A pet rescue charity has told This is Money how it is facing closure after receiving a £51,000 demand from its energy supplier.
London-based Dogs on The Streets (Dots), which provides veterinary care and rehoming pets previously owned by homeless people, was paying approximately £500 a month for energy bills at its center in Enfield, north London .
Dots founder Michelle Clark said the problems began in January 2024, when she contacted an energy broker to see if she could switch suppliers and reduce the charity’s costs.
As most of the charity’s volunteers spend their time working with the dogs outdoors and do not use the heating, she felt the bills were a bit high.
But the proposed change prompted SSE to review Dots’ energy account, after which it received a shock £5,000 direct debit from the charity’s bank.
“There was no consultation,” Clark said. “Then SSE got in touch and said: you can’t switch because you’re £51,000 in debt.”
Dogged Determination: Dots is raising funds to offset her energy bill through a charity calendar, which features some of the pets she’s helped, including Blue, pictured.
Clark believes the debt arises from the fact that the charity was previously wrongly charged the standard rate of 20 per cent VAT on its energy bills, rather than the reduced charity rate of 5 per cent.
She says SSE told the charity to stop paying its bills while the problem was resolved.
This meant that debt began to accumulate. However, the charity strongly disputes the amount, claiming it is based on estimates from other properties on the same industrial estate and is a far cry from the actual amount of energy it uses.
“We’ve been through an absolutely hellish year,” Clark told This is Money. ‘It has caused me a lot of anxiety.
‘Our sanctuary is outside, we don’t even use heating. It’s just the kitchen lights.
“Our charity could close due to the negligence of an energy supplier.”
The SSE has since offered a reduction of the bill to £30,000.
But that would mean a direct debit of £3,800 a month for more than two years, and Clark has not yet accepted the offer because he says that amount would still hit the charity.
She continues to make payments toward the total bill and is fundraising to help with the cost. But she says a debt of that size would be impossible to pay off completely.
The charity is now supported by supplier Octopus Energy, after founder Greg Jackson saw a post by Michelle about the charity’s problems on X/Twitter.
Dots is currently unable to change suppliers due to outstanding debt.
Octopus Energy and Dots have released a 2025 charity calendar featuring some of the rescued dogs. He The calendar is available to order here.and all profits will go towards Dots’ work supporting homeless people and their pets.
Clark says he hopes to raise £20,000 from his fundraising efforts, including sales of the calendar.
Cash appeal: Karma is another featured mascot on the charity calendar
Puppy love: Bruno is another star of the campaign, supported by energy supplier Octopus
Smile! Olive is another dog supported by Dots, who is now struggling to stay afloat
Clark added: ‘Greg Jackson saw my tweet about the difficulties we were facing with an energy company and reached out.
‘That support means a lot to us. “It’s amazing to see a company step in and really care about the work we’re doing.”
The charity’s case is also being examined by the Energy Ombudsman.
The photos for the calendar were captured at a muddy photo shoot at a dog adventure park by Dots volunteer Kelsey, who said, “Their personalities shined through in every frame, from silly poses to moments where they posed like models.” .
“It couldn’t have been muddier – we all needed a bath that day after lying on the floor getting the perfect shots.”
Good cause: The charity needs to cover its energy bill so it can continue caring for and rehoming dogs like this one, called Mr Bubs.
Plea: The charity’s founder says he hopes to raise £20,000 from his fundraising efforts, including the calendar, which features dogs like Mozzy.
ESS responds
An SSE spokesperson said: ‘We have been working with the customer to provide support and a manageable payment plan.
‘This has included an offer to significantly reduce debt payable, recognizing our delays in reviewing the customer’s direct debit while their energy costs increased and delays in producing invoices.
‘Our offer of a payment plan would allow the customer to pay off the remaining debt over the next two years along with their ongoing energy consumption.
“We will not object to the client switching if an agreement can be reached to settle their debt.”
SSE has made an offer to reduce the debt payable by £21,000, leaving it at £30,000. This would mean a monthly payment of £3,800 for 25 months.
This represents an expected monthly usage of £2,600 and pays off £1,200 per month towards the £30,000 debt.
The company has also offered to move the customer from its variable rate contract to a fixed rate contract once a payment plan is agreed, which it says should reduce the monthly cost.
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