Martin Lewis is calling for anyone effected by ‘back bills’ to share their story with him for when he gives evidence in Parliament on the issue
Martin Lewis has issued a ‘crucial need to know’ message today for anyone who pays energy bills.
The Money Saving Expert has said that anyone who receives a energy bill backdated for over a year does not need to pay it and should make a formal complaint if they receive one.
Back bills, sometime called ‘catch up’ bills, are intended to cover a period of time when you’ve not been charged for energy that you’ve used, but it’s important you check if you’re covered by Ofgem back billing rules before paying them.
Mr Lewis said that, unless you withheld information from you energy company about your usage at that time, firms cannot charge you for energy that you used over a year ago.
Posting on social media, with the headline ‘crucial need-to-know’, he said: “Energy firms AREN’T allowed to back-bill over 1 year
“Ie. if you’re sent a bill for the first time about energy from past years (providing you didn’t obstruct ’em in getting the info) it’s usually wrong. You needn’t pay it. Make a formal complaint & if needed go to Energy Ombudsman.
“I’m giving evidence in parliament on this soon. If it’s happened to you let me know (and let me know what happened).”
Rules set out by energy regulator Ofgem say that you cannot be charged for energy used more than 12 months ago if:
- you have not had an accurate bill for it before, even though you asked for one
- you have not been informed about any charges due via a statement of account before
- your Direct Debit amount was previously set too low to cover any charges due
If you do receive a back bill when you shouldn’t have, it’s advised that you contact your supplier and let them know. They should refund any money taken in error, which could be all or part of the bill.
However, these rules do no apply if you have ‘acted unreasonably’ by:
- stopping your supplier from billing you accurately, for example by blocking access to your meter
- ignoring requests for payment from your supplier
- stealing electricity or gas
You can complain about your energy supplier if they continue to ask for payment for a period covered by Ofgem back billing rules.
More advice and information on what to do if you have received a back bill can be found on Ofgem’s website here.
