Opinion piece for The Sun

09 July 2018

From Doug Stewart of Green Energy UK

It’s time to re-boot the energy debate. Since Ed Miliband made energy a political football, talk is of rip-offs and the siren call to switch to the cheapest supplier!

Competition is important in our energy market but you have to be able to get through to your supplier to talk about money owed or why the Direct Debit has increased.

People have a right to fair prices and to expect good service but it’s been too easy to start a business and win customers with rock-bottom prices (even loss making!) that then can’t cope. Nobody wants to be 99th in any call queue!

Energy is a complex business and an essential service but too often the risks are ignored. It’s no surprise we’ve seen suppliers go bust, fined for shoddy service, or prohibited from signing up new customers. The energy debate is polarised on ‘the cheapest’ and if it isn’t re-booted, we risk losing the benefits of competition. With rivalry, we’ve seen great innovation. Customers are moving from the big players but customers need a market they can trust, simple bills, good service, fair prices and reliable supply. But any business, large or small, has to make a profit. Isn’t that OK?