Consumer Energy Minister, Martin Lewis and Ofgem among witnesses for back-billing and home retrofit session
In a two-part session the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee will scrutinise the practice of back-billing by energy companies with Martin Lewis and Ofgem before hearing from the Energy Consumers Minister on this issue and retrofit failures on Wednesday, 19 March.
Despite clear rules set out by the energy regulator Ofgem, thousands of customers have found themselves in receipt of outdated or inaccurate energy bills as energy companies seek to recoup losses from internal billing errors. In many cases, the rising cost of energy and the unreliable nature of smart meters are compounding the issue and the impact on vulnerable consumers.
Meeting details
The committee will first hear from Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis and then Ofgem representatives. MPs will likely question the scale of the energy back-billing issue, examine the current consumer rights and protections and could ask if enough is being done to hold energy suppliers to account.
Minister for Energy Consumers, Miatta Fahnbulleh, will appear before the Committee in the second part of the session. MPs are likely to begin with questions related to issues raised in the first part of the session, before moving on to examine retrofit failures.
MPs are likely to question the Minister on the evidence heard in the Committee’s previous sessions on Retrofitting homes for net zero and question how consumer confidence can be restored in the sector. Questions could also focus on the feasibility of delivering home retrofit at pace, without compromising on standards.