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Energy bills

Republished with permission from Which? (United Kingdom)

Gas and electricity bills should be clear and contain useful information. For example, they should allow you to easily understand how much you are really paying for the energy that you have used. They should allow you to compare offers from different energy suppliers, so that you can switch supplier if you are not happy with your current one. Below are examples of good electricity bills. They reflect some of the best national practices in Europe and are based on the recommendations for user-friendly energy billing developed together by consumers, industry and energy regulators and endorsed by the Citizens' Energy Forum. A regular electricity bill: An annual electricity bill:

What should you be able to find on a good energy bill?

A. ON REGULAR BILLS (e.g. monthly, bimonthly or quarterly bills)

1. THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEMS

Your supplier's name and their contact details (including their helpline and emergency number);

The duration of your contract and the deadline for informing your supplier if you want to switch to another supplier;

Your tariff name and a (a reference to) a clear price breakdown for your tariff (the base price plus all other charges and taxes);

The base price of one energy unit (in kilowatt hours or kWh) for your selected tariff;

Your switching code (which you will need if you wish to switch suppliers);

The amount to be paid, for which billing period, by when and how;

Clear information on how this amount has been calculated: is it based on an actual meter reading or estimated only?

For calculations based on actual consumption: meter readings and consumption during the billing period (measured in kilowatt hours or kWh);

2. OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION

Where does the energy come from, how is it generated, how environment friendly is it ("the fuel mix")?

Information on how to get tips on saving energy (e.g. a link to a website);

Information on how to obtain the bill in alternative formats (e.g. in large print) for consumers with disabilities.

B. ON ANNUAL RECONCILIATION BILLS

ALL OF THE ABOVE PLUS:

A clear indication that this is a reconciliation bill, that is your (annual) settlement of the payment balance;

Total amount paid so far during the year and the history of your payments;

The debit/credit balance (do you need to pay make a top-up payment or does the provider owe you money back?);

Clear information on whether your regular (e.g. monthly) instalments need to be recalculated and, if so, how to reduce or increase the amount which you pay regularly in instalments;

Actual meter reading details: history of meter readings during the year;

A clear visual presentation of how your annual consumption compares to previous years;

A clear visual presentation of how your use of energy has evolved during the year.

Press release: Citizens' Energy Forum: consumers, industry and regulators endorse recommendations for billing, complaint handling and smart metering (PDF version )

Fact sheet: Citizens' Energy Forum (PDF version )