Short answer. Once you accept an Energy Ombudsman decision, your supplier is legally bound to carry it out, and it has 28 days to do so. If those 28 days pass and nothing has happened, the Ombudsman’s own process says you are then “free to pursue the resolution legally outside of our service in court”. You do not need permission and you do not go back to the beginning. If instead you decline the decision, nothing is lost: you are free to take the same complaint to court yourself.
The supplier has 28 days, and then it is enforceable
An Energy Ombudsman decision is not binding the moment it is written. It becomes binding when you accept it. In the scheme’s own words: “Once you accept our decision and the remedy is finalised, your supplier is legally bound to implement it.”
From that point the supplier has 28 days to do what the decision says — pay the compensation, correct the bill, fix the account, issue the apology. The Ombudsman is clear about what happens if it does not: after 28 days “you are free to pursue the resolution legally outside of our service in court”.
That matters, because a great many people stop here. They won, the supplier ignored it, and they assume the win was worthless. It is not. An accepted decision is an obligation the supplier has been told, in writing, that it must meet.
What to do on day 29
- Tell the Ombudsman. It records non-compliance, and that record matters both to your case and to the regulator’s picture of that supplier.
- Write to the supplier once more, in writing, with a deadline. Set out the decision, the date you accepted it, what it required, and the fact that the 28 days have passed. Give a short, specific date by which you expect it done.
- If it still does nothing, claim in court. A money claim can be started online through the official money claim service. You are claiming a sum the supplier has already been told it owes, which is a considerably stronger position than starting from scratch.
If a court fee is what is stopping you, apply for Help with Fees first. It takes about a minute online, it is assessed on your income and savings rather than the size of your claim, and the reference code goes into the claim in place of a payment.
What happens if you decline the decision
You are not obliged to accept. The Ombudsman puts it plainly: “consumers are free to reject our decision and pursue their complaint via any other route open to them.”
Declining does not put you back to square one and it does not count against you. It means the Ombudsman’s remedy falls away and you keep the right to bring the same complaint yourself, most commonly as a money claim. The trade-off is real and worth thinking about honestly: the Ombudsman’s route is free and its decision binds the supplier once accepted, while a court claim costs a fee, takes longer, and puts the outcome in a judge’s hands rather than an adjudicator’s.
A reasonable rule of thumb: accept if the remedy is close to what you were asking for, decline if it does not come near the loss you can actually evidence.
Getting to the Ombudsman in the first place
Two timings decide whether the Ombudsman can look at your complaint at all.
- Eight weeks. Your supplier gets eight weeks to resolve the dispute before the Ombudsman will take it.
- A deadlock letter. If the supplier says it cannot resolve the matter, that is deadlock, and you can escalate straight away — but you must do so within 12 months of receiving that letter.
Once it is with the Ombudsman, expect a decision within about six weeks. The service costs you nothing.
The letter is the part people find hardest
Nearly every stage of this is a piece of writing. The complaint to the supplier. The escalation to the Ombudsman. The letter on day 29 that says the 28 days have gone. And, if it comes to it, the claim itself.
None of it requires legal language. It requires the facts in order, the dates right, and the ask stated plainly — which is exactly what most people are never taught to do, and exactly what decides whether they are taken seriously.
Frequently asked questions
Is an Energy Ombudsman decision legally binding?
On the supplier, yes — once you accept it. The scheme’s published process states that on acceptance “your supplier is legally bound to implement it”. It is not binding on you unless you accept it.
What happens if a company ignores the Energy Ombudsman?
The supplier has 28 days to implement an accepted decision. After that the Ombudsman’s process says you are free to pursue it in court. Report the non-compliance to the Ombudsman as well.
Can I still go to court if I reject the decision?
Yes. Rejecting the decision leaves you free to pursue the complaint by any other route open to you, including a money claim.
How long do I have to escalate after a deadlock letter?
Twelve months from receiving the deadlock letter.
Does the Energy Ombudsman charge?
No. The service is free to consumers.
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eLitigant is a Community Interest Company. Not a law firm, and not affiliated with or endorsed by the Energy Ombudsman, Ofgem or any supplier. This is general information about complaint procedure, not advice on your case. Figures and timescales checked against the Energy Ombudsman’s published process on 26 August 2026.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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