Small Business Remit Extension

In April 2024, the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) announced that small businesses with fewer than 50 employees will be able to access our scheme and get free support to resolve disputes with their energy supplier. Since then, we’ve been working with Government and Ofgem on an extension to our services and now that our plans are well developed, we’d like to take this opportunity to update on our plans as we move toward the scheme launch in Q4 this year.

What have we done so far?

We’ve made substantial improvements to our organisational capability to effectively support the upcoming non-domestic remit extension for small businesses. These strategic enhancements are designed to ensure a seamless and efficient process for all involved.

Some of our key areas of focus include:

Dedicated Team Expansion: We’ve significantly expanded our team with the recruitment of specialist and experienced personnel, focused on handling the legal and regulatory elements of small business disputes. This dedicated resource enables us to provide tailored support and expertise, underpinned by comprehensive training on the complexities and intricacies of the small business remit extension. This includes policy guidelines, complaint resolution procedures and customer service best practices. We will continue to add roles to support the extension as the need arises.
Operational Set up: To ensure the scheme meets the needs of consumers and suppliers, it will follow a similar process to our microbusiness consumers where one case handler, a Dispute Resolution Executive (DRE), is responsible for the management of the case from the initial contact to the delivery of the relevant outcome.
Forecasting Case Volumes: We’ve assessed potential volumes by modelling projected numbers, using insights from microbusinesses that use our service as well as taking intelligence and insights, shared by multiple stakeholders, into account.
Improved Reporting and Analytics: We’ve developed robust reporting mechanisms to track key performance indicators, identify trends, and measure the effectiveness of our efforts. This data-driven approach will inform continuous improvement initiatives.
Case Fee Assessment: We’re currently reviewing the case fees for these disputes with more information expected to be released in Q4 this year.

We want to hear from you

As we approach the scheme’s launch, we wanted to hear from the sector on a few areas. Your valuable feedback will play a crucial role in shaping the design and delivery of the scheme. We invite you to complete our short question survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/remitextension to share your expertise and insights. It will only take a couple of minutes to complete.

We look forward to working together to support small businesses.

Maximum Award change for non-domestic cases

We seek information in preparation for the upcoming small business extension and views on our minded-to position on changes to our maximum award for non-domestic cases.

We will also be extending our Terms of Reference to allow small business consumers to access our services in line with the remit extension for small businesses.

Please see below attached document for further detail. If you have any issues accessing the document, please contact smallbusinessremit@energyombudsman.org.

This consultation is now closed

Download the document here: Minded-to position on changes to the maximum award for non-domestic cases

Published date: 4 September 2024

Closing date: 2 October 2024

Small Business remit extension and maximum award changes