Fourteen million households are supplied by energy companies with below average customer service ratings, according to Citizens Advice.
The charity’s latest Star Rating, which measures energy supplier performance, found that half of consumers are with suppliers scoring less than three out of five stars for customer service.
The average score across the sector between October and December 2025 was 3.09.
Ecotricity ranked highest with a customer service rating of 3.93 out of 5, while Tru Energy placed last with a score of just 1.90.
Among the so-called ‘Big Six’ suppliers, Octopus Energy and E.ON Next were the top performers. However three of the six received below average scores, with British Gas ranking lowest at 2.28.
Citizens Advice said the 1.5-star gap between Octopus Energy and British Gas highlights the wide variation in service levels among the UK’s largest suppliers.
The charity is calling on energy firms to improve customer service standards, particularly when handling billing, complaints and customer enquiries.
The latest ratings also use an updated methodology which includes new measures of supplier performance.
These include whether customers receive accurate bills, whether smart meters function properly and how easily customers can contact their supplier across different communication channels.
Citizens Advice says improving customer support is particularly important as millions of households struggle with energy costs.
More than nine million households are currently finding it difficult to afford their energy bills.
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Half of households are served by suppliers who need to up their game on some of the basics of customer service, like fast response time to calls and emails, or ensuring that billing and complaints are handled properly.”
She added that suppliers should learn from the best performing firms to improve support for customers.
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