Energy firms must ‘properly care’ for vulnerable customers

Energy suppliers will be “called to account” if they fail to provide vulnerable customers with the “proper care” they deserve, Ofgem’s chief executive has warned.

Speaking at the launch of the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia-friendly utility guide recently, Dermot Nolan said the regulator will not tolerate the failure of prioritising vulnerable people using “essential services”. He said suppliers would be dealt with appropriately if they do not act and warned new energy suppliers “were not taking the matter seriously enough”.

There are approximately 850,000 people with dementia in Britain and the figure is set to rise to more than one million by 2021.

Suppliers across energy, water and communications came together to produce a guide on how to best support people with dementia as customers and in the workplace.

Greg Clark, secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) described it as a “fantastic initiative”.

Led by British Gas the guide has been designed for utility organisations of all sizes and offers guidance on how to increase employees’ understanding of dementia and create processes and practices to make the utilities sector more accessible to people affected by dementia.

Other utility companies involved are Eon, UK Power Networks, National Grid, Cadent, Wessex Water, Severn Trent, BT, and Talk Talk.

Nolan said Ofgem will monitor the performance of the charter and ensure customers are not overpaying for their energy.

He said regulators will work together and with charities to find a way of sharing data to identify vulnerable customers. But he stressed companies need to ensure they do all they can to identify vulnerable customers.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, called on utility companies to make “minor adjustments” to services to ensure nobody was left out.

He said: “Utilities companies must unite now and commit to the principles of this guide to improve the lives of people with dementia.

“Some businesses are already doing great work to address these issues, but too many vulnerable customers are being failed and urgent action is needed to change this including ensuring their needs are being met, they are given clear, timely information and are charged a fair price.”

In February, Energy UK launched an independent commission, which aims to improve the standards of support for customers in vulnerable circumstances.

Utility Week will be holding its Consumer Vulnerability Conference in London on 5 July.