Part 1

THE CONSUMER ADVOCACY BODIES

Other functions of the consumer advocacy bodies

Guidance for energy consumers
19A
1
A consumer advocacy body
must prepare, and keep under review—
a
guidance for energy consumers (the “energy consumer guidance”), and
b
a summary prepared in accordance with subsection (4) (the “concise guidance”).
2
The energy consumer guidance must address the matters included in any document published by the European Commission pursuant to Article 3(16) of the Electricity Directive or Article 3(12) of the Gas Directive
which is in force immediately before IP completion day
.
3
The energy consumer guidance may include any other information relating to the rights of energy consumers which
the consumer advocacy body in question
thinks appropriate.
4
The concise guidance must—
a
summarise any information in the energy consumer guidance which
in the view of the consumer advocacy body in question
is particularly relevant to the interests of energy consumers, and
b
state where a copy of the energy consumer guidance can be obtained.
5
In preparing and reviewing
its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance
a consumer advocacy body
must consult—
a
the Secretary of State,
b
the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, and
c
any other person
the consumer advocacy body in question
considers appropriate.
6
A consumer advocacy body must publish the first version of its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance on its website.
7
If, following a review,
a consumer advocacy body
considers it necessary to amend
its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance
,
the consumer advocacy body
must, as soon as is reasonably practicable—
a
publish the amended version on its website, and
b
inform any person it consulted in accordance with subsection (5) that it has done so.
8
A consumer advocacy body
may also make the first and any amended version of
its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance
available in any other manner
the consumer advocacy body
thinks appropriate for the purpose of bringing that guidance to the attention of those likely to be interested.
8A
Until a consumer advocacy body has published the first version of its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance, it must—
a
publish on its website, and
b
make available in any other manner that it thinks appropriate for the purpose of bringing them to the attention of those likely to be interested,
the last version of the energy consumer guidance and the concise guidance to be published by the National Consumer Council under this section (as it had effect immediately before the amendments made to this Act by the Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading’s Functions in relation to Estate Agents
etc
) Order 2014 (
S.I.
2014/…) came into force.
8B
Nothing in this section prevents a consumer advocacy body from publishing its energy consumer guidance or its concise summary in a document that includes the energy consumer guidance or, as the case may be, the concise summary of another consumer advocacy body.
8C
In this section, a reference to a consumer advocacy body does not include a reference to
Citizens Advice Scotland or
the GCCNI
.
9
In this section—
- “the Electricity Directive” means Directive
2009/72/
EC
of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive
2003/54/
EC
;
- “energy consumer” means an individual who is—
  1. a consumer in relation to gas supplied by an authorised supplier for consumption by the consumer’s own household;
  2. a consumer in relation to electricity supplied by an authorised supplier for consumption by the consumer’s own household;
- “the Gas Directive” means
Directive 2009/73/EC
of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing
Directive 2003/55/EC
( ), as amended by the 2019 Amending Directive;
- “the 2019 Amending Directive” means Directive (EU) 2019/692 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 amending
Directive 2009/73/EC
concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas.
S. 19A inserted (10.11.2011) by The Electricity and Gas (Internal Markets) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/2704) , regs. 1(1) , 3(2)
S. 19A(8A)-(8C) inserted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(g)(iv) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(1) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(a) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(3) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(b) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(4)(a) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(c) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(5) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(d)(i) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(5) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(d)(ii) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(5)(c) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(d)(iii) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
S. 19A(6) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(e) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(7) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(f)(i) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(7) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(f)(ii) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(7) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(f)(iii) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(8) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(g)(i) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(8) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(g)(ii) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Words in s. 19A(8) substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631) , art. 1(3) , Sch. 1 para. 12(25)(g)(iii) (with Sch. 1 para. 28 , Sch. 2 paras. 13-15 )
Pt. 1 heading substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631), art. 1(3), Sch. 1 para. 12(2) (with Sch. 1 para. 28, Sch. 2 paras. 13-15)
Words in s. 17 cross-heading substituted (1.4.2014) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading's Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/631), art. 1(3), Sch. 1 para. 12(21) (with Sch. 1 para. 28, Sch. 2 paras. 13-15)
Words in s. 19A(9) substituted (14.7.2020) by The Gas (Internal Markets) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/625), regs. 1(2), 8(a)
Words in s. 19A(9) inserted (14.7.2020) by The Gas (Internal Markets) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/625), regs. 1(2), 8(b)
Words in s. 19A(2) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Electricity and Gas etc. (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/530), regs. 1(1), 77 (as amended by S.I. 2020/1016, regs. 1(2), 3(28)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Words in s. 19A(8C) inserted (13.1.2022) by The Consumer Scotland Act 2020 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2022 (S.I. 2022/34), art. 1(1), Sch. para. 7(8) (with art. 5)
Pt. 1: power to apply (with modifications) conferred (26.10.2023) by Energy Act 2023 (c. 52), s. 334(2)(l), Sch. 18 para. 61(1)
Pt. 1: power to extend (N.I.) conferred (26.10.2023) by Energy Act 2023 (c. 52), s. 334(2)(l), Sch. 18 para. 61(3)
Pt. 1 applied (with modifications) (1.4.2025 for specified purposes) by The Heat Networks (Market Framework) (Great Britain) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/269), regs. 1(3)(d)(4), 54