Business Consumers

This page is also available in Welsh.

Ofgem’s role is to protect the interests of existing and future gas and electricity consumers in Great Britain. Ofgem performs its role in a variety of ways, including by promoting competition, monitoring and enforcing consumer protection rules, and regulating monopoly network companies.

Better protection

We are committed to increasing protection for business customers - in January 2010, for example, we introduced new regulations to help Britain’s smallest businesses (micro-businesses) engage more in the market.

Following our Retail Market Review we want to further increase protection for businesses, so we are proposing to extend the existing rules for micro-businesses so that larger small businesses are also covered. We are also proposing new rules to better protect businesses from unfair sales practices, and we are seeking more powers from government to enforce against misselling in the business market.

For full details of our proposals for the business sector go to: Retail Market Review – final non-domestic proposals.

Resolving a complaint with an energy company

If you have a complaint with an energy supplier or a gas or electricity distribution network operator, and your business fits within the definition of a micro-business then you should follow the company’s published complaints process. The company is obliged to send you a copy of its process if requested, and many publish this guidance on their websites.

If you make a complaint and it is not resolved to your satisfaction within 8 weeks (or earlier if your supplier explains that they cannot do anything else to help you) then the Ombudsman Services: Energy may be able assist.

Switching supplier

If you are a business consumer, switching energy supplier can make a big impact on cutting your bills. There are a number of simple steps you can take when considering if switching is the right option for your business:

Talk to suppliers - ask your own supplier if it has any cheaper offers. This will give you something to use as a benchmark when looking at other deals.
Check your meter - taking regular meter readings will help build up a picture of your consumption over time. You need to know your consumption, so that other suppliers can provide a quote for you.
Know your contract - make sure you know the terms of your current contract, for example how long before your existing contracts ends can you tell your supplier that you want to move? (Many contracts will only allow you to do this at certain times.)