Confused.com reveals Energy Bill of the Future

Confused.com has produced what it believes to be the answer in helping customers to reduce their consumption and remove the confusion that currently exists with bills and annual statements. Confused.com’s ‘Bill of the Future’ will allow customers to truly understand how much energy they are using, empower them to take steps to reduce their consumption and remove any confusion. In its recent ‘Confused Nation’ study, the price comparison site discovered energy bills were high on the list of the things that the UK finds most confusing. Using smart-meter technology, which Ofgem say should be rolled out to every home by 2020, the bill of the future will itemise energy use and provide tips on reducing usage. It will also avoid the confusion that has arisen from the introduction of annual statements, where providers have taken an inconsistent approach. Lisa Greenfield, energy analyst at Confused.com, said: “Consumers are baffled by energy bills, so we asked people how they would like to see them and came up with the ‘Bill of the Future’. There’s no reason why bills shouldn’t look like this and we believe it is the only way to hammer home the importance of using less energy.” Lisa continues: “We already pay a fair chunk for green levies and it’s only going to get worse; we will undoubtedly see the costs for securing new greener energy supplies passed on to us. This means the focus has to be on making things clearer and using less - customers won’t be able to afford to operate on a ‘wait and see’ policy and a retrospective view on energy consumption.” The price comparison site believes that in addition to the in-home displays that already come with smart meters, future energy bills could also be accessed online so customers can do daily checks on their spending, in the same way millions already do with their bank accounts through online banking. Lisa continues: “Suppliers need to embrace the opportunity to help to demystify energy bills. Done properly, they can work like insurance renewals, prompting customers to review what they are paying and take action to change it for the better. They should also give consumers an idea of exactly what their paying for – in terms they understand, like hours watching TV, rather than kWh and charging based on tiered usage” Take a look at Confused.com’s bill of the future at http://www.confused.com/images/confused_bill_of_future.pdf Ends. For further information please contact the confused.com press office: Victoria Leyton 02920 434398 About Confused.com Confused.com is one of the UK’s biggest and most popular price comparison services. Launched in 2002, it generates over one million quotes per month. It has expanded its range of comparison products over the last couple of years to include home insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, van insurance, motorbike insurance, breakdown cover and energy, as well as financial services products including credit cards, loans, mortgages and life insurance. Confused.com is not a supplier, insurance company or broker. It provides a free, objective and unbiased comparison service. By using cutting-edge technology, it has developed a series of intelligent web-based solutions that evaluate a number of risk factors to help customers with their decision-making, subsequently finding them great deals on a wide-range of insurance products, financial services, utilities and more. Confused.com’s service is based on the most up-to-date information provided by UK suppliers and industry regulators. Confused.com is owned by the Admiral Group plc. Admiral listed on the London Stock Exchange in September 2004. Confused.com is regulated by the FSA.