Independent ombudsmen have reported a massive increase in the number of people making complaints about energy bills this year.
In the first six months of 2014, the number of official complaints was greater than the whole of the previous year, reaching 22,671. Figures for 2013 showed the number of official complaints was 17,960 in total.
Lewis Shand Smith, chief energy ombudsman, said: ‘The spike in complaints is in part a result of the rising cost of living, but also as a result of consumers becoming more aware of their rights and feeling more empowered to act and fight for a fair deal. Addressing these concerns is crucial to restoring consumer confidence in this sector’.
Energy bill concerns formed 84% of all complaints received by the ombudsmen in the first six months of this year.
An Energy UK spokesman said: ‘The energy industry works hard to provide the best service for its customers but in an industry serving 27 million households sometimes things go wrong’.
