Whoop Energy and Xcel Energy ceased trading on 18 February 2022, according to the Energy Ombudsman, which lists both suppliers on its page for Yu Energy Retail Limited (formerly Yu Energy)1. Yu Energy has been appointed by Ofgem to take on affected customers1.
The Ombudsman states that, as a result of the two companies ceasing to trade, it is not accepting any new disputes about them1. Households that complained to the Ombudsman about either supplier before they ceased trading will be given a written update as soon as possible1. The same page records an earlier failure: Ampoweruk ceased trading on 2 November 2021, and Yu Energy was appointed by Ofgem to take on Ampoweruk customers1.
"Whoop Energy & Xcel Energy ceased trading on 18th February 2022."
"Yu Energy has been appointed by Ofgem to take on affected customers."
The Ombudsman directs customers who are unhappy with any element of the service provided by Yu Energy as their new supplier to contact the company in the first instance1. Its page also explains the supplier of last resort process, under which a failing supplier's customers are moved to another company1. The number of households affected by the Whoop Energy and Xcel Energy failures has not been reported in the material available.
| Supplier | Ceased trading | Customers taken on by |
|---|---|---|
| Whoop Energy | 18 February 2022 | Yu Energy |
| Xcel Energy | 18 February 2022 | Yu Energy |
| Ampoweruk | 2 November 2021 | Yu Energy |
Why it matters for households
A supplier failure moves a household onto a new supplier without the household choosing it. The practical effect is that the account, the billing relationship and the point of contact for complaints all change at once, and the terms the household ends up on are set by the supplier of last resort process rather than by a comparison or a switch. For a home tracking its own energy independence, that loss of control over who supplies the power is the immediate consequence, separate from any question about price.
The Ombudsman route also changes shape. New disputes about Whoop Energy and Xcel Energy cannot be raised with the Ombudsman, so any complaint about the period before the failure has to go through the process already begun, while complaints about the new supplier start with Yu Energy1. Households wanting to understand how supplier failures are handled across the market can read the site's record of energy supplier failures, and the Ofgem pages set out the regulator's role in appointing a replacement supplier. Where a dispute does reach the Ombudsman, the complaints and redress guide covers the stages involved.
What happens next
The Ombudsman says it will provide a written update as soon as possible to anyone who complained about Whoop Energy or Xcel Energy before they ceased trading1. No date has been given for that update, and no further steps have been reported.
Sources1 cited
- Yu Energy Retail Limited (formerly Yu Energy)… | Energy Ombudsman, energyombudsman.org