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Energy firms ‘must double down’ on customer service ahead of ‘difficult winter’

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Cite

Clarke, J. (2026, September 24). Energy firms ‘must double down’ on customer service ahead of ‘difficult winter’. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/ofgem-citizens-advice-households-wales-england-b1298212.html

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Evening Standard · collected 2026-09-24 · by Josie Clarke

Quick Summary

Energy firms have been urged to improve customer service as households brace for rising energy bills due to a 4% increase in the price cap starting October 1. The average household's annual bill will rise by £60 to £1,723, with further hikes expected from January. A survey by Citizens Advice found that over 10 million households are worried about affording their winter energy costs, and nearly 3.5 million are in debt. Gillian Cooper of Citizens Advice emphasized the need for better service as people face financial difficulties this winter.
Written by AI on 2026-09-24, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Energy firms have been warned to improve customer service as winter 2023 approaches, amid concerns over rising energy costs. On October 1, the UK’s energy price cap will increase by £60 per year or £5 per month for an average household using both electricity and gas, raising total bills to £1,723 annually. This rise follows a 4% hike set by regulator Ofgem, marking a three-year high. Analysts predict another 9% increase in January. A charity report covering April to June found that while customer service scores improved slightly from 3.26 out of five to 3.4 overall, significant concerns remain, with TruEnergy scoring the lowest at 1.38 and Outfox Energy leading at 4.03. Over 10 million households, or 37% of Britons, are reportedly anxious about affording their energy bills this winter.

Written for “Difficult Winter Energy Crisis” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Difficult Winter Energy Crisis
Economy/Business · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 65/100
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 4 of 16 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of energy pricing and customer service warnings versus potential government assistance for energy bills.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles discuss Ofgem's price cap increase and its impact on household bills, they describe different aspects of the situation rather than the exact same event.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
16
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
65/100
Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-24 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Evening Standard · 7906 article(s) · 65 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 65 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Josie Clarke
38 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Cornwall Insight, which provides widely respected energy price forecasts, warned the savings would be “small” in relation to recent bill rises, but said it could also give the transition to heat pumps a boost. Dr Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said: “Scrapping the gas standing charge from as early as 2027 is a broadly progressive move that may help lower-income households who tend to use less energy.
🔮 The Debt Relief Scheme will provide targeted support to households “in genuine financial need” to clear debt and arrears built up during the energy crisis between 2022 and 2024, totalling £2.47 billion, the regulator said.
🔮 A £100 payment to help 20 million households with energy bills will “barely dent” the rise predicted for January, campaigners have warned.
🔮 Cornwall Insight, which provides widely respected energy price forecasts, warned the savings would be “small” in relation to recent bill rises, but said it could also give the transition to heat pumps a boost. Dr Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said: “Scrapping the gas standing charge from as early as 2027 is a broadly progressive move that may help lower-income households who tend to use less energy.
🔮 Ofgem’s energy price cap rose by 3.6% to £1,723 for a typical household on October 1, and forecasters are currently predicting a further rise of around 22% in January.
🔮 In the case of these two options, shoppers could save £423.40 a year and get a higher dose of magnesium by switching from gummies to tablets, the consumer group said.
🔮 “With the festive period now falling within the three-month window, there were significant rises in spending expectations, though concerns around inflation may also be contributing to this.”
2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Consumer confidence tumbles ahead of Budget
🔮 Ofgem’s energy price cap rose by 3.6% to £1,723 for a typical household on October 1, and forecasters are currently predicting a further rise of around 22% in January.
🔮 1.7 million households will not turn heating on this winter, survey suggests
🔮 A 4% hike to Ofgem’s energy price cap took effect from October 1 as forecasters warned household bills could soar by almost another £300 from January. Campaigners have urged the Government to make plans now to support all households with energy costs this winter because of the severity of forecast bill hikes. Cornwall Insight’s latest forecast predicts the price cap will rise by a further 16% to £1,999 a year on January 1, up by £276 on the level between October and December and the biggest rise since January 2023. The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has urged ministers to prepare an “emergency heat tariff” to cap the cost of heating this winter, with gas prices already rising 27% year on year. A poll for Uswitch suggests some 1.7 million households will not turn on their heating this winter amid fears of soaring bills and efforts to save money.
Also by Josie Clarke
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 38 articles by Josie Clarke →

Topics

100Green Citizens Advice Ofgem Outfox Energy Utilita

Subjects

Utilita ORG · 4× Citizens Advice ORG · 2× 100Green ORG · 1× Britons NORP · 1× Citizens Advice’s ORG · 1× E.ON Next ORG · 1× Gillian Cooper PERSON · 1× Ofgem ORG · 1× Outfox Energy ORG · 1× TruEnergy ORG · 1×

Narrative

Energy firms have been warned they must “double down” on customer service ahead of a challenging winter for households. Households are facing heightened winter pressure from energy bills after regulator Ofgem raised its price cap by 4% to a three-year high, taking effect from October 1 when bills will rise by £60 per year – or £5 per month – to £1,723 for the average household using both electricity and gas.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-24
🔮 Energy firms have been warned they must “double down” on customer service ahead of a challenging winter for households. Households are facing heightened winter pressure from energy bills after regulator Ofgem raised its price cap by 4% to a three-year high, taking effect from October 1 when bills will rise by £60 per year – or £5 per month – to £1,723 for the average household using both electricity and gas.

Claims (16 extracted, 1 hedged)

Energy firms ‘must double down’ on customer service ahead of ‘difficult winter’ asserted
firms → double → winter
Energy firms have been warned they must “double down” on customer service ahead of a challenging winter for households. Households are facing heightened winter pressure from energy bills after regulator Ofgem raised its price cap by 4% to a three-year high, taking effect from October 1 when bills will rise by £60 per year – or £5 per month – to £1,723 for the average household using both electricity and gas. asserted
bills → warn → electricity
Analysts have forecast a further 9% hike from January. asserted
Analysts → forecast → January
The charity’s latest ratings of firms, covering April to June, shows the median score rose slightly from 3.26 out of five in the first quarter to 3.4. asserted
score → cover → 3.4
Average call wait times dropped from 77 to 68 seconds. asserted
times → drop → seconds
Outfox Energy took the top spot with a score of 4.03, followed by 100Green (3.90) and E.ON Next (3.71) – which was the highest-ranking of the “big six” suppliers. asserted
which → take → suppliers
TruEnergy came in last with a score of 1.38, followed by Utilita at 2.53. A survey for the charity suggests more than 10 million households – or 37% of Britons – are worried about how they will afford their energy bills this winter. uncertain
they → come → bills
The charity found 3.5 million households are in energy debt – either behind on their bills or without gas or electricity because they cannot afford to top up their prepayment meter. asserted
they → find → meter
Gillian Cooper, director of energy at Citizens Advice, said: “It’s positive to see higher levels of customer service in the energy sector, but companies can’t afford to be complacent. asserted
companies → say → sector
These latest ratings cover a quieter period for energy suppliers, when lower costs mean people are less likely to need support. asserted
people → cover → support
“As we face another difficult winter of rising prices, suppliers must ramp up their efforts. asserted
suppliers → face → efforts
For people in debt, unable to afford a meter top-up, or worrying about whether they can afford to heat their homes, customer service isn’t just helpful – it can be a vital lifeline when the temperature drops.” asserted
temperature → afford → homes
A Utilita spokesman said: “We welcome the data published in Citizens Advice’s latest star rating, which shows Utilita leading the sector for low call wait times and ranking among the best for correspondence and smart metering – all important benchmarks of good customer service. asserted
Utilita → say → service
Read More “However, we have consistently warned that categorising affordability concerns as complaints is misleading. asserted
categorising → read → complaints
“The Citizens Advice extra help unit primarily supports financially vulnerable people at risk of self-disconnection, so it is unsurprising that prepay customers are more likely to seek support. asserted
customers → support → support
For a smart prepay specialist like Utilita, this inevitably skews our complaint score – the most heavily weighted measure – and, in turn, our overall ranking.” asserted
this → skew → turn
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