Business Energy Disputes

Disputing a business energy bill? We’ll take it on.

Back-billing, estimated reads, wrong rates, invoice errors, mis-sold contracts — we investigate, challenge your supplier , and escalate to the Energy Ombudsman if we have to.

Free review · No win, no fee
Start a free dispute review Or call 0151 459 3388
  • Rated Excellent on Trustpilot
  • 11+ years
  • No win, no fee
Start with what happened

Does any of this sound familiar?

Most businesses don’t go looking for an energy dispute.

They just notice something that doesn’t add up — a bill that can’t be right, rates nobody recognises, a letter chasing money they’re still questioning. It’s almost always found by accident, not by looking. Start with whichever one below sounds most like yours.

Case notes

An “impossible” bill almost always traces back to one thing — the meter was never read properly.

What we’d pull together

  • Recent and historic supplier invoices
  • Clear photographs of the meter and serial number
  • Any actual readings you have, with dates
  • Tenancy or responsibility dates where relevant

What it usually uncovers

  • Months of estimated billing left uncorrected
  • Incorrect opening or closing readings
  • The wrong meter linked to the account
  • Charges falling outside the 12-month window
Case notes

The real question is rarely what you’re paying — it’s what you were promised, and by whom.

Documents we’d compare

  • The contract or renewal agreement
  • The quote or price confirmation
  • Emails, messages or call notes from the broker
  • Invoices showing the rates actually applied

What we’re looking for

  • Billed rates that don’t match the quote
  • Agreed dates that don’t match the supplier’s
  • Promises made before signing that never reached the contract
  • Commission that was never disclosed
Case notes

You shouldn’t be paying under pressure for a figure nobody has properly stood behind. The first job is to stop the clock.

Immediate priorities

  • Separate the disputed sum from anything genuinely owed
  • Put the supplier on formal notice of the dispute
  • Press for recovery and disconnection to be paused
  • Stop the complaint being closed prematurely

Next action

  • A written challenge to the balance
  • Disputed and undisputed amounts split out
  • The complaint reopened and properly logged
  • A clear route mapped if it needs escalating
Case notes

Months of “we’ll look into it” usually means the complaint has quietly stalled — and a firm deadline can now be forced.

The trail we’d build

  • A dated record of every contact
  • The questions and figures still unanswered
  • Supplier reference numbers and correspondence
  • Any deadlock letter, or how long it’s been open

Where it usually leads

  • A complaint that was never formally logged
  • The eight-week clock already run down
  • Unanswered evidence the supplier has to address
  • A clear route to independent escalation
Case notes

When a bill spans a move, the whole thing usually turns on one date and one reading.

What we’d need from you

  • Your lease, completion or move-in date
  • Opening meter readings from when you took over
  • Any bills addressed to the previous occupier
  • Where you told the supplier you’d taken over

What it usually shows

  • Charges for a period before you were responsible
  • An opening read that was estimated, not taken
  • The previous occupier’s balance carried across
  • A liability start-date that needs correcting

Most disputes don’t fit neatly into one category.

These are the situations we investigate most often, and they’re rarely the whole story. Send us the bill, contract or complaint trail and we’ll tell you plainly whether there’s something worth challenging — before you commit to anything.

Start a free dispute review
A real result

An £85,000 demand, verified down to £2,158.85.

A long-standing hospitality client received an £85,000 demand they simply couldn’t reconcile with their own records. We reconstructed the account, corrected the readings and established the amount that could genuinely be supported.

Case · EDF back-billing · GSG Hospitality Outcome documented
Multi-site hospitality · Historic estimated billing · EDF account reconstruction
Supplier demand £85,000 A demand of this size can put a business’s survival in question.
Corrected liability £2,158.85 Account corrected
£82,841.15 removed from the demand 97% of the demand

We did not bargain with the demand. We established what was actually owed.

Investigation trail
01

Reconstructed the account

We pulled the complete statement of account — every invoice, payment, credit and adjustment — so the whole billing history could be traced from the start, not just the disputed total.

02

Replaced estimates with actual evidence

Across the affected sites, accurate dated meter readings were gathered and matched to each billing period, so estimated figures could be replaced with what the meters had actually recorded.

This is where most of the demand began to fall away
03

Tested the historic charges

Each period was then checked against the relevant back-billing protections. Charges that couldn’t properly be upheld came out.

04

Secured the corrected account

EDF confirmed a final liability of £2,158.85 — the figure the reconstructed account actually supported.

Every charge was traced back to a billing period, a meter and a reading. The client was left with the amount the evidence supported — not the amount first demanded — and we handled the supplier correspondence throughout.

The size of a bill tells you nothing about whether it’s correct.

Send us the bill and the account history, and we’ll tell you plainly whether there’s a credible basis to challenge it — before you commit to anything.

Show us your case

Every dispute is different and outcomes can’t be guaranteed — but the investigation is the same one we’d bring to yours, and the free review tells you whether there’s a case before anything is committed.

What it costs

Free to find out. No win, no fee if you go ahead.

After a result like that, the fair question is what it costs to find out whether yours is the same. Here’s the honest answer — no catch, and nothing to pay upfront.

Why there’s no upfront fee

Most businesses put off challenging a bill because they assume it means paying a specialist to go digging — win or lose. We don’t work that way.

The review costs nothing because we’d rather tell you there isn’t a case than convince you there is one. If there isn’t, we’ll tell you honestly and send you on your way.

And if you do, our fee only ever comes out of money we actually recover for you — agreed before we start, so nothing about it can surprise you later.

How it starts
01 Send us the bill 02 We review it, free 03 If there’s a case, we run it

No catch. Here’s exactly how it works.

You pay nothing to find out.

The review is free, whatever it turns up. There’s no obligation on either side.

Sometimes the answer is no.

If we don’t think it’s worth pursuing, we’ll tell you plainly — and you won’t get an invoice for our time.

Nothing recovered, nothing to pay.

No win, no fee, in the real sense. The risk of running the case sits with us, not you.

If we recover, the fee is agreed first.

In writing, before any work begins. You’ll always know the exact number before you say yes to anything.

When there is a recovery, our fee is a percentage of it, capped at £1,500 — whichever is lower . You keep the vast majority of what we get back, and never pay more than £1,500, however large the result.

Mis-sold, with nothing to recover — just a bad contract to escape? No dispute fee. We get you out, then arrange your replacement deal, with our commission shown to you in writing.

If we already look after you
Existing clients never pay for dispute support.

If we already handle your energy, challenging a wrong bill is simply part of the service — not a separate invoice, and not a catch. It’s what having someone in your corner should mean.

Let’s see whether there’s a case Free review · No obligation · No win, no fee
Know where you stand

Can they actually do that?

Business energy disputes often feel one-sided because the rules are complicated and the supplier deals with them every day. You may have more protection and more routes to challenge the position than the latest demand makes clear.

The detail

The protection applies to domestic consumers and microbusinesses . It can cover energy that was used but not accurately billed at the time, including where earlier bills relied on estimates.

It is not an automatic cancellation of every old balance. The supplier may still recover accurate charges within the permitted period, and exceptions can apply where the customer acted obstructively or prevented accurate readings from being obtained.

The first review should therefore establish the date of consumption, when the amount was first properly billed, whether accurate statements had previously been issued and whether the business meets the microbusiness definition.

The detail

An estimated reading is sometimes necessary where an actual reading was unavailable, but it is still an assumption. A sequence of estimates can allow an incorrect balance to grow for months before the account is reconciled.

Clear photographs of the meter, serial number and dated readings can allow the account to be reconstructed using the actual consumption. Historic meter exchanges, opening readings and change-of-tenancy dates may also need checking.

A corrected reading will not always reduce the bill. It establishes what was actually used. The value is in replacing guesswork with evidence.

The detail

The supplier must first be given a proper opportunity to resolve the complaint through its internal process. The relevant period is generally eight weeks from the complaint .

If the supplier reaches a final position before that point, it may issue a deadlock or final response letter allowing the dispute to be escalated sooner.

This is why a dated complaint trail matters. Telephone calls without written follow-up can make it much harder to prove when the complaint began and which points remain unresolved.

The detail

Energy Ombudsman access was extended to qualifying small businesses from December 2024. Eligibility can be met through the scheme’s employee and financial criteria or through annual electricity or gas consumption thresholds.

The service is independent and free for eligible businesses. It can consider evidence from both sides and require a supplier or broker to take remedial action where appropriate.

An Ombudsman route does not mean every complaint succeeds. A clear chronology, accurate calculation and organised supporting evidence remain essential.

The detail

Broker disputes are rarely resolved from the invoice alone. The review may require the quotation, signed contract, emails, messages, commission information, call recordings and supplier acceptance records.

The central questions are what the broker said, what the customer reasonably understood, what was disclosed before the agreement and what ultimately appeared in the contract.

Qualifying small businesses may also be able to escalate certain energy-broker disputes to the Energy Ombudsman after following the broker’s complaint process.

This section provides general information rather than legal advice. Eligibility, exceptions and scheme rules depend on the facts of the case and may change over time.

Official guidance: Ofgem back-billing guidance · Energy Ombudsman — small business · Energy Ombudsman — broker disputes

See where you stand — free
Free dispute review

Send us the bill. We’ll tell you if there’s a case.

Add a few details and attach a recent bill or letter. A real adviser reviews it — usually the same working day — and tells you plainly whether it’s worth challenging. Free, no obligation.

Prefer to talk? 0151 459 3388

  • Rated Excellent
  • No win, no fee
  • Free for existing clients
Start your free review ~2 minutes

No spam — we use your details only to review your dispute. The review is free with no obligation; if there’s a case, any fee is agreed in writing before any work begins.

Got it — thank you.

A real adviser will review your dispute and be in touch, usually the same working day.

Questions, answered

The questions we get asked most. Answered straight.

Everything businesses tend to want to know before they send us a bill — what it costs, how it works, and where you actually stand.

Can I dispute a business energy bill?

Yes. If a bill looks wrong — too high, based on estimates, charging rates you didn’t agree, or reaching back further than it should — you can challenge it. Suppliers make mistakes, and you have more protection than most businesses realise. The starting point is a free review : send us the bill and we’ll tell you honestly whether there’s a case.

How far back can my supplier bill me?

For a microbusiness, Ofgem’s back-billing rules normally stop a supplier charging for energy used more than 12 months ago — unless the meter was obstructed or tampered with. So a large “catch-up” bill stretching back years is often, in large part, unenforceable.

My bill is based on estimated readings — can it be corrected?

Often, yes. A bill built on estimates can be re-based on your actual meter readings . Where a big balance has grown from months of guessing, accurate reads for the period can bring it back down to what you genuinely used.

How much does it cost to use Smart Energy for a dispute?

The review is free . If we take the case on, we work no win, no fee — our fee is a percentage of what we actually recover for you, capped at £1,500, whichever is lower . So you keep the vast majority of any recovery and never pay more than £1,500, however large it is. Existing Smart Energy customers pay no dispute fee at all. The fee is always agreed in writing before any work begins.

What if you don’t recover anything — do I still pay?

No. No win, no fee means exactly that: if we recover nothing, there’s no fee. And if you were mis-sold and the right outcome is escaping a bad contract rather than recovering cash, there’s no dispute fee either — we get you out, then arrange your replacement deal, with our commission shown to you in writing.

Can I take my dispute to the Energy Ombudsman?

If you can’t resolve it with the supplier directly, usually yes. Since December 2024 the Energy Ombudsman covers most businesses (up to 50 employees), not just microbusinesses — around 99% of UK businesses. You’ll normally need to complete the supplier’s complaints process first (eight weeks, or a “deadlock” letter). Its decision is binding on the supplier , it can award up to £20,000 , and it’s free to use.

I think I was mis-sold my contract by a broker — can you help?

Yes. If a third-party broker built commission into your rates, it should have been disclosed to you. Where it wasn’t — or the contract was otherwise mis-sold — there may be grounds to challenge it, and potentially to get you out of the contract. It’s exactly why we show our own commission in writing, every time.

How long does a business energy dispute take?

It depends on the supplier, the complexity, and how quickly the evidence comes together — some are resolved in weeks, others take longer if they go as far as the Ombudsman. We’ll give you a realistic sense of timing after the free review, and keep you updated as it moves.

What do you need from me to get started?

Just a copy of the bill or letter you’re disputing and a few details about your business. Send it over — the review is free, and we’ll come back to you on whether there’s a case and what we’d do next.

General guidance, not legal advice. Which protections apply depends on your business size and circumstances. Establishing exactly where you stand is what the free review is for.

Still not sure where you stand? Start a free dispute review