Following a long-running row over changes it made to the way it charged customers in 2007, energy company Npower has agreed to hand back £70m in customer refunds. The firm admits it had not communicated the changes well, and 1.8m people are to receive an average refund of £35.
Commenting, Montgomeryshire Assembly Member Mick Bates states:
“It is deplorable that back in 2007 around £1.8million people overpaid for their gas because of Npower’s poor communication of their price changes, but I welcome the news that Npower has accepted responsibility and will be repaying £70million in customer refunds.
“Thanks to the investigation by Ofgem and the pressure from Consumer Focus, millions of people will receive a fair refund. This is an excellent example of how consumer organisations work to keep the big energy giants in check and ensure the customer doesn’t lose out.
“Another way to ensure customers only pay for what they owe is to put a Smart Meter in every household. Not only do Smart Meters help households to become more energy efficient, saving money and reducing carbon emissions, but by communicating directly with the supplier they provide more accurate bills to ensure that customers do not overpay for their energy.
“I welcome the news that the Westminster Government is looking to move the target date for the UK’s universal rollout of domestic Smart Meters forward to 2018. This is more ambitious than the 2020 date set by the previous government and will play a huge part in raising awareness of the importance of energy efficiency in every home across the country.”
