Dog rescue charity faces closure after receiving £51,000 energy bill
A pet care charity has told This is Money how it is facing closure after receiving a request for £51,000 from its energy supplier.
London-based Dogs on The Streets (Dots), which provides veterinary care and rehomes pets of homeless people, paid around £500 a month for energy bills at its center in Enfield, north London.
Dots founder Michelle Clark said the problems started in January 2024, when she contacted an energy broker to see if she could switch suppliers and reduce the charity’s costs.
Because most of the charity’s volunteers spend their time outside with the dogs – and no heating is used – she felt the bills were a bit high.
But the proposed switch prompted SSE to review Dots’ energy bills, requiring a one-off direct debit of £5,000 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.’
Determination: Dots is raising money to pay its energy bills through a charity calendar, featuring some of the pets it has helped, including Blue,
Clark believes the blame stems from the fact that the charity was previously wrongly charged the standard rate of 20 per cent VAT on its utility bills, rather than the reduced charity rate of 5 per cent.
She says SSE has instructed the charity to pause bill payments while the issue is resolved.
This meant that debts started to build up. However, the charity strongly disputes the figure, claiming it is based on estimates from other properties on the same industrial estate and is far out of step with the actual amount of power it uses.
“We’ve been through an absolute year of hell,” Clark told This is Money. ‘It has caused me such anxiety.
‘Our refuge is outside, we don’t even use heating. It’s just the lights in the kitchen.
‘Our charity could close due to the negligence of an energy supplier’.
SSE has since offered a bill reduction 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, saying that amount would still be a burden on the charity.
She continues to make payments on the total bill and does so fundraising to help with costs. But she says a debt of that magnitude is impossible to pay off in full.
The charity is now receiving support from supplier Octopus Energy, after founder Greg Jackson saw a post from Michelle about the charity’s problems on X/Twitter.
Dots is currently unable to change suppliers due to the outstanding debt.
Octopus Energy and Dots have released a 2025 charity calendar featuring some rescue dogs. The You can order the calendar hereand all profits go to Dots’ work supporting the homeless and their pets.
Clark says she hopes to raise £20,000 from her fundraising initiatives, including the sale of the calendar.
Money Appeal: Karma is one of the pets featured 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 keep her head above water
Clark added, “Greg Jackson saw my tweet about the struggle we were facing with an energy company and he reached out.
‘That support means everything to us. It’s great to see a company stepping up and really caring about the work we do.”
The charity’s case is also being investigated by the Energy Ombudsman.
The photos for the calendar were taken during a muddy photoshoot at a dog adventure park by Dots volunteer Kelsey, who said: ‘Their personalities came through in every frame, from silly poses to moments where they posed as models.
“It couldn’t have been muddier; we all needed a bath that day, lying on the floor, to get the perfect photos.”
Charity: The charity needs to pay its utility bills so it can continue to care for and rehome dogs like this one, 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
An SSE spokesperson said: ‘We have been working with the customer to provide support and a manageable payment plan.
‘This included an offer to significantly reduce debts payable, taking into account our delays in reviewing the customer’s direct debit as their energy costs rose and delays in preparing bills.
“Our offer of a repayment plan would enable the customer to pay off the remaining debt over the next two years, in addition to their ongoing energy consumption.
‘We will have no objection to the customer switching if an arrangement can be made to settle his debts.’
SSE has made an offer to reduce the debt payable by £21,000, leaving it at £30,000. This would mean a monthly amount of € 3,800 for 25 months.
This is good for an expected monthly usage of £2,600 and pays off £1,200 per month on the £30,000 debt.
The company has also offered to switch the customer from its variable rate to a fixed rate contract once a payment plan is agreed, which it says should reduce monthly costs.
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