Electricity information to fit the bill: redesigning electricity bills to support consumer engagement

Electricity bills are a key way to inform people about their plan and usage, but bills can be confusing and are not really useful to help people navigate the electricity market. BETA and the Department of the Environment and Energy ran a trial to test the impact of bill design on people’s confidence in their ability to look for a better offer and intention to do so. We drew on behavioural insights to design and test six electricity bills. We focussed on simplifying bill design to draw attention to key information, and including a ‘ways to save’ box encouraging people to search for and switch to a better plan. We found simplified bills with ‘ways to save’ information increased people’s confidence by up to 13 per cent. But this did not translate into intention to look for a better offer.