20 years of Energy Ombudsman

Summary

That this House recognises the 20th anniversary of Energy Ombudsman, established in 2006; understands that, following concerns about energy billing and switching processes, the Energy Supply Ombudsman Scheme was launched in July 2006; notes that the scheme was voluntary, applied only to the six largest energy suppliers, dealt solely with billing and switching complaints, and handled just over 2,000 complaints in its first year; further notes that, in 2008, participation became mandatory for all licensed energy suppliers, extending access to independent dispute resolution across all aspects of energy supply services; welcomes the subsequent expansion of Energy Ombudsman's remit to include consumers using heat networks and small businesses with up to 50 employees; further recognises the vital role that Energy Ombudsman plays in supporting consumer confidence in the energy market by providing a free-to-use, independent and impartial dispute resolution service while identifying systemic issues to help drive improvements across the sector; further welcomes recent announcements designed to shorten complaint journey times, strengthen decision-making, improve access to the service and enhance consumer compensation; and congratulates Energy Ombudsman on supporting more than one million energy consumers over the past two decades through the delivery of free-to-use, independent and impartial dispute resolution.

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Timeline

1. 10 November 2026

   Early Day Motion

   That this House recognises the 20th anniversary of Energy Ombudsman, established in 2006; understands that, following concerns about energy billing and switching processes, the Energy Supply Ombudsman Scheme was launched in July 2006; notes that the scheme was voluntary, applied only to the six largest energy suppliers, dealt solely with billing and switching complaints, and handled just over 2,000 complaints in its first year; further notes that, in 2008, participation became mandatory for all licensed energy suppliers, extending access to independent dispute resolution across all aspects of energy supply services; welcomes the subsequent expansion of Energy Ombudsman's remit to include consumers using heat networks and small businesses with up to 50 employees; further recognises the vital role that Energy Ombudsman plays in supporting consumer confidence in the energy market by providing a free-to-use, independent and impartial dispute resolution service while identifying systemic issues to help drive improvements across the sector; further welcomes recent announcements designed to shorten complaint journey times, strengthen decision-making, improve access to the service and enhance consumer compensation; and congratulates Energy Ombudsman on supporting more than one million energy consumers over the past two decades through the delivery of free-to-use, independent and impartial dispute resolution.

   Source: Early Day Motion

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Sponsors

• Richard Baker · Labour · Primary sponsor

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