Citizens Advice responded on 22 November 2022 to Ofgem's review into support for vulnerable customers, saying suppliers should do everything in their power to identify and support struggling customers and that the regulator must ensure the review leads to concrete action1.
Gillian Cooper, Head of Energy Policy at Citizens Advice, said the charity sees the consequences when support falls short, describing people cutting back on food and essentials to cover energy debts and living in cold and dark homes when they have run out of money to top up their meter1.
"Ofgem is right to hold energy companies to task, it must now ensure this review leads to concrete action."
The response sets out the scale of the advice service behind it. Citizens Advice says it helped 2.4 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2020-21, and had 40 million visits to its website1. Its staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers working at over 2,600 service outlets across England and Wales1. The organisation comprises the national charity Citizens Advice, a network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales, the Citizens Advice consumer service and the Witness Service1.
Consumer advice is available from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133, or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers1.
The review itself is referred to only as Ofgem's review into support for vulnerable customers. Its scope, the suppliers covered, the timetable and any findings have not been reported in the material published alongside this response1.
Why it matters for households
Support for vulnerable customers sits at the point where a household's energy independence is most tested: the ability to keep a home warm and lit without falling into debt. The supplier support that is required for vulnerable customers covers identification of those at risk and the help offered once they are identified, and the Ofgem review examines how well that is working.
The consequences described by Citizens Advice are practical ones. Households cutting back on food and essentials to cover energy debts, and homes going cold and dark when meter credit runs out, are outcomes that follow from support failing rather than from supply failing. For a household, the difference between the two is whether a supplier acts on the signals it already holds, such as arrears, payment method and meter top-up patterns.
The energy consumer bodies that represent households, including Citizens Advice, Consumer Scotland and the Consumer Council, are separate from the suppliers and the regulator. Where a dispute is not resolved directly, the routes are set out in energy complaints and redress. The wider framework sits under regulation and policy, and the companies themselves under suppliers.
What happens next
Citizens Advice has said Ofgem must ensure the review leads to concrete action1. No date has been given for the conclusion of the review, and no further steps have been reported1.