Dog rescue charity faces closure after receiving £51k vitality invoice
- Organisation working with pets of the homeless says it can’t pay SSE debt
A pet rescue charity has told This is Money how it faces closure after receiving a demand for £51,000 from its energy supplier.
London-based Dogs on The Streets (Dots), which provides vet care for and rehomes pets formerly owned by homeless people, was paying roughly £500 per month for energy bills at its centre in Enfield, North London.
Dots founder Michelle Clark said problems started in January 2024, when she contacted an energy broker to see if she could switch supplier and cut the charity’s costs.
As most of the charity’s volunteers spend their time working with the dogs outside – and it does not use the heating – she felt its bills were a bit high.
But the proposed switch prompted SSE to review Dots’ energy account, after which it took a shock one-off £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 have a debt of £51,000.’
Dogged determination: Dots is fundraising to clear its energy bill via a charity calendar, featuring some of the pets it has helped including Blue, pictured
Clark believes the debt stems from the fact the charity was previously wrongly charged the standard rate of 20 per cent VAT on its energy bills, rather than the reduced 5 per cent charity rate.
She says SSE told the charity to pause paying its bills while the problem was sorted.
This meant that debt started building up. However, the charity strongly disputes the amount, claiming it is based on estimates of other properties on the same industrial estate and is far out of line with the actual amount of power it uses.
‘We have gone through an absolute year of hell,’ Clark told This is Money. ‘It has caused me such anxiety.
‘Our sanctuary is outside, we don’t even use heating. It is just the lights in the kitchen.
‘Our charity could close because of the negligence of an energy supplier’.
SSE has since offered a reduction in the bill to £30,000.
But that would mean a direct debit of £3,800 per month for more than two years, and Clark has not accepted the offer yet as she says that amount would still take the charity under.
She continues to make payments towards the total bill and is fundraising to help with the cost. But she says a debt of that size would be impossible to fully clear.
The charity is now receiving support from supplier Octopus Energy, after its founder Greg Jackson saw a post by Michelle about the charity’s struggles on X/Twitter.
Dots is not currently able to switch supplier due to the outstanding debt.
Octopus Energy and Dots have released a 2025 charity calendar featuring some of the rescue dogs. The calendar is available to order here, and all profits will go to Dots’ work supporting homeless individuals and their pets.
Clark says she is hoping to raise £20,000 from its fundraising initiatives, including sales of the calendar.
Cash appeal: Karma is another of the pets featured in 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, which is now struggling to keep afloat
Clark added: ‘Greg Jackson saw my tweet about the struggles we were facing with an energy company, and he reached out.
‘That support means the world to us. It’s amazing to see a company step in and truly care about the work we’re doing.’
The charity’s case is also being looked in to by the Energy Ombudsman.
The photos for the calendar were captured in a muddy photoshoot at a dog adventure park by Dots volunteer Kelsey, who said: ‘Their personalities shone through in every frame, from goofy poses to moments of them posing like models.
‘It couldn’t have been any muddier – we all needed a bath that day from lying on the floor to get the perfect shots.’
Good cause: The charity needs to meet its energy bill so it can continue to take care of and rehome dogs like this one, called Mr Bubs
Plea: The charity’s founder says it hopes to raise £20,000 from its fundraising initiatives including the calendar, featuring dogs like Mozzy
SSE responds
A spokesman for SSE said: ‘We have been working with the customer to provide support and a manageable payment plan.
‘This has included an offer to significantly reduce the debt payable, recognising our delays reviewing the customer’s direct debit while their energy costs increased and delays in producing bills.
‘Our offer of a payment plan would enable the customer to pay the remaining debt over the next two years alongside their ongoing energy usage.
‘We will not object to the customer switching if an arrangement can be made to clear 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 accounts for anticipated monthly usage of £2,600 and pays off £1,200 per month towards the £30,000 debt.
The firm has also offered to move the customer off their variable rate on to a fixed rate contract once a payment plan is agreed, which it says should reduce the monthly cost.
