The Energy Ombudsman: Enhanced Protection for Families and Businesses
Families and small businesses will benefit from new protections in the energy market, thanks to the government's introduction of stronger consumer rights.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is leading the implementation of these new protections, which aim to make it quicker and easier for people to receive redress when issues arise, while also eliminating exploitation in the broker industry.
The Energy Ombudsman will be granted expanded powers to help customers resolve disputes with their energy suppliers more efficiently. Currently, customers must wait eight weeks before escalating a complaint to the Ombudsman, but this waiting period will be reduced to four weeks.
The time it takes for the Energy Ombudsman to review cases will also be decreased from an average of six weeks to four, allowing customers to receive compensation more swiftly. Additionally, suppliers that fail to implement the Energy Ombudsman's rulings promptly will be required to pay compensation, putting an end to the widespread delays that have led to nearly one in ten decisions being enforced late or not at all.
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Author's summary: New protections for energy market consumers.