Energy Complaint Letter Template

A written complaint starts a clock. Once you have complained, your supplier has eight weeks to put it right or tell you it will not — and after that you can take it to the Energy Ombudsman for free.

Fill in your details below and the letter builds as you type. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere; the letter is assembled in your own browser and leaves only when you copy or download it.

Before you send it

Read the letter through and replace anything in square brackets. Add specifics wherever you can — dates you called, names you spoke to, reference numbers, amounts in dispute. A complaint that says “I called twice in March and was promised a callback that never came” is far harder to deflect than one that says you are unhappy.

Send it to your supplier's published complaints address rather than general customer services, and keep a copy. If you email it, keep the sent message; if you post it, consider proof of posting.

What your supplier must do

Energy suppliers are required to have a complaints procedure and to handle complaints under it. In practice that means they should acknowledge your complaint, tell you who is handling it, and either resolve it or explain why they will not.

The eight-week point matters. That is when you gain the right to go to the Ombudsman. A supplier can also end the process earlier by issuing a deadlock letter, which says it considers the matter closed — that letter is not a dead end, it is your ticket to escalate immediately.

Escalating to the Ombudsman

The Energy Ombudsman is free for consumers and independent of your supplier. It can require a supplier to apologise, to correct an account, to take a practical action, or to pay compensation.

Its decision binds the supplier but not you. If you accept the outcome the supplier must carry it out; if you do not, you keep whatever other options you had. That asymmetry is deliberate, and it is why there is little downside to escalating a complaint that has genuinely stalled.

Extra help if you need it

If the underlying problem is affordability rather than a billing error, a complaint may not be the fastest route. Suppliers must offer payment plans you can actually afford, and there are support schemes for households in difficulty.

If you would benefit from extra support during the process — because of age, disability, health or another reason — ask to be added to the Priority Services Register. It is free, and it changes how your supplier and your network operator must treat you.

To check whether your rates actually look wrong before you complain about them, the price cap by region page shows the current maximum rates, and supplier complaints data shows how your supplier compares on Ofgem's own figures.