Investigation over energy mis-selling to be carried out

It has been revealed recently that four of the big six energy giants in the UK are at the centre of an investigation over the mis-selling of energy to UK consumers. The investigation is to be carried out by the UK energy regulator Ofgem, which said that it had received complaints and reports from various sources suggesting that the four energy companies may have breached regulations with regards to energy sales.

The four energy giants that are facing questioning from the regulator as part of the investigation are Npower, Scottish Power, Scottish and Southern Energy, and EDF Energy. The investigation centres around sales made by the firms on both a face to face basis and over the telephone. It comes following new regulations that were brought in at the start of this year with regards to the sale of energy  contracts to consumers.

According to Ofgem more than 50 percent of energy customers that switched in 2008 did so after being contacted by an energy sales person, but in many cases the customers ended up on a more expensive tariff because they had been misled over their energy costs or had not been able to effectively compare costs against their existing tariffs.

The four energy giants have said that they will fully cooperate with Ofgem in the investigation, which will centre around whether they have breached the new regulations that were brought in at the start of this year. The new regulations required energy firms to ensure that estimates were given before any face to face contract were concluded and where possible comparisons were given to the consumer with regards to pricing compared to their existing provider.

Andrew Wright, of Ofgem, said: “We expect all suppliers to comply with these tougher obligations, but if our investigations find otherwise, we will take strong action.”

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Could energy price cuts be on the way?

A consumer campaign group, Consumer Focus, has indicated that there could be energy price cuts on the way as a result of a fall in the cost of wholesale energy. This comes as a result of one of the major energy suppliers in the UK, Scottish and Southern, stating that it could see prices falling by early 2009 as a result of falling wholesale energy prices. With energy prices having rocketed twice this year any fall in prices will be welcomed by businesses and consumers, many of whom are struggling to keep up with bills. Read more

Tags: Association, Business Finance, wholesale energy, trend, Wholesale, energy prices, energy companies, energy suppliers

Watchdog wants bills cut in winter

A consumer watchdog has stated that energy bills must be cut by the UK’s energy giants for the winter, stating that the fall in oil prices over recent months warrants a fall in energy prices.

Both the government and consumer campaigners have said that energy companies need to start reducing the cost of gas and electricity usage over the coming weeks, as the cost per barrel of oil has fallen by close to 50% since the summer. Petrol companies have already slashed petrol prices since the price of oil came down, although the price cuts did take some time to filter through. Read more

Tags: energy bills, electricity, energy companies, wholesale price rises, uk

Gas bills could rise by £400 a year

According to a recent report the cost of energy could soar by a massive amount, which could add around £400 on the average annual gas bill, which will add further strain to household finances. It is thought that bills could rise by as much as 40%, with a further round of price hikes due to take place in the autumn. Energy suppliers have already increased prices once this year, with pretty hefty increases that were brought in at the beginning of the year. Read more

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