Energy Supplier Customer Service Ratings and Complaints Data

Two things matter when judging an energy supplier's customer service: how quickly it answers the phone and handles complaints, and how satisfied its customers actually say they are. The first is captured by the Citizens Advice star rating, which every supplier is now compelled to publish under its licence. The second comes from Ofgem's own satisfaction surveys, which reported 81% of customers satisfied with their supplier in April 2025, the highest level ever recorded in that survey¹. Most customers rate their supplier at three stars or higher, with one Ofgem research report putting the figure at 87%².

The picture underneath is less even. Ofgem's supplier level findings for January 2026 show a significantly lower proportion of EDF Energy, E.ON / E.ON Next and OVO Energy customers satisfied with customer service than the average³, and the equivalent findings for July to August 2025 added Scottish Power to that group⁴. The regulator has also made clear that service is not optional: it expects suppliers to demonstrate excellent customer service as part of their strategies for driving down consumer energy debt⁵.

Who produces the ratings and what they assess

There is no single official league table of energy supplier customer service. What exists is a set of overlapping measures from different bodies, each answering a different question.

Citizens Advice, the consumer body for England and Wales, produces the star rating. It is built from data suppliers must publish: how quickly calls are answered, how complaints are handled, and related service measures. Ofgem confirmed in its October 2023 Consumer Standards decision that it was "introducing new licence requirements to compel suppliers to publish information on their Citizens Advice star rating" performance⁷. That means the rating is not a marketing exercise; it is a licence obligation backed by the regulator.

Ofgem itself runs the Energy Consumer Satisfaction Survey, a periodic survey of domestic customers, and publishes supplier level findings from it. In line with a commitment to greater transparency, it published two indicators of customer satisfaction for seven energy supply groups in January 2025: overall satisfaction with the supplier, and satisfaction with the customer service received⁶. The government has separately committed to working with Ofgem on the publication of a wider range of supplier performance data⁸.

Ofgem also monitors suppliers directly. It states that it monitors energy suppliers and network operators closely to make sure they meet the rules set out in licences, regulations and law, provide good customer service, and reply quickly to customers who contact them⁹. Where monitoring suggests problems, it can open a market compliance review, covered later on this page.

The market these bodies watch is sizeable but concentrated: 23 domestic energy suppliers and 72 business energy suppliers were active as of April 2025¹. The star rating and the satisfaction survey both cover the domestic market; there is no equivalent published star rating table for business supplier performance, although the Energy Ombudsman handles complaints from small business consumers as well as households¹⁰.

How much a single star means

The Citizens Advice star rating turns several service measures into a single score of one to five stars. The underlying methodology rewards the basics: answering calls promptly, resolving complaints, and keeping customers informed.

One measure illustrates how the scoring works. Under Citizens Advice's methodology, answering the phone in under 5 minutes equates to one star⁷. A supplier has to perform well across all the measures, not just one, to climb the scale. The same Ofgem decision that compelled publication also set new expectations for how suppliers run their enquiry services more broadly. Suppliers must:

• be available via contact methods that meet customer needs
• be open at times that meet customer needs
• be free for customers struggling to pay their energy bills
• prioritise vulnerable customers who need immediate support, or their representatives⁷

Two cautions apply when reading the rating. First, it is a snapshot of operational performance, not a guarantee: a supplier can score well in one quarter and slip in the next. Second, the rating measures the supplier's processes, not your individual experience. A four star supplier can still send you a wrong bill; the rating tells you how likely it is that the complaint about that bill will be handled competently.

For a household thinking about energy independence, the rating is a measure of dependence rather than supply. Whoever your supplier is, you depend on their billing, their call centres and their complaint handling. The star rating is the closest thing the market has to an independent audit of that dependence, and because suppliers are compelled to publish it, a supplier cannot simply opt out of a bad score.

The complaint figures that feed into the scores

Complaints are where the ratings and the lived experience of customers meet, and the survey data shows why complaint handling drags overall satisfaction down.

In Ofgem's January 2025 survey, 6% of respondents reported making a complaint to their supplier, a proportion that remained stable, while satisfaction with how the complaint was handled was low at 44%⁶. The July 2024 survey found even lower satisfaction with the time taken to reach the end of the complaint process, at 37%¹¹. In other words, fewer than half of those who complained were satisfied with the outcome, and the wait itself was the weakest link.

The July to August 2025 survey found a higher proportion of customers reporting that they were "very satisfied" with their supplier's customer service, at 40%¹², and satisfaction with the information received from suppliers rose to 78% in July 2024, from 75% in January/February of that year¹¹. So the general relationship is improving even as complaint handling lags.

What are the complaints about? Billing dominates. In Ofgem's consumer perceptions research for Q2 2021, billing issues accounted for 31% of complaints¹³. The standard grounds for complaining to a supplier have not changed: late, incorrect or missing bills, back billing, being overcharged, a faulty meter, poor customer service, and refusing to refund credit from your account¹⁴.

There is also a sobering finding from Ofgem's research into customer service standards, published in June 2026: all participants had low expectations of customer service from their energy supplier because of previous experiences across a range of sectors¹⁵. Customers are not comparing suppliers against an ideal; many are comparing them against a low baseline.

For the household, the practical reading is this: the complaint rate is stable and modest, but the chance of being satisfied with how a complaint is handled is close to a coin toss. That is the gap between a star rating and a resolution, and it is why the escalation routes later on this page matter.

Where Ofgem's reviews uncovered failings

Beyond surveys, Ofgem uses market compliance reviews to examine whether suppliers are meeting their obligations. Two reviews are particularly relevant to customer service.

In November 2022, Ofgem completed a Market Compliance Review assessing how suppliers support customers in vulnerable situations¹⁶. That review sits in a longer line of protections. On 19 October 2020, Ofgem published its self-disconnection and self-rationing decision, requiring energy suppliers to identify self-disconnecting and vulnerable customers and offer them credit and additional support, including emergency and friendly-hours credit, additional support credit for vulnerable customers, and updated Ability to Pay principles in the supply licence¹⁷. The principle behind these rules is that vulnerability should not have to be declared repeatedly: as government guidance puts it, vulnerable needs "should be proactively identified by energy suppliers, and additional support provided wherever appropriate"¹⁸.

In February 2023, Ofgem completed a Market Compliance Review of customer service and complaints handling, and its findings named names. It found moderate weaknesses at eleven suppliers: British Gas, E Gas & Electricity, EDF, Good Energy, Outfox the Market, OVO, Scottish Power, SO Energy, Utilita, Utility Warehouse and Tru Energy¹⁹. Moderate weaknesses mean the suppliers fell short of expected standards without Ofgem judging the failures severe enough for immediate enforcement, but the publication itself is a sanction of sorts: it tells customers exactly which companies the regulator was concerned about.

Ofgem has also acted on specific billing practices. Under Standard Licence Condition 21BA and the Backbilling Requirements, it stated in December 2020 that it will review suppliers' compliance, investigate further where it believes the Backbilling Requirements are not applied correctly, and take action to ensure compliance and provide redress to any disadvantaged consumers²⁰.

The Energy Ombudsman, for its part, states that it supports Ofgem's work to improve customer service and trust in the energy retail sector through the Consumer Confidence Programme²¹. The through line for a household is that service failures are not just a matter of individual bad luck: the regulator inspects, names and requires change, and the results of those inspections are public.

What the ratings reveal before switching, and their limits

Ofgem's research into how consumers choose tariffs, published in July 2025, shows that service ratings genuinely shape decisions. Suppliers that fell to 3.5 stars or below for customer service rating became less appealing to participants in the experiment²². The same research found that those who rate their current supplier 3.5 stars or less are more inclined to switch across all rating levels presented, while consumers who highly rate their current suppliers, especially at 5 stars, show greater resistance to switching, particularly to deals with poor customer service²².

That cuts both ways. A good rating makes customers stay; a bad one makes them look. But the research also carries a warning for anyone using the rating as the sole basis for a switch:

• The rating measures the supplier's service operation, not its prices, financial health or tariff terms.
• It is historical: it describes past call handling and complaint performance, not what will happen after you join.
• It does not cover every brand. Ofgem published supplier level satisfaction indicators for seven energy supply groups in January 2025⁶, and smaller suppliers may appear in aggregate figures only.
• A high rating does not prevent failure. When the supplier Toto Energy ceased trading in 2019, customers were advised not to switch to another supplier until a new one had been appointed and had contacted them, and to take a meter reading ready for when the new supplier made contact²³. Ofgem will appoint another supplier to provide the energy supply when a supplier ceases trading, to prevent a drop in service²⁴.

That last point matters most. Service ratings tell you how a company treats the customers it has; they tell you nothing about whether the company will still exist when you need to complain. If you are weighing a small or unfamiliar supplier, the rating is one input alongside the question of what happens if things go wrong, covered in what happens if my supplier goes bust.

Getting support with a supplier dispute

If your problem is with your supplier rather than simply with the price you pay, free help exists, and the first port of call is Citizens Advice.

Citizens Advice offers information and support on a range of topics, including struggling to pay bills, problems with your energy supplier or energy supply, saving energy at home, and getting a better energy deal²⁵. Its consumer service is free and covers England and Wales¹⁴.

The contact details are straightforward:

• Telephone (England and Wales): 0808 223 1133²⁶
• Welsh language line: 0808 223 1144²⁶
• England, dedicated line: 0808 144 8844²⁵
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm²⁶

In Wales, the Welsh government also publishes guidance on getting help with home energy bills²⁷. In Northern Ireland, where the market is separate, nidirect guidance sets out advice for households struggling to pay, including that suppliers can be expected to consider reassessing or cutting debt repayment and bill payments for domestic customers in financial trouble²⁸.

Local schemes add another layer. Bridgend Council's HEAT Energy Advice service covers tackling energy emergencies, managing fuel debt and related issues, advocating on a customer's behalf, accessing energy grants and crisis funds, and optimising energy usage and efficiencies²⁹. In Hertfordshire, the East Herts Home Energy Support Service is provided by Better Housing Better Health³⁰.

Suppliers themselves have obligations to point you towards help, including referring customers who are struggling to pay bills to organisations like Advice NI, which offers free, independent debt advice, and offering advice on more efficient use of energy that could help cut bills²⁸. If you are struggling to pay for energy or think you may get into difficulty, you can ask your supplier to agree a payment plan, payment break or reduction, review your payments and debt repayments, and give access to hardship funds³¹.

When the Extra Help Unit takes up your case

Some disputes cannot reasonably be fought by the customer alone. For those, the Extra Help Unit exists.

The Citizens Advice consumer service may refer you to the Extra Help Unit if you need support with a difficult or urgent complaint, cannot deal with your energy supplier on your own due to personal circumstances, are considered vulnerable, or are at risk of being disconnected from an energy supply¹⁴. The referral comes through Citizens Advice; it is not a service you apply to directly in the ordinary way.

Once a case is taken on, the Unit supports vulnerable consumers by raising complaints with energy suppliers on their behalf, particularly where there is a risk of disconnection or complex personal circumstances³². That distinction matters. A standard complaint is yours to manage: you gather the evidence, chase the responses and track the eight week clock. A referred case is managed with you, by specialists whose involvement suppliers take seriously, precisely because disconnection and vulnerability are in scope.

The eligibility criteria line up with the protections described earlier on this page. The same licence framework that requires suppliers to prioritise vulnerable customers in their enquiry services⁷, and to proactively identify vulnerable needs and provide additional support¹⁸, also underpins the referral route. If you are at risk of disconnection, the referral question is worth asking at the start of the call to Citizens Advice, not after weeks of correspondence have gone nowhere.

Taking a complaint further: supplier to Energy Ombudsman

The escalation route is fixed, and it always starts with the supplier. The Energy Ombudsman's own guidance is plain: "Speak to your energy supplier first to raise a complaint, and if they can't help, we'll aim to fairly and impartially resolve your dispute"³³.

The sequence runs as follows:

1. Complain to your supplier first. You must raise a complaint with your supplier in the first instance³².
2. Wait for resolution or deadlock. The Ombudsman becomes free to act if the issue is not resolved after eight weeks, or you receive a deadlock letter, after complaining to the supplier first³².
3. Escalate to the Ombudsman. You can contact the Energy Ombudsman if you are not happy with the way your energy supplier has handled your complaint³⁴.
4. The Ombudsman investigates. It will ask you to send information and evidence, review evidence from you and your energy company, inform you of its decision within 6 weeks, and give the energy company a set of actions to resolve the problem³⁵.

The Ombudsman is an independent service, separate to Ofgem, handling problems with an energy supplier, an energy broker, a network operator or a heat network supplier³⁵. It is approved by Ofgem, the UK energy regulator, to handle service disputes in the energy sector²⁴, and it can process complaints for both domestic and small business consumers¹⁰. Its scope also covers green deal and heat network suppliers¹⁰.

What can come of it? Resolution can be financial compensation, an apology, agreeing to fix the problem, a refund, or providing an affordable payment plan³⁶. The Ombudsman's decision binds the supplier to those actions, though you are not obliged to accept the decision yourself.

If the issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you can complain to the Energy Ombudsman¹⁸. The full process, evidence and timing rules are covered in detail in complaining about an energy supplier and the Energy Ombudsman.

Comparing service quality with cost

The research on how consumers choose tariffs suggests most people weigh service and price together, and the tipping point is remarkably specific. Suppliers that fell to 3.5 stars or below for customer service rating became less appealing²², while a solid rating at 5 stars makes customers resistant to switching at all, particularly to deals with poor customer service²².

That behaviour is rational, but it has limits. The star rating and the satisfaction surveys describe service; the price cap and tariff structures describe cost, and the two move independently. A supplier can improve its rating while its prices rise, or hold prices steady while its complaint handling deteriorates. Neither measure predicts the other.

For a household, the sensible reading is that service data is a filter, not a ranking. The evidence says customers start discounting a supplier at 3.5 stars or below²², and Ofgem's supplier level findings show which large suppliers were below average on customer service satisfaction in recent survey waves³. Beyond that, the rating cannot tell you whether a particular tariff suits your usage, whether the supplier's app and account management work for you, or whether the company will still be trading in a year.

There is also the deeper question this site exists for. Every tariff, however cheap, keeps a household dependent on a supplier's billing, buying and service operation. The star rating measures how benign that dependence is today. Reducing it, through efficiency, generation or storage, is the only route that changes the relationship itself, and that is covered in energy suppliers and household energy independence.