EDF and Utilita have been named the worst energy suppliers for customer service in Citizens Advice’s quarterly rankings.
The consumer charity said customer service ratings were among the lowest ever in the industry and said a record number of households sought help with energy problems between January and March.
More than five million people in the UK live in households with debts to their supplier, research by the charity has found.
The average customer rating for businesses fell by 10.5% compared to the same period in 2021 and has been stagnant since the end of 2023.
The charity said customer service standards had still not returned to pre-energy crisis levels, which left many more people needing support from their suppliers with issues such as debt and pre-payment meter enforcement.
Citizens Advice is calling for the introduction of “Consumer Duty” – a new set of rules that would give Ofgem stronger powers to hold companies to account and help end “flights of poor customer service”.
The latest rankings put Ecotricity at the top of the table, followed by Outfox the Market, Ovo Energy and Utility Warehouse.
Also in the top 10, E (Gas and Electricity) came fifth, behind E.ON, ScottishPower, Good Energy, Rebel Energy and Octopus Energy.
In the bottom third, Co-Operative Energy placed 11th with a score of 2.52, followed by Boost Power and So Energy. British Gas ranked 14th with a two-star score of 2.39.
EDF, one of last year’s top-scoring suppliers, has sunk to rock bottom after its average call waiting times jumped from less than a minute to more than five minutes in less than a year.
The utility has improved since last quarter, but remains one of the lowest-rated vendors.
Citizens Advice said average call waiting times had improved following new guidance from Ofgem in December.
However, the companies performed poorly in terms of their ability to address customer complaints, which lowered their overall rating.
Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty said: “With millions of people struggling to afford the essentials, it is completely unacceptable that energy companies are not giving their customers the support they need.
“Citizens Advice has long called for Ofgem to be given stronger powers to hold suppliers accountable for customer service. This must include resolving outstanding complaints by next winter.
“The news that bills are down slightly since July will come as cold comfort to the record numbers seeking help from our advisers. The next government must introduce better targeted energy bill support for those struggling to keep the lights on or cook a hot meal.
An EDF spokeswoman said: “We recognize that our call response times do not meet the high standards we have set ourselves and we are committed to doing better and returning to the market-leading service our customers expect.
“We’ve taken on and trained more people at our Sunderland, Brighton and Exeter branches and are nearing the end of a comprehensive transfer of our residential customers to the new IT system, which means we’re getting more customers through the process.”
Utilita said: “We cannot underestimate how savvy consumers are today. They will realize that the star rating is at odds with other supplier ratings across the market – including Ofgem, Trustpilot and Which? – where the Utility works consistently well.
“As such, we look forward to continued dialogue to close the gap between the perception provided by the Citizens Advice Star Rating and the reality provided by other ratings.”