Electricity bill too high: how to challenge it

A large bill deserves a clear explanation. Start with the readings.

The answer in 2 lines. Photograph your electricity meter, then compare the readings, billing dates and tariff with your bill. Write to your supplier explaining the discrepancy and the correction you want. Keep the complaint reference and all replies. Do not cancel your Direct Debit simply because you disagree: ask for a written arrangement while the bill is investigated. Independent review is available through the Energy Ombudsman after eight unresolved weeks, or earlier with a deadlock letter.

Start with the evidence

Photograph the meter reading and serial number. For a meter with separate registers, record each relevant reading.
Check the bill's address, meter details, dates, actual or estimated readings, unit rates, standing charges and payments credited.
Use the complaints contact printed on your bill. Say what appears wrong, attach the evidence and ask for a corrected bill or a written explanation.

Stop: danger

Do not stop payments without an agreement: a complaint does not automatically suspend payment or debt collection. Ask the supplier to confirm how disputed charges and ongoing payments will be handled.

Work out what has increased

A higher monthly payment is not necessarily a higher tariff. It may reflect extra consumption, an estimated reading, a debit balance or a revised forecast. Compare energy used in kWh as well as the amount in pounds.

For a payment increase, use Citizens Advice's Direct Debit guidance: follow its checks and ask the supplier for the readings and calculation behind the new amount. Seasonal use can explain some differences, but the figures should still be understandable.

Write a complaint that can be investigated

Include your account reference, the disputed bill, the readings and your reason for questioning it. Explain whether you want an estimate replaced, missing payments credited, a tariff corrected or older charges reviewed. Keep original documents and send copies.

Finish with a clear request: “Please explain how this bill was calculated, investigate the discrepancy and confirm any correction in writing.” After a telephone conversation, send a written summary so there is a record of what was agreed.

What not to do

Assuming a smart meter means every bill uses actual readings: check the bill itself.
Treating the back-billing rules as cancellation of an old bill that was correctly issued but left unpaid.
Accepting a revised payment without understanding whether it covers current use, arrears or both.

Check whether back-billing protection applies

Under the rules published by Ofgem and checked in 2026, protection can cover energy used more than 12 months ago where you were not accurately billed or informed of the charges, including certain cases where a Direct Debit was set too low.

Exceptions include unreasonable behaviour preventing accurate billing, ignoring payment requests or energy theft. Open the guidance, compare its conditions with your billing history and ask the supplier to explain its decision. The age of the consumption alone does not settle the dispute.

Escalate an unresolved complaint

Use the Energy Ombudsman's official process page and select “Raise dispute” after eight unresolved weeks, or sooner if you receive a deadlock letter. The service is free. Submit your complaint timeline, bills, readings and correspondence. Its published process checked in 2026 requires escalation within 12 months of receiving a deadlock letter.

If the bill is correct but unaffordable, use Citizens Advice's payment guidance to prepare an affordable repayment proposal based on your income and essential spending.

Good to know

Keep meter photographs, bills and complaint correspondence together until the account is settled.
Ask for an explanation of any remaining balance after a correction, rather than assuming the whole bill disappears.
This guide covers England. The main energy billing framework also covers Wales and Scotland; Northern Ireland has separate arrangements.

Illustrative example: in Leeds, Alex receives a catch-up bill based on an estimated reading above the meter's actual reading. Alex sends a photograph and asks for recalculation. When the revised bill arrives, Alex checks that payments already made have also been credited before agreeing how to clear the remaining balance.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 6 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the published complaint route and back-billing framework; medium for whether an individual bill qualifies for correction, which depends on the evidence and account history.