Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing service standards with timescales for the repayment of accumulated credit on live energy accounts.

Ofgem rules state that consumers can ask for their credit on an open energy account to be refunded at any time. Suppliers are required to comply with refund requests in a timely manner unless it is fair and reasonable for them to refuse.

In February 2023, Ofgem completed a Market Compliance Review on Direct Debits. Through this intervention they secured supplier improvements in relation to credit balance arrangements, including improved refund timescales ensuring consumer credit balances are returned promptly when requested, and the creation of formal Direct Debit and Credit Balance Refund policies where these did not previously exist.