for its membership number. ITEA Limited, which trades as BizUp360, is a member of the Energy Ombudsman, membership number C35ITEA01. Our complaints procedure sets out how to raise a complaint with us.
Problems worth raising
- Old charges: for micro-businesses, suppliers generally cannot bill for energy used more than 12 months before the bill if the delay was their fault (the “back-billing” rule).
- Unexpected rates: being moved onto out-of-contract or deemed rates without the notice your contract or the rules require.
- Wrong tax treatment: the wrong VAT rate, or Climate Change Levy charged on a supply that should be exempt. Our bill guide explains both.
- Switching problems: a switch that was delayed or went to the wrong meter.
- Mis-selling: being told something about a contract’s length, terms or costs that turned out not to be true.
Other free help
Citizens Advice gives free advice to small businesses with energy problems, including help working out who to complain to. For definitions of terms such as deemed contract or deadlock letter, see the BizUp360 glossary.
General guide only, based on the rules as of October 2026. Eligibility and time limits are set by each scheme, so check its website for the current position.