Asked by: Gill German (Labour - Clwyd North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data his Department holds on the frequency and duration of estimated billing for small business energy customers.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Billing issues, for both domestic and non-domestic customers, are a matter for Ofgem as the sector regulator. Ofgem’s licence conditions require suppliers to take all reasonable steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements sent to customers where these have been provided by a customer or obtained by the supplier.
We are rolling out smart meters to smaller businesses, and our latest data shows that almost two thirds of meters in non-domestic premises are smart or advanced meters. Smart meters enable accurate billing by automatically recording energy use in every half-hour period, allowing bills based on actual rather than estimated usage.
Since December 2024, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 50 employees have been able to access free support to resolve issues with their energy supplier through the Energy Ombudsman. This means that 99% of British businesses can now access this service with outcomes ranging up to £20,000 in financial awards. We consulted in late 2025 on measures to strengthen the Ombudsman’s tools for ensuring suppliers implement decisions in a timely manner.
Asked by: Gill German (Labour - Clwyd North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of inaccurate or prolonged estimated energy billing on small and microbusinesses.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Billing issues, for both domestic and non-domestic customers, are a matter for Ofgem as the sector regulator. Ofgem’s licence conditions require suppliers to take all reasonable steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements sent to customers where these have been provided by a customer or obtained by the supplier.
We are rolling out smart meters to smaller businesses, and our latest data shows that almost two thirds of meters in non-domestic premises are smart or advanced meters. Smart meters enable accurate billing by automatically recording energy use in every half-hour period, allowing bills based on actual rather than estimated usage.
Since December 2024, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 50 employees have been able to access free support to resolve issues with their energy supplier through the Energy Ombudsman. This means that 99% of British businesses can now access this service with outcomes ranging up to £20,000 in financial awards. We consulted in late 2025 on measures to strengthen the Ombudsman’s tools for ensuring suppliers implement decisions in a timely manner.
Asked by: Gill German (Labour - Clwyd North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the value for money of the new Contract for Difference awarded to Drax Power Station compared with alternative (a) low-carbon generation and (b) storage technologies.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has provided analysis that without large-scale biomass, we could face increased security of supply risks from 2027 to 2031.
Alternative low carbon generation such as wind or solar power, need to be supplemented with dispatchable generation to ensure security of supply.
Government has secured the best value for money deal to provide the dispatchable capacity required. Our analysis estimates that the alternative option of procuring the required capacity through the capacity market, which storage technologies bid into, would cost in the region of £170m more per year than the new arrangement with Drax.