Fourteen million households served by suppliers with below average customer service, warns Citizens Advice
New Citizens Advice Star Rating shows energy suppliers must improve customer service
Half of energy consumers are with suppliers scoring less than 3 out of 5 stars for their customer service
Updated ratings now measure suppliers on bill accuracy, smart meter functionality, and whether suppliers can be contacted through a range of channels
Fourteen million households are supplied by energy companies rated less than three out of five in Citizens Advice’s latest Star Rating. The Star Rating assesses energy firms’ customer service performance, and found the average customer service score between October and December 2025 was 3.09.
The latest Star Rating reveals that Ecotricity has bagged the top place - while Tru Energy lands at the bottom of the table with a customer service rating just 1.91 out of 5. Out of the ‘Big Six’ suppliers, Octopus and E.ON Next are the best performing, however three of the six have a below average rating, with British Gas performing the worst.
The difference between the two largest suppliers on the table - Octopus Energy and British Gas - is 1.5 stars, demonstrating a huge range in service even amongst the most widely used suppliers.
Citizens Advice is warning that more needs to be done to ensure customers can easily contact their energy supplier and get problems resolved quickly.
A need for change
With over nine million households struggling to afford their energy bills, people need confidence they will receive strong customer service support and better outcomes when things go wrong. Citizens Advice says suppliers must treat customers fairly, provide reliable support during financial hardship, and offer the help people need as energy costs continue to squeeze household budgets.
Customer service issues only add to an already stressful situation. Citizens Advice is urging suppliers to prioritise customer needs, particularly for those who are vulnerable such as customers who struggle to afford their energy, parents with young children, and those on prepayment meters. Previous research by Ofgem and Citizens Advice showed vulnerable consumers are more likely to experience poor customer service.
With energy companies responsible for providing support - including affordable payment plans - to people who can’t afford their bills, the charity is encouraging people to get in touch with their supplier if they need help.
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:
“Our latest customer service ratings for energy suppliers shows there is real room for improvement across the sector. Half of households are served by suppliers who need to up their game on some of the basics of customer service, like fast response time to calls and emails, or ensuring that billing and complaints are handled properly.
“Suppliers that are falling short need to look at what the best performers are doing and close that gap. With more than nine million households increasingly worried about paying their bills and heating their homes, it's vital that people can rely on getting helpful service from their energy supplier when they need it.”
You can view the full table listing energy suppliers via this webpage.
Additional information
New methodology used to rate suppliers’ performance now includes data on whether customers receive accurate bills regularly, have fully-functioning smart meters and receive reliable and quick customer service through channels their suppliers are using.
The Big Six energy suppliers are: Octopus, British Gas, EDF, E.ON, Ovo, Scottish Power
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For more information contact: press.office@citizensadvice.org.uk
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Notes to editors:
Citizens Advice Star Rating (October - December 2025) compares energy suppliers' customer service in England, Wales and Scotland by looking at information from a number of sources including the Citizens Advice consumer service, the Citizens Advice Scotland Extra Help Unit, Advice Direct Scotland, the Energy Ombudsman, Energy UK and from suppliers directly. Not all categories are weighted equally. Further information on the methodology can be found here.
Citizens Advice launched the Star Rating in December 2016. Previous methodology changes occurred in Q3 2017, Q4 2020 and Q3 2023. From Q4 2025 the methodology includes billing accuracy and smart meter operation scores, covers more contact channels and uses adjusted thresholds for rating suppliers. The methodology, including all changes, was developed in consultation with suppliers and other stakeholders.
“14 million households” is determined using the total number of bill paying households, and the proportion of energy customer accounts with domestic suppliers who scored below 3 stars, with an estimated 14.3 million households with those suppliers in total.
“Over nine million households are increasingly worried about paying their bills and heating their homes" refers to data from a Citizens Advice commissioned survey by Yonder Consulting between 6th January - 18th January 2026, with 4,364 respondents from a national representative GB sample.
Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.
Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free.
Citizens Advice helped 2.71 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2024-25. And we had 44 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.
Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 19,500 trained volunteers, working at over 1,900 locations across England and Wales.
Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.
You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.