Torbay Citizens Advice helps recover over £35,000 on energy bills for Torbay residents in 2025
Torbay Citizens Advice’s (CA) energy team helped clients recover more than £35,000 caused by incorrect billing by energy companies in 2025.
The energy team, managed by a part-time case worker and two part-time volunteers, managed nearly 700 new energy-related cases last year. In one case alone, the energy team secured a debt write-off of £8,067 for a local resident due to an incorrectly issued energy bill – the energy supplier was demanding payment from the client prior to the energy team’s intervention.
Successfully resolving the cases required the persistence of the CA’s energy caseworkers, often requiring dozens of interactions with the energy suppliers and clients over the phone or via email before being resolved. On average, the team helped refund £860 per client where the energy supplier was at fault.
Many clients are sent incorrect energy bills demanding payments regarding a debt that often they do not owe. When these clients ask Torbay CA for help, these clients are referred to the energy team. With the energy team’s help and perseverance, often it transpires these clients do not owe the debt and sometimes the energy supplier owes the client money.
Incorrect billing formed only one part of the team’s wide-ranging engagement on energy, with many of the issues the team helped resolve being the result of poor communications from energy companies – for example difficulties in contacting the companies, and confusing and inconsistent energy supplier bills and correspondence.
The continuing high costs of energy in 2026, as well the many issues faced by residents in resolving open issues, means demand for the Citizens Advice energy service in 2026 remains strong.
The independent charity, based in Paignton and offering, free, impartial and confidential advice, is now seeking urgent funding to support the energy service after March 2026.
Citizens Advice Torbay Chief Executive Officer, Sue Julyan, said:
“Our local energy support team provides a vital service to help hard-pressed Torbay residents navigate the complexity of dealing with providers in the energy market.
“We continue to see many cases where, with our free, independent help and advice, residents achieve outcomes saving not only their hard-earned money but also removing a significant source of stress as issues go unresolved by energy companies. It’s a vital service we need to continue to provide for Torbay residents, but we need help in funding to continue that support.”
Torbay CA’s Energy Team
January 2026
