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Energy firms told to refund customers after gas meters mistake | Energy firms told to refund customers after gas meters mistake |
(35 minutes later) | |
Energy firms have been ordered to refund thousands of gas customers affected by a meter reading mistake. | Energy firms have been ordered to refund thousands of gas customers affected by a meter reading mistake. |
The error - caused by companies confusing measurements from older imperial meters with modern metric ones - is believed to have affected more than 100,000 customers. | The error - caused by companies confusing measurements from older imperial meters with modern metric ones - is believed to have affected more than 100,000 customers. |
"We have written to suppliers and asked them to refund affected customers," an Ofgem spokesperson told the BBC. | "We have written to suppliers and asked them to refund affected customers," an Ofgem spokesperson told the BBC. |
Trade body Energy UK said firms were "working hard" to address the issue. | Trade body Energy UK said firms were "working hard" to address the issue. |
The trade association, which represents the major energy companies, said "detailed analysis" showed "an extremely small number of accounts" had been affected. | The trade association, which represents the major energy companies, said "detailed analysis" showed "an extremely small number of accounts" had been affected. |
"Any customer affected will be contacted shortly by their supplier and where there has been overcharging, a refund will be issued as quickly as possible," it added. | "Any customer affected will be contacted shortly by their supplier and where there has been overcharging, a refund will be issued as quickly as possible," it added. |
The energy regulator Ofgem is expected to issue a formal statement on Monday. | The energy regulator Ofgem is expected to issue a formal statement on Monday. |
'Fairer energy market' | |
The mistake has led to some customers being overcharged and some undercharged, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the story. | The mistake has led to some customers being overcharged and some undercharged, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the story. |
The revelation comes just days after Ofgem promised "to deliver a more competitive, fairer energy market for all consumers" as part of a market shake-up aimed at helping consumers save money. | |
In July, a two-year inquiry into the energy market by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that 70% of domestic customers using the big six energy suppliers were on expensive default variable tariffs. | |
As a result it said that such consumers could save £300 a year by switching. Overall consumers were paying £1.4bn more than they should be, it found. | |
Energy firms have previously been fined for billing errors. Last year, Npower was ordered to pay a record £26m settlement for billing issues affecting more than 500,000 customers. |