Energy customers confused over bills

Nearly half of energy customers in the West Midlands, including Shropshire, do not understand how their bill is calculated, a survey has revealed.

A survey of domestic energy customers conducted by YouGov on behalf of Ovo Energy, also found that more than two thirds of customers have no idea what they're paying for their energy per unit.

By contrast, 70 per cent know how much they last paid for petrol or diesel to run their cars.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Ovo Energy's founder, said it could be suggested the confusion over domestic energy pricing is damaging public trust in energy companies.

When customers were asked if they trust their energy supplier, more than half trust them more than politicians and less than a third trust them more than estate agents, according to the survey.

He said given that estate agents and politicians were rated bottom of a trust league survey conducted by YouGov in 2009, this survey makes shocking reading for the energy industry.

"Surprisingly, a lack of trust is not driving bill payers to change provider," he said.

"In the eyes of the disillusioned consumer, all energy suppliers are tarred with the same brush. The same YouGov survey revealed that nearly half had either never switched supplier or last switched more than three years ago."

Mr Fitzpatrick added that recent entrants into the energy market had worked hard to improve customer service and pricing.

He said: "These survey results are disappointing, but not surprising. We need to see real change in the industry to build trust among customers.

"The way forward, we believe, is for suppliers to be clear and transparent in terms of pricing and billing and to combine this with excellent customer service."

The survey of 2,072 adults was carried out online by YouGov.