Watchdog 'dismayed' about consumer protection plans

• By E4B
• 25 June 2008
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The UK's energy watchdog has claimed it is "dismayed" by plans to scrap consumer protection measures for household and commercial electricity users.

According to the organisation, the European Commission (EC) is planning to go back on proposals to introduce a consumer charter and force major energy groups to "unbundle" in order to increase competition.

It adds that the EC wants to replace the charter with a "vague checklist of questions and answers on energy issues".

Allan Asher, chief executive of energywatch, said: "We are dismayed to see the Commission dump consumer protection measures.

"The European Commission is set on a course of failure unless effective consumer protection and safeguards against energy poverty are built in to the liberalisation project at the start."

energywatch recently welcomed the government's efforts to improve the amount of information available to consumers in the UK about green tariffs.

It added that it hopes to see "swift action" on the issue to give users the chance to see "exactly where their electricity comes from".