Energy Ombudsman welcomes proposals to strengthen consumer protections

Today’s Government announcement marks a significant step forward in strengthening consumer protections within the energy sector. The additional proposals relating to Energy Ombudsman are a clear move towards fairer and more accessible redress for energy consumers.

Ed Dodman, Chief Ombudsman of Energy Ombudsman said

“Having worked closely with DESNZ and Ofgem, we welcome the proposals announced by Government to strengthen Energy Ombudsman’s powers, and to reduce the complaint escalation period from eight weeks to four weeks. The impact of this, as well as the automatic referral to our service, will be to remove the burden from consumers and make the overall experience much better. It will ensure that all consumers who could benefit from using Energy Ombudsman, have the same opportunity to do so, creating a fairer and more accessible process for all.”

Energy Ombudsman is part of Trust Alliance Group, Group CEO, Simon Palmer said:

“The collaborative approach between Government, Ofgem, suppliers and other stakeholders to improve access to redress for consumers in the energy sector, has been really encouraging. Trust Alliance Group is continuing to develop its capabilities to ensure that Energy Ombudsman meets the needs of all its stakeholders and fulfils our purpose of building trust between consumers and suppliers. This process should ensure that all consumers have better access to redress for all energy related disputes.”