‘They milk them to the max’: Fuse Energy accused of mistreating staff

Fuse Energy burst onto the UK market three years ago, with cheerful branding and a promise to “accelerate energy abundance”. Backed by heavyweight investors, the green energy startup has taken on 200,000 customers, earning a $5bn valuation.

But behind Fuse’s ambitions is a company whose management, former employees allege, has publicly shamed young workers and pressured some inexperienced staff members to work up to 100-hour weeks. Twelve former senior employees, analysts and interns have spoken to The Observer about the company’s working culture.

Fuse Energy denied fostering a harsh work environment, and said employee wellbeing is a priority. “We do not expect or encourage 100-hour work weeks. The company maintains high standards in a fast-paced environment, but does not exploit talent or job market conditions.”

Fuse reported making more money than it was spending by late 2025, with $400m in annual recurring revenue. But the website Sifted reported that accounts for one of its main UK subsidiaries had racked up heavy operating losses, raising eyebrows over the firm’s recent valuation.

The London-based startup aims to be one of the UK’s cheapest fixed tariffs in a market dominated by Octopus and British Gas. Fuse’s most recent valuation was set by lead investors Lowercarbon Capital, and another previous investor, Balderton Capital.

Fuse was founded in 2022 by Alan Chang and Charles Orr, both alumni of the British fintech Revolut, which prides itself on its competitive, fast-paced culture. Orr was the fintech’s leader of special projects, while Chang, 32, was Revolut’s fifth hire and has been described as the “physical embodiment of Revolut’s ‘get shit done’ ethos”. He has admitted to carrying Revolut’s work ethic to Fuse.

Chang appeared to think of himself as “the next Elon Musk”, former senior colleagues said, and has claimed he works up to 90-hour weeks. When asked by the Telegraph about complaints of a “toxic atmosphere” made anonymously on the employer review site Glassdoor, Chang said: “Fuse is not for everyone”.

Fuse promises customers they can “chat to our London team in under a minute, 24/7, 365”. A team which now counts about 100 graduate interns, from top Stem courses at Imperial, Oxbridge and LSE, was hired to answer chats on rotation, with up to 10 new employees joining every week.

Several sources criticised aspects of the Silicon Valley-style culture. They say team members were encouraged to “out” their peers’ mistakes on Slack, the internal messaging service, and they had a mandatory daily “chat scan” meeting with team leaders, where poorly rated customer service chats were criticised and interns were grilled in front of their cohort.

A Fuse spokesperson said the company has a zero-tolerance policy towards unprofessional conduct, and that “feedback is delivered constructively, both informally and through 1:1s and biannual reviews”.

Contracts seen by The Observer show interns have been hired on a £30,000 salary for work taking place between 8am-10pm, with the possibility of more hours without specified overtime pay. Eight sources claim they regularly worked 70-hour weeks, while five former interns recalled working 100-hour weeks.

A Fuse spokesperson said overtime waivers are standard practice in many industries and that expectations are communicated clearly during interviews. The company denied allegations that its culture is toxic.

Sources said the first days of each month are blocked out for “bill weeks”, in which interns work three consecutive nine-to-10-hour shifts, answering customer queries and manually checking meter readings from photos, allegedly without overtime pay. The  spokesperson said customer service staff working out-of-hours receive compensation. The Observer understands interns received overtime pay for overnight shifts , but not for bill weeks.

Many who spoke to The Observer have been profoundly affected by their time at Fuse. A former analyst said: “[Those in charge are aware] the job market is tough. Even if you push these interns to 100-plus hour weeks, they’re not going to quit, so they milk them to the maximum.” A Fuse spokesperson said: “When someone does a great job, we tell them. If someone doesn’t meet our standards, we tell them.”