The Utility Blog

When changing energy suppliers and looking on web comparison sites all providers “should” be fair and offer their figures in such a way that there is a level playing field. Most do , some dont and these are the one to avoid but if you look here at the winner of the 2009 Which Magazine’s BEST BUY you will get some indication of what to expect. Swapping to a cheaper Gas or Electricity provider is simple and should take no more than 14 days from start to finish. You just choose you new supplier , fill out the forms ( often online ) and its done for you. No one needs to call on your house. Most providers offer no contract so you are not commiting yourself and if you are unhappy you can swap again the following month.. Its really that simple.

Its a bit long winded but all UK suppliers should  follow this code :-

The Consumer Focus Confidence Code sets out the minimum requirements that a provider of an

internet domestic gas and electricity Price Comparison Service (Service Provider) must meet in

order to be, and remain, accredited by Consumer Focus.

The Consumer Focus Confidence Code Guidance Notes accompany the Consumer Focus

Confidence Code and state clearly what is expected of each Service Provider under each

Requirement of the Consumer Focus Confidence Code.

Requirement One – Independence and Impartiality

The Service Provider must be independent of any gas or electricity supplier. It can take

commission from suppliers but this must not influence the provision of any information or data.

The Service Provider must clearly identify on its website each supplier with whom the Service

Provider has a commission agreement or from whom it receives any payment, either directly or

indirectly.

Advertisements from energy suppliers, their agents, affiliates, or brands operating under the

licence of a supplier must not be displayed on the Home/Main page or on the energy price

comparison pages of the Service Provider’s website.

Guidance Notes Requirement One

1.. A Service Provider will be considered as being independent from any gas or electricity

supplier where it is not an affiliate or related undertaking of any supplier or of a company

that is an affiliate of any energy supplier.

2.. Where a consumer chooses to search by price, results must be presented strictly in terms of

best price.

3.. A Service Provider must provide impartial advice, not advice that is biased in favour of any

particular gas or electricity supplier. Subject to Guidance Point 2 above, the Service Provider

must not present any information or data in such a way as (in the absolute discretion of

Consumer Focus) is deemed to be, or potentially to be, misleading or confusing to

consumers.

An impartial service shall be regarded as one which neither favours nor is biased against

any particular supplier. A service will be treated as completely impartial only if it is not

intended to operate, and does not have the effect of operating in practice, in a way that

either favours or is biased against any particular supplier.

4.. A Service Provider must clearly identify each supplier from whom it receives a commission /

payment, regardless of whether that payment is made either directly or indirectly by a

supplier, third party or agent. The requirement for clear identification shall be met where

3 the name of the supplier is listed as part of a single list which identifies all suppliers from

whom the Service Provider receives a commission. This single list must be displayed

prominently on, or be accessible from, the price comparison results pages.

5.. Where a consumer cannot automatically switch to his chosen supplier through the Service

Provider’s web-site, the Service Provider must not recommend an alternative supplier.

Requirement Two – Tariffs & Price Comparisons

The Service Provider must use all reasonable endeavours to include price comparisons in

respect of all available domestic tariffs and where applicable for all available payment types, for

licensed suppliers (including for any agents, affiliates, and brands operating under the licence of

a supplier), for gas, electricity and dual fuel, except that the Service Provider is not required to

show:

social tariffs (i.e. tariffs where consumer eligibility is based upon social or financial

circumstances, e.g. receipt of benefits); or

tariffs which the supplier has requested the Service Provider to remove from its web-site; or

tariffs which are available only to consumers in a specified region, to consumers that are not

within that specified region.

Historic tariffs may be included at the discretion of a Service Provider, but where historic tariffs

are not included then this should be stated clearly on the Service Provider’s website.

Service Provider’s should notify Consumer Focus in the event of being asked by an energy

supplier, to remove a tariff for their website, which to the best of that Service Provider’s

knowledge is still available to consumers.

Guidance Notes Requirement Two

1.. Green tariffs must be included. A Green tariff is one that conforms to the guidelines on

green tariffs that shall from time to time be given by Consumer Focus. Green tariffs do not

have to be listed in price order, but where some other methodology for listing them is used

by a Service Provider, this shall be clearly explained on the Service Provider’s web-site.

2.. Historic (or preserved) tariffs are those tariffs that have legacy customers on them but are

no longer available to new customers.

3.. Where gas and electricity tariffs are bundled with the supply of other services (e.g.

telephony), the gas and electricity base prices must be shown separately, with details

provided on the additional components of the tariff. Consumer Focus may review new

bundled type products entering the market, and provide appropriate guidance for displaying

them on the Service Provider’s website.

4  Details of non-cash offers (such as airmiles and supermarket points) should be listed

separately to the gas and electricity base prices.

5.. A Service Provider may include price comparisons for non-standard meters (e.g. Economy 9)

at its discretion.

6.. A Service Provider has responsibility for obtaining, updating and ensuring the accuracy of all

data displayed on its website covering all licensed supplier tariffs (including those of their

agents, affiliates and any associated brands).

7.. If a Service Provider has difficulty obtaining either historical or new tariff information directly

from a supplier, it should contact Consumer Focus for advice.

Requirement Three – Control & Management

The Service Provider must manage and control its price comparison web-site and use its own

tariff database and calculator.

Guidance Notes Requirement Three

1.. A Service Provider will be treated as managing its web-site only where it has full control

over the information content of the web-site and over the presentation of that content.

A Service Provider will be treated as managing the web-site if it has that degree of control,

even where the web-site is maintained by a third party on behalf of the Service Provider.

However, where –

ii.. a web-site is maintained by a third party, and

iiii.. that third party also maintains an energy price comparison service website on behalf

of any other price comparison provider (whether accredited by Consumer Focus or

not),

the Service Provider will be treated as managing the website only where that third party

maintains the website entirely independently of the website of the other provider.

But, in any event, the website may not be maintained by a third party that also manages

another Consumer Focus accredited energy price comparison website.

2.. A Service Provider may make its calculator available to third parties but where it does so

shall ensure that its arrangements with the third party provide that whilst the third party

may state that it uses the Service Provider’s calculator or database and state that the

Service Provider is accredited to the Consumer Focus Confidence Code, the third party must

not use the Confidence Code logo.

Requirement Four – Payment Methods

A Service Provider must provide consumers with an explanation of the following payment

methods:

Standard credit by cash/cheque

Monthly and quarterly direct debit

Prepayment meter

Guidance Notes Requirement Four

There is no accompanying guidance.

Requirement Five – Results & Filters

A price comparison provided to a consumer must list (on a single page) no less than ten of the

cheapest tariffs available in the region where the consumer requires to be supplied. The prices

must include VAT (and state that they do so).

A Service Provider may provide filters so that consumers may search results based on the

different types of tariff available or an energy supplier’s service rating etc, but these must be

opt in options only.

A Service Provider must provide a facility or follow-through page(s) so that consumers have the

ability to view a list of all of their price comparison results.

Guidance Notes Requirement Fiive

1.. A Service Provider must clearly explain the potential impact to consumers who select an opt

in filter, so that consumers are fully aware of the bearing and limitations this may have on

the results.

Requirement Six – Quality of Service & Energy Efficiency

The Service Provider may assign ratings to a supplier’s performance and invite the consumer to

consider quality of service issues, including any such supplier service ratings.

Service Providers must give energy efficiency advice or signpost consumers to other relevant

energy efficiency information or programmes.

Guidance Notes Requirement Six

1.. Where a Service Provider wishes to assign supplier service ratings it shall not do so until and

unless Consumer Focus has reviewed and approved in writing the methodology (to ensure

that the methodology is objective and impartial) being used by the Service Provider to

assign the supplier service ratings. The approved methodology as used by the Service

Provider must be stated clearly to consumers on the website.

2.. A Service Provider must as a minimum provide contact details for the Energy Saving Trust,

as well as informing consumers of the availability of grant schemes such as Warm Front,

Warm Deal (Scotland), the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (Wales) and the Energy

Efficiency Commitment.

Requirement Seven – Accuracy & Updating Tariffs

Prices and price comparisons must be accurate and state when they were last updated.

7..1 Calculation assumptions

The factors that a Service Provider uses to base its calculations on should include:

discounts for paying by a certain method (e.g. monthly direct debit)

dual fuel discounts

online discounts

compulsory paperless billing discounts

fixed charges (e.g. a fixed monthly membership fee)

discounts that are paid annually (e.g. loyalty discounts)

The factors that a Service Provider uses to base its calculations on should not include:

introductory sign up offers, one-time discounts/special offers or other promotional discounts

that may be for a limited time only;

discounts that depend on the consumer behaving in a certain way (e.g. prompt pay) ;

discounts that apply to other services (e.g. telephony) that a supplier may add to a product

offering;

non-price offers;

discounts that may be offered by the Service Provider for new applications;

Consumer Focus may review any new form of discount and issue Service Providers a formal

direction as to how such discounts should be treated in relation to compliance with the

Confidence Code. The formal direction shall have effect as if it were part of this Guidance.

7..2 Updating tariffs

A Service Provider must use all reasonable endeavours to:

update tariffs;

add tariffs for a new supplier; and

add new tariff information in a manner compliant with the Confidence Code;

as soon as possible, but no later than two working days of the details and confirmation of

the effective date being provided by the relevant energy supplier, or of the tariff being

made available to consumers, whichever is the latter.

A new tariff should not be included on a Service Provider’s website that has a lead time in

excess of six weeks of it being available to consumers.

7..3 Displaying current tariff and spend details

A Service Provider must display the details of a consumer’s current tariff, based on the

information the consumer has entered, that is accessible either within or from its main results

page. These details should include:

Current supplier’s name

Current tariff name

Unit rates and Consumption thresholds

Current payment method

All discounts that are included in the calculation of the consumer’s current tariff

Estimated Current spend (£) per annum

Estimated Current usage in kWh for Gas and or Electricity per annum

Guidance Notes Requirement Seven

1.. A Service Provider must provide consumers with details of recently announced price rises by

supplier’s e.g. average price rises and effective dates and the date that its website and

database has been updated.

2.. A Service Provider must inform Consumer Focus immediately of any unforeseen

circumstance that prevents it from complying with Requirement 7.2. Consumer Focus will

consider each individual case on its own merits and determine whether the Service Provider

has used all reasonable endeavours to comply with the Requirement or is in breach of the

Confidence Code.

3.. Consumer Focus may review any new form of tariff and issue Service Providers a formal

direction as to how such tariff should be treated in relation to compliance with the

Confidence Code. The formal direction shall have effect as if it were part of this Guidance.

Requirement Eight – Annual Audit

The Service Provider must comply with an annual audit undertaken by an auditor appointed by

Consumer Focus. The cost of each audit will be borne by the Service Provider.

Guidance Notes Requirement Eight

1.. The Service Provider must provide the auditor with the access to its premises and to its

systems, and all other assistance, that he reasonably requests.

Requirement Nine – Complaint Handling

The Service Provider must establish and operate an effective consumer complaint and enquiry

handling procedure and respond to any complaint or enquiry within seven working days of

receipt.

Guidance Notes Requirement Nine

1.. A Service Provider must provide Consumer Focus with a contact name and number for

complaint referrals that Consumer Focus receives in respect of the Service Provider.

2.. A Service Provider must respond to a referred complaint by Consumer Focus within seven

working days and copy Consumer Focus into any response.