The Energy Ombudsman is the UK energy sector's independent dispute resolution service. It resolves outstanding complaints about energy suppliers that provide gas and/or electricity to your home.

All companies involved in the supply of gas or electricity to domestic consumers must be members of the ombudsman. It's the only scheme specifically servicing the energy sector in the UK.

When to refer a complaint

Before the ombudsman will consider your complaint, you must contact your energy supplier and make every effort to complete its complaints procedure. You need to refer your complaint to your energy supplier within 12 months of becoming aware of the problem.

After this, the ombudsman will generally only consider your complaint if one or more of the following applies:

• You're having difficulty registering a complaint with the energy company.
• It has been 8 weeks since you first made the complaint to your energy supplier and you're still not happy with how your complaint has been dealt with. In this case, you then have 9 months to refer your complaint to the ombudsman. (This 8-week limit applies to the main energy suppliers E.ON, EDF Energy, British Gas, npower, Scottish Power and Scottish & Southern.)
• You've received a 'deadlock' letter from your energy supplier (which states that you're unable to reach an agreement). You then have 6 months to refer your complaint to the ombudsman.

How to refer a complaint

You can register your dispute with the ombudsman online or by post, phone or email. Where possible, you should send scans or photos of any documents you're relying on. If you send the ombudsman original documents, you might not get them back.