Small and micro businesses experiences of the energy retail market

Small and micro businesses experiences of the energy retail market 8.15 MB

In 2024, Citizens Advice commissioned the research company Yonder to carry out a survey on over 1500 small and micro businesses, to find out more about their experiences of the energy retail market. This large-scale survey was also accompanied by a qualitative survey that looked more in depth at specific aspects of businesses experiences.

We carried out this research to gather a better understanding of what was working for business energy consumers - and what wasn’t. This insight helps us to promote good practice where the market is functioning well, and to effectively advocate for change where improvements are needed.

We found a complex picture. Some services are working well for consumers, and overall satisfaction levels appear relatively high. However, these findings are undermined by evidence of systemic issues across key activities like billing and complaints handling. Further investigation, including insight from in-depth interviews with business owners, shows that the current energy market is “defined by low expectations.” Business owners do not expect much from their energy suppliers and many avoid contact unless absolutely necessary - even when they have an issue or complaint.

These findings pose a problem. A functioning business energy market - complete with engaged consumers - will be vital for the UK in achieving their Net Zero and growth goals. With business owners’ trust in the energy market already on a knife edge, urgent action is needed from across the sector to raise standards and increase trust. We’ve written a series of blogs to highlight key themes from this research, and to put forward next steps for energy suppliers, Ofgem and the Government. You can find our calls to action on billing and complaints handling by clicking the in-text links, or by browsing our Medium page.