As the official consumer watchdog for domestic and microbusiness energy consumers, Citizens Advice has responded to Ofgem’s Microbusiness Review.

Gillian Cooper, Head of Energy Policy for Citizens Advice, said:

“These changes are a real step forward in tackling the bad practice we’ve seen among some energy brokers which can leave microbusinesses out of pocket. They provide important new protections for those switching supplier, including a new ‘cooling-off’ process.

“However, it’s a challenging time for microbusinesses and many still risk being subject to harsh debt recovery practices or losing money if their supplier fails. It’s vital that Ofgem and suppliers continue to improve support for those who are struggling with their bills, and work with microbusinesses to minimise the risk of disconnection.”

Notes to editors

1. Citizens Advice responded to Ofgem’s Microbusiness Strategic Review Policy Consultation in October 2020
2. Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.
3. Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free.
4. We helped 2.8 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2019-20. And we had 34.5 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.
5. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 2,600 service outlets across England and Wales.
6. Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.
7. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.

Microbusiness customers to get better energy deals