Closed energy accounts
Energy supplier charged a closed account in Ireland
An old supplier has taken a payment or sent another bill. Check the account closure, final balance and payment reference before requesting a correction.
Check your dispute first
Answer a few questions to see your options before writing your complaint.
Check your optionsAn unexpected charge from an old energy supplier needs an explanation, especially if you hold a closing statement showing the account was settled. Start by identifying the account and the period being billed. A charge appearing years later is a reason to investigate; its age alone does not settle whether it is valid.
Keep the billing dispute with the supplier separate from any question about how the bank payment was processed. You may need to contact both organisations, but they should each receive a precise request relevant to their role.
What to do next
- 1Identify the account and basis for the charge.
- 2Raise the billing complaint with the supplier and any payment query with your bank.
- 3Retain corrections and consider CRU escalation.
Match the charge to the closed account
Compare the new bill or debit reference with the old account number, property and meter identifier. Find the closure confirmation, final reading, closing bill and payment that cleared it. Check whether you had another account with the same supplier that could explain the reference.
If the supplier says the account was reopened, ask when, why and on whose instruction. Request the calculation behind the new balance and an explanation of how it differs from the final statement. Avoid assuming a current phone agent has access to every archived record.
If money has already left your bank
Tell the supplier the transaction date and amount and ask it to identify the collection authority it relied on. Contact your bank promptly through its official channel if you dispute the debit or do not recognise the transaction. Ask which process and deadline apply to that payment type; do not assume card-chargeback rules govern a direct debit.
Keep a record of any reversal or refund so the same payment is not claimed twice. A payment returned by a bank does not, on its own, resolve the supplier's separate assertion that an account balance is due. Ask the supplier to confirm the account position in writing.
Wording for the supplier
My account [reference] was closed on [date], and the attached final statement shows [balance]. A further [bill/debit] of [amount] appeared on [date]. Please identify the period and contractual basis for this charge, explain its relationship to the closing statement, and confirm whether the account has been reactivated. I request correction and repayment of any amount collected in error.
Include a brief chronology of your earlier contacts. If a refund has been promised, ask for the amount, method and expected date, then check the actual receipt before treating the matter as resolved.
Close the loop on records
If the supplier accepts an error, ask for a corrected statement and confirmation of the account's status. If the amount was referred for collection, ask how the correction will reach the collector. Keep those confirmations with the original closure documents.
Use the supplier's complaints procedure and, if dissatisfied with its outcome, the CRU's free route. Separate any request about inconvenience from the disputed principal. This guide helps organise the facts; it does not determine liability, compensation or a limitation-period defence.
Before you write
- Account closure confirmation
- Final meter reading and bill
- Proof the closing balance was paid
- New bill or bank transaction reference
- Supplier explanation and complaint reference
- Refund receipt or corrected statement, if issued