Why Are Energy Bills So Confusing?
Our recently conducted research has shown that the British public has ranked Energy bills as the most difficult to decipher among seven other utilities.
Four in ten energy customers (that's some 11.1 million consumers) have admitted they don't understand their energy bill. Amidst the confusion, almost half of customers (46%) fail to check if their energy bill is accurate, and over six in ten don't check if they are on their supplier's best deal.
In a bid to tackle country-wide bemusement, Energy Helpline is calling on Ofgem to revisit their 2014 bill design in order to help customers obtain better control over their energy spent.
Tom Lyon, Director of Energy at Energy Helpline, says:
“It’s clear that energy bills continue to cause much confusion for consumers. With complicated metrics and long-standing myths, it’s no wonder they are ranked the most difficult bills to understand by customers."
“It’s absolutely critical that consumers are able to quickly and easily check their bill is correct, that it is based on accurate meter readings, and that they are on their supplier’s cheapest tariff."
“That’s why we’re calling on Ofgem to revisit the rules governing bill design,which were last overhauled six years ago as part of its Retail Market Review.Given increasing energy use at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever that consumers can understand their bills to stay in control of their energy use and spend.”
In the meantime, we've created an extremely easy-to-follow guide to help you understand your energy bill, along with specific guides with some of the most popular energy suppliers, including images to make things as simple as they can be. We have also produced a plethora of other guides on meter supply numbers and tariffs, fixed and variable tariffs, as well as unit rates and standing charges.
