Energy Consumer Satisfaction Survey: January to February 2024
Data
Publication date
Industry sector
Supply and Retail Market
Ofgem and Citizens Advice commissioned BMG Research to run the latest wave of the Energy Consumer Satisfaction Survey.
This survey explores domestic consumers’ experiences of the energy market, including satisfaction with the service provided by their energy supplier.
Main points
- Overall satisfaction with energy suppliers (73%) has increased since August to September 2023, but is still below the peak reached in April 2020 (78%)
- Satisfaction with customer service (66%) is back in line with levels seen at the end of 2022, but remains below the high point reached in April 2020 (75%)
- Among those dissatisfied with their supplier’s customer service, the most common reasons reported were difficulty getting in touch at the time they needed to (42%) and the length of time it took for their query to be resolved (36%)
- There has been an improvement in consumers’ experiences of contacting their supplier, with 65% of respondents finding it easy to contact their supplier in comparison to 60% in the last wave of the survey
- Fewer respondents reported making complaints (7%) than in the last wave of the survey (10%), but levels of satisfaction with the overall handling of the complaint (36%) and the time taken to reach the end of the complaint process (34%) remain low
- Almost half (48%) of those struggling with energy payments contacted their supplier for help, with fewer (12%) reporting their supplier proactively contacted them to discuss the help with paying for their energy (down from 17% in the last wave of the survey)
Customer satisfaction with their supplier - supplier level findings
In our Forward Work Programme 2024 to 2025, we committed to improving our collection, use and dissemination of supplier performance data. By publishing more data, we aim to enable more informed consumer choice, and thereby drive up standards.
In line with this commitment, we have published two indicators of customer satisfaction for nine energy supply groups. The two indicators are 'overall satisfaction with their supplier' and 'satisfaction with the customer service they have received from their supplier'. These indicators are based on the current survey wave's data, and can be found in a subsidiary document on this page.
This is the second time supplier-level indicators have been published from the Energy Consumer Survey Satisfaction Survey. You can find the previously published indicators on the webpage for the August to September 2023 wave.
The data reported reflects customers’ perceptions of their supplier and the service they receive based on surveying energy consumers from England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain). The survey asked respondents to name their energy supplier, then asked questions about their experiences with that supplier. The satisfaction results are based on all respondents, regardless of whether they had been in contact with their supplier or not. The results do not provide an independent assessment of suppliers’ processes or practices.
Energy suppliers are also required by Ofgem's rules to publish their performance in the Citizens Advice Star Rating. Read more about the rating and its methodology.
Methodology
Fieldwork for the survey was conducted from 18 January to 10 February 2024.
The research reached 3,855 domestic energy bill payers across Great Britain. The survey used a mixed mode data collection, including face-to-face interviewing targeted at digitally excluded respondents. Quotas were set on age, gender, region, Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), ethnicity and payment type to achieve a sample representative of households in Great Britain.
A sample boost of people from ethnic minority groups, prepayment and standard credit customers was also included in this wave of the survey. These customers were boosted to increase the sample size and allow for more robust analysis of these groups.