Energy bill guides

Plain-English explanations of your rights as a gas and electricity customer in England, Scotland and Wales, checked against Ofgem's rules on 24 October 2026.

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• Energy back-billing rules: you can't be billed for energy used over 12 months ago
  How Ofgem's 12-month back-billing rule works, what it covers, the exceptions, and how to get old charges taken off a catch-up bill.
• What is a catch-up bill, and do I have to pay it?
  Why energy suppliers send catch-up bills after estimates or meter problems, which parts you have to pay and which you can challenge.
• Back-billing when your Direct Debit was set too low
  If your supplier set your Direct Debit too low and now wants a big balance, the 12-month back-billing rule may still protect you. Here's how.
• Smart meter not sending readings? Back-bills and your rights
  When a smart meter stops sending readings, bills become estimates and catch-up bills follow. How the back-billing rule and the £40 smart meter standards help.
• Back-billing on a prepayment meter
  Prepayment customers are protected by the 12-month back-billing rule too, including debt added to the meter after a tariff or setup error.
• What counts as 'unreasonable behaviour' under the back-billing rules?
  The back-billing protection is lost if you were obstructive or manifestly unreasonable. What that means in practice, and what doesn't count.
• Estimated energy bills: your rights and how to get an accurate bill
  Suppliers must try to read your meter at least once a year and use readings you give them. How to stop estimated bills and correct them.
• How to dispute an energy bill in the UK (Great Britain): step by step
  A practical order of steps for challenging a wrong gas or electricity bill, from first contact to the Energy Ombudsman, with the rules to quote.
• Energy bill suddenly too high? What to check, in order
  A big jump in your gas or electricity bill can be estimates, a catch-up bill, a tariff change or a fault. A checklist to find the cause and fix it.
• Think your energy meter is faulty? Tests, costs and the 5-day rule
  How to check your meter, what your supplier must do within 5 working days, how independent meter tests work, and when you might pay about £200.
• Energy bill for the previous occupant, or after you moved out
  You don't pay for energy used before you moved in. How to get a previous tenant's or owner's charges removed, and what happens when you move out.
• Energy Direct Debit too high? How to get it reduced and your credit refunded
  Suppliers must base Direct Debits on the best and most current information and refund credit when you ask. How to use SLC 27.14 to 27.16.
• How to complain to the Energy Ombudsman (and when you can)
  When you can take an energy complaint to the Energy Ombudsman, the 8-week and 12-month time limits, what evidence to send, and what it can award.
• What is a deadlock letter, and how do you get one?
  A deadlock letter is your energy supplier's final response. It lets you go to the Energy Ombudsman without waiting 8 weeks. How to ask for one.
• £40 energy compensation: the Guaranteed Standards explained
  Energy suppliers must pay £40, plus another £40 if they pay late, when they miss Guaranteed Standards such as appointments, meter faults, switching and final bills.
• Smart meter problems: the £40 compensation rules (2026)
  Since 23 February 2026, tougher Guaranteed Standards cover smart meter appointments and faults. What you're owed if your supplier is slow.
• Problems switching energy supplier: delays and switches by mistake
  Your switch must complete within 5 working days, or you're owed £40. What happens if you're switched by mistake, and the extra payments for delays.
• Final energy bill and credit refund after switching or moving
  Your old supplier must send a final bill within 6 weeks and refund credit within 10 working days of it, or pay £40 each time. Here's how to claim.
• Can't pay your energy bill? Your right to an affordable repayment plan
  Suppliers must offer instalments based on what you can afford, and can't charge for setting them up. How to ask, what to include, and where to get free help.
• Can my supplier force a prepayment meter on me? The rules
  When an energy supplier can install a prepayment meter without your permission, what it must do first, who is protected, and how to object.
• Back-billing rules for small businesses (microbusinesses)
  Microbusinesses get the same 12-month back-billing protection as households. Who counts, and how to use it.
• Should I stop paying my energy bill while I dispute it?
  Why you should keep paying for your current energy use during a dispute, what to do about the disputed part, and how to protect your credit file.
• Do these energy rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
  Ofgem's back-billing, billing and compensation rules cover Great Britain. Where to get help in Scotland and Wales, and what's different in Northern Ireland.