Citizens Advice responds to Ofgem's announcement about the failure of Rebel Energy

Citizens Advice, in its role as the official watchdog for energy consumers, has responded to Ofgem’s announcement about the failure of Rebel Energy.

Alex Belsham-Harris, Head of Energy Policy at Citizens Advice, said: 

“The failure of Rebel Energy will worry its 90,000 customers. With energy costs and household bills rising, this only adds to an already stressful situation. 

"Customers of Rebel Energy will still have gas and electricity, and the credit on domestic accounts will be protected. If you’re affected, you don’t need to do anything - Ofgem will appoint your new supplier who will contact you in the coming weeks. Don’t try to switch suppliers or cancel direct debits, as this can cause issues, and take a meter reading if you’re able to.

“The Government and Ofgem must ensure customers of Rebel Energy who’ve fallen behind on bills continue to access affordable repayment plans.”

Advice and information:

  • You’ll still have gas and electricity if your energy supplier goes out of business.

  • The regulator, Ofgem, will announce your new supplier within a few days. 

  • Your new supplier will explain what will happen with your account. If you have a Direct Debit, don’t cancel it. Your tariff may change, but domestic customers will be protected by the price cap. If you don’t hear from your new supplier within two weeks, you should contact them. 

  • We recommend taking a photo of your meter reading for your own record. Credit on domestic customer accounts will be carried over to the new company once they’re in place. 

  • If you owe money to your supplier, this debt could pass to an administrator - a firm which is set up to collect previous debts and pay off bills of the failed supplier. They will contact you about repayment at a later date, and it may be worth setting aside any regular repayments you would have made. 

 -ends-

Notes to editors:

  1. Visit the Citizens Advice website for advice and information if your energy supplier has gone bust.

  2. Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.

  3. Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. 

  4. Citizens Advice helped 2.68 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2023-24. And we had 51.7 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.

  5. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 19,000 trained volunteers, working at over 1,900 service outlets across England and Wales.

  6. Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers. 

  7. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.