What Happens After the Energy Ombudsman Decision?
The decision is not the end of the paperwork. You need to understand acceptance, remedy implementation, review options and what to do if the supplier still does not correct the bill.
Use together
The short answer
After the Ombudsman reaches an outcome, you usually need to decide whether to accept it, ask questions or seek a review route if something material is wrong. If you accept a resolution, keep a copy of the accepted decision and track whether the supplier implements the remedy within the required timeframe.
Decision outcomes and what to do
| Outcome | What it usually means | Your next step |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint upheld or partly upheld | The supplier may need to rebill, correct a balance, refund, apologise or pay a goodwill amount. | Save the decision and track every remedy item. |
| Complaint not upheld | The Ombudsman did not find enough basis to require the supplier to act. | Check whether there is a factual error, missing evidence or outside-scope issue. |
| You disagree with the result | This is not the same as a normal “appeal”. | Read the disagreement and final decision pages before responding. |
| Supplier does not implement remedy | The problem is now implementation, not the original bill dispute. | Send a short remedy follow-up with the decision reference and deadline. |
Keep these documents
Decision PDF or email
Save the full decision, not just a screenshot.
Acceptance or rejection record
Keep the date and method of your response.
Remedy checklist
List every action the supplier must take.
Follow-up messages
If the supplier delays, keep each chase message and reply.
Accept, reject, and what “binding” means
This is the part of the process people misunderstand most, and it is genuinely asymmetric in your favour.
If you accept
The decision becomes binding on the supplier. It must implement the remedy, normally within 28 days. You give up the right to take the same matter to court — that is the trade.
If you reject
Nothing is imposed on either side. You keep every legal right you had, including the small claims track. The supplier is not bound and the case closes.
So the decision is never binding on you. Take the time the letter gives you, and check the remedy line by line against what you asked for before accepting — a partial remedy accepted in haste is much harder to reopen than one you queried first.
If the supplier misses the 28 days
This is now an implementation problem, not a billing dispute, and it is handled differently.
- Write to the supplier quoting the Ombudsman case reference, listing each remedy item and marking it done or outstanding. Give a seven-day deadline.
- Tell the Ombudsman. It will contact the supplier and follow the case through to full implementation.
- Once 28 days have passed since a legally binding decision, you can pursue implementation through the courts if you have to. In practice, the second step almost always resolves it.
Remedy not implemented — copy and send
What the Ombudsman can actually order
It is worth being specific about the remedy in your submission, because the Ombudsman generally awards what you asked for or less — not more.
| Remedy | What it looks like in practice |
|---|---|
| Corrective action | Rebill the account correctly, remove disputed charges, apply the right readings, reset the direct debit, refund a credit balance. |
| Explanation | A written account of what went wrong. Sounds soft; it is often what unlocks a later complaint. |
| Apology | Frequently ordered alongside everything else. |
| Goodwill payment | A financial award for the impact of the failure. Typically tens to low hundreds of pounds on billing cases. |
| Maximum award | £10,000 per complaint for domestic customers, inclusive of VAT. Non-domestic supplier disputes rose to £20,000 on 19 December 2024. |
The maximum is a ceiling, not a target. Domestic billing awards very rarely approach it — it exists for cases where the financial loss genuinely runs that high. Asking for £10,000 over a £300 bill error makes the rest of a good complaint look unserious.
Ask for the correction and the goodwill separately. “Rebill the account using the actual reading of 41,208 taken on 3 June 2026, refund the £186 overcharge, and pay a goodwill amount reflecting eleven weeks of unanswered emails” is a remedy an investigator can grant line by line. “Compensate me properly” is not.
If the complaint was not upheld
A rejected complaint is not necessarily a wrong one. Work out which of these it was, because the options differ completely.
| Why it failed | How to tell | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Factual error in the decision | The decision relies on a date, reading or document that is demonstrably wrong. | Point it out in writing, quoting the specific error and the evidence, before you accept or reject. This is not an appeal, but material errors do get looked at. |
| Evidence was missing | The decision says something was not evidenced — and you have it. | Say so and supply it. If the case is closed, this may need to be a fresh complaint to the supplier first. |
| Out of scope | The decision is about jurisdiction, not the merits. | Nothing to appeal. Consider Citizens Advice, or the small claims track if it is a money claim. |
| The supplier was simply found to be right | The decision engages with your evidence and disagrees. | Reject if you want to keep your legal rights, but be honest about the merits before spending more time on it. |
There is no second Ombudsman. A decision you disagree with cannot be sent to a different scheme for another view. Your remaining route is the courts, and for household energy sums that means the small claims track — which is designed to be used without a solicitor, but is a genuine escalation, not a formality.
What to keep, and for how long
- The full decision document — the PDF or complete email, not a screenshot. It carries the case reference, the reasoning and the remedy list.
- Your acceptance or rejection — with the date and the method. This starts the 28-day clock.
- A remedy checklist — one line per ordered item, ticked off as each lands. Partial implementation is the most common problem and it is invisible without this.
- The corrected bill — check it against the decision line by line when it arrives. A rebill that quietly leaves the standing charges on a removed period has not implemented the decision.
- Every chase message — if it goes back to the Ombudsman for non-implementation, this is the evidence.
Keep the lot for at least six years. That is the general limitation period for a contract claim in England and Wales, and it costs nothing to keep a folder.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to accept the Ombudsman decision?
You should read the decision terms carefully. Your options can depend on whether the decision is proposed, accepted, final or rejected.
What if the supplier only completes part of the remedy?
Treat it as a remedy implementation issue. List what has and has not been completed and send a focused follow-up.
Can I still complain about a new issue?
A new billing issue may need a new supplier complaint first. Do not mix a fresh issue into an old decision unless it relates directly to the remedy.
Is the energy ombudsman decision final?
It is final in the sense that there is no appeal to another ombudsman. It is binding on the supplier once you accept it, and never binding on you — if you reject it, you keep all your legal rights, including the small claims track.
What if the supplier only does part of what was ordered?
Treat it as a non-implementation issue rather than reopening the billing dispute. List each ordered item, mark it done or outstanding, give the supplier seven days in writing, and tell the Ombudsman if it is still outstanding after that.
How much compensation can I actually expect?
For a domestic billing complaint, goodwill awards are usually in the tens to low hundreds of pounds on top of putting the account right. The £10,000 cap is a ceiling for cases with genuine financial loss at that scale, not a benchmark.
Can I go to court after accepting the decision?
Accepting settles the matter and gives up the right to take the same issue to court. That is the trade for making it binding on the supplier. Check the remedy carefully before you accept, and query anything unclear first.
Official sources used for this page
BillDecoded translates official process and billing information into practical checks. It is not affiliated with the Ombudsman, Ofgem, Citizens Advice, Which? or any supplier.
After the decision: your two choices
Once the Energy Ombudsman issues a final decision you decide whether to accept or reject it. That single choice controls everything that happens next.
Accept the decision
It becomes binding on your supplier, which must put the remedy in place — usually within about 28 days.
Reject the decision
Nothing is imposed. You keep your legal rights, including the option to pursue the matter through court.
Supplier acts on the remedy
Apology, corrected bill, account adjustment and/or a goodwill payment up to £10,000, as set out in the decision.
Types of remedy the Ombudsman can set
| Remedy | What it means |
|---|---|
| Apology & explanation | A written acknowledgement of what went wrong |
| Corrective action | Re-billing, fixing readings, updating the account |
| Financial award | A goodwill or compensation payment, up to £10,000 |
| Practical steps | Specific actions the supplier must complete by a deadline |
Gas, electricity or "utilities" — same decision process
The steps on this page apply however you found it: what happens after the gas ombudsman decision, after the electricity ombudsman decision, after the utilities ombudsman decision, or after the energy supplier ombudsman decision are the same question with the same answer. The same goes for declining one — what happens if you decline the utilities ombudsman decision is exactly what happens if you decline the energy ombudsman decision. There is one energy scheme, and one set of rules about accepting, rejecting and enforcing an outcome.
First, work out which stage you are actually at
Most confusion after a decision comes from four different situations being called the same thing. This page now covers all of them — finality, disagreement, appeals and unimplemented remedies — because they are the same moment in the process.
| What you have | What it means | What actually helps |
|---|---|---|
| A proposed view or early outcome | Not final. You are being invited to comment. | This is your best moment. Respond with facts and evidence, not objections. |
| A final decision you have not accepted | Binding on nobody yet. Accepting it binds the supplier. | Decide whether the outcome is worth accepting, or worth walking away from. |
| A final decision you accepted | The supplier is now required to carry out the remedy. | Track implementation. This is an enforcement problem, not a decision problem. |
| A decision you think is factually wrong | A review may be possible if something material was missed. | Identify the exact error. "I disagree" is not a reviewable point. |
"Appeal", "review" and "reject" are three different things
People use these interchangeably and it weakens their position. They are separate routes with separate consequences.
Review
You believe a material factual error was made or clear evidence was overlooked. You point at the specific error. This is the narrowest route and the only one that can change a decision on its merits.
Reject
You decline the outcome. Nothing becomes binding, and you keep the right to pursue the matter elsewhere, including through the courts. You also lose the remedy that was offered.
Enforce
You accepted, but the supplier has not done what was ordered. Nothing about the decision is in dispute — this is purely about implementation, and it goes back to the Ombudsman.
If you disagree with the decision
Disliking an outcome is not a reviewable ground. A material error is. The difference decides whether responding is worth your time.
| Your position | Is it reviewable? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "They got a date or a figure wrong" | Usually yes — this is a factual error. | Point at the exact figure, cite the document that proves it. |
| "They never saw my meter photos" | Usually yes — evidence was missed. | Resend the evidence with the date you originally submitted it. |
| "They misunderstood what I was complaining about" | Sometimes — if the scope was misread. | State the complaint in one sentence and show where it was recorded differently. |
| "The outcome is not enough money" | Rarely. That is a judgement, not an error. | Decide whether to accept or reject. A review is unlikely to help. |
| "I am unhappy with how I was treated" | Not on its own. | If service was part of the original complaint, it was already considered. |
Do not send a long emotional response. It buries the factual point that might actually have changed the outcome.
If the supplier does not carry out the remedy
This is the most fixable situation on this page, and the one people give up on soonest. The decision is already in your favour; the only issue is that nothing has happened.
- List every ordered action separately. A rebill, a refund, a balance correction and a goodwill payment are four items, and suppliers often complete some and miss others.
- Check the deadline in the decision. It states when each action was due. Do not chase before it, and do not wait long after it.
- Contact the supplier once, in writing, quoting the case reference and listing exactly what is outstanding.
- Go back to the Ombudsman. Non-implementation is something it can take up. Report it rather than starting a fresh complaint.
- Keep proof of completion. A corrected bill PDF or a bank entry — not a promise on a phone call.
Frequently asked questions
What happens after the energy ombudsman decision?
You decide whether to accept or reject it. Accepting makes it binding on the supplier, which must then carry out the remedy by the stated deadline. Rejecting means nothing is binding and you keep the option of pursuing the matter elsewhere, including in court.
Is the energy ombudsman decision final?
"Final" depends on the stage. A proposed view is not final and invites comment. A final decision becomes binding on the supplier only once you accept it. Even then, a review may be possible where a material factual error or overlooked evidence can be identified.
Can you appeal an energy ombudsman decision?
There is no general right of appeal simply because you dislike the outcome. A review may be possible if something material was missed or got factually wrong. Separately, you can decline the decision and pursue the matter outside the scheme.
What if I disagree with the ombudsman decision?
Identify whether you have a factual error or just an unwelcome result. A wrong date, wrong figure or ignored evidence is worth raising specifically. Disagreement with the level of an award generally is not, and your realistic choice there is to accept or reject.
What if the supplier does not implement the remedy?
Report the non-implementation to the Ombudsman rather than starting a new complaint. List each ordered action and which remain outstanding, quote the case reference, and keep documentary proof of anything that was completed.
What happens after the gas ombudsman decision?
The same as for electricity — one energy scheme covers both, so acceptance, rejection, review and enforcement work identically.
How long does the supplier have to act on the decision?
The decision itself states the deadline for each required action. Check that date before chasing, and follow up promptly once it has passed.