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Last updated October 2026.
Build the case before you raise it
Suppliers resolve well-evidenced disputes quickly and poorly-evidenced ones slowly. Before contacting them, assemble the invoice or invoices in question, the contract and rate schedule they should have followed, the meter reads or data for the period, and a short calculation of what the bill should have been and the difference. One page is enough. The aim is a dispute the supplier’s billing team can verify in minutes.
The supplier’s process and timescales
Every licensed supplier has a published complaints procedure. Raise the dispute in writing through it, not through a general customer-service channel, so that the clock starts and the case is tracked. Suppliers are expected to acknowledge promptly and to resolve or issue a final response within eight weeks; many resolve clear billing errors in days. Credits normally appear on the next invoice, or as a refund if the account is closed.
Keep paying the undisputed part of any bill while the dispute runs. Withholding the whole amount risks debt-recovery action and does not strengthen the claim. If the supplier’s final response does not resolve it, or eight weeks pass without one, the next step depends on your size.
Talk it through with us
Send us a recent bill or a quick description of your sites and we will tell you plainly what applies to you and what it would involve. No obligation.
Escalation
| Customer | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Microbusiness | Energy Ombudsman | No charge to the business; independent and binding on the supplier. Available after a final response or eight weeks. Can direct refunds, apologies and compensation. |
| Larger business | Contractual dispute resolution, then legal action | Check the dispute clause in the supply contract; many specify a process and a forum. Small claims route for modest sums. |
| Any business with a broker | Broker-led dispute | Brokers deal with supplier billing teams daily and know which evidence moves a case. We handle disputes for customers as part of validation. |
The Ombudsman route is genuinely effective for microbusinesses and is under-used; suppliers settle many cases once a referral is made. For larger organisations the practical lever is the commercial relationship, particularly around renewal, which is one reason to keep validation and procurement together.
MacIntyre Academies
Quest Academy was locked into its water contract until renewal. An audit, paid only from what was recovered, of its surface water charges recovered £35,364 without switching supplier. The same method applies to energy bills. Read the case study.
Frequently asked questions
How do I claim a refund from my business energy supplier?
Raise a written complaint through the supplier’s formal process with the invoice, the contract rates, the meter data and a calculation of the overcharge. Ask for a rebill or credit and confirmation the cause is fixed.
How long does a supplier have to resolve a billing dispute?
Suppliers are expected to resolve or give a final response within eight weeks. Clear errors are usually fixed much faster.
Can a business go to the Energy Ombudsman?
Microbusinesses can, after a final response or eight weeks. Larger businesses use contractual and legal routes.
Should I stop paying my bill while I dispute it?
Pay the undisputed part. Withholding everything risks recovery action and does not help the claim.
How is a refund paid?
Usually as a credit on the next invoice, or as a payment if the account is closed.
Will Clearsight Energy handle the dispute for us?
Yes. Disputing and recovering overcharges is part of our invoice validation service.
Need help? Get in touch
Call us on 020 8036 5715, or email us, and we will take it from there.