New customer services standards for energy suppliers
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Publication date
We have set out new rules to make it easier for people to contact their energy supplier and help support those who maybe struggling with their bills this winter.
The new rules mean that your energy supplier should:
- be easy to contact and by different contact methods, for example email and phone at times that meet customer needs
- offer debt repayment plans at the earliest opportunity and consider offering temporary debt repayment holidays, where appropriate
- make it easier for consumers to see how good suppliers’ customer service is by publishing information on their Citizens Advice star rating
Read the details about the new rules in the Consumer standards decision.
From 14 December 2023 energy suppliers will have to publish the Citizens Advice star ratings based on how good their customer service is.
The Citizens Advice star rating is made up of scores about how suppliers are performing in different areas of their customer service. These include:
- complaints
- customer service
- customer guarantees
You can view how the scores are worked out and compare energy suppliers’ customer service on the Citizens Advice website.
As a regulator we have also been working to improve how people are protected this winter.
So far this year we have:
- increased the amount of compensation you can claim for winter storms from £700 to £2,000
- worked on plans to permanently end the prepayment meter premium under the energy price cap, so that those who pay for their energy using a prepayment meter or Direct Debit pay the same standing charges
- included more households such as those aged 75 years and over (if there is no other support in the house) and households with children aged under 2 years old that cannot have a prepayment meter involuntarily installed
We will also shortly be seeking views from consumers, charities, energy suppliers and customer representatives on standing charges. This is part of our work to look at options around this issue.