Your energy bill: £26,000 for the past six years
Huge backdated energy bills are hitting small businesses at a time when cash flow is increasingly tight.
Firms cannot rely on the same legal protection as individuals when it comes to fighting retrospective bills. If electricity suppliers get their meter readings wrong, individuals can be charged only up to 12 months retrospectively whereas bills for small businesses can be backdated for up to six years.
Even though energy regulator Ofgem brought in new rules on fair billing for small businesses earlier this year, it failed to protect those that have been under-billed and are hit with large payments.
