Elderly people can get priority service

New research by Ofgem suggests three out of four eligible customers are not aware of their additional rights.

These include a free annual safety check and priority reconnection after any power cuts.

Firms have a duty to tell their customers about the scheme, which is also open to disabled people and the chronically sick.

Mystery shopping

A mystery shopping exercise by Ofgem showed staff were not properly briefed on the rights, known as the Priority Service Register (PSR) scheme.

What is the Priority Service Register? It is a list of elderly, disabled (including customers who are blind or partially sighted, deaf or hard of hearing) and chronically ill customers, who may need additional help. Each domestic electricity and gas supplier is obliged to maintain a register of these people and offer special help to customers Benefits include "easy read" bills, a scheme to deter bogus callers, and priority reconnection after a power cut Source: Ofgem

Energy suppliers are obliged to keep a list of elderly, disabled and chronically ill customers and offer them free additional services.

Benefits include a password scheme to deter bogus callers, help with meter readings, and gas safety checks.

The regulator said companies needed to improve the training of frontline staff so that they were better able to recognise and refer eligible customers.

Allan Asher, chief-executive of Energywatch, the gas and electricity consumer watchdog, supported Ofgem's research.

Mr Asher said: "We welcome the efforts of Ofgem to plug a serious gap in company responsibility towards the most vulnerable customers.

"It is a sorry state of affairs to find that one in three customers who could be helped have no idea that special services are freely available to them."