The power regulator has threatened motion towards family suppliers in the event that they put traders earlier than hard-pressed households.
Ofgem's chief government Jonathan Brearley warned that monetary practices seen earlier than the energy crisis wouldn't be tolerated.
New rules have been introduced in final November to bolster the resilience of enterprise fashions after the collapse of greater than 20 suppliers when Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted a spike in wholesale power prices.
Mr Brearley used an open letter to power corporations to remind them of their obligations together with a requirement to carry on to more money or belongings to scale back the chance of them going bust, decreasing the price and disruption of failure within the course of.
It was written as the price of gasoline and electrical energy returned to the power value cap defend from the start of the month following the top of the federal government's power value assure.
The cap - at slightly below £2,100 for a typical family - displays a discount in the price of wholesale power for the reason that peaks of 2022 and early 2023.
Ofgem expects the family provide sector to return to revenue this yr after 5 years of losses.
Mr Brearley wrote: "An energy sector where companies can make a reasonable profit is important to create a sustainable and competitive market for consumers.
"However, a return to the practices we noticed earlier than the power disaster is not on the desk - suppliers should reciprocate the assist the sector was given by shoppers and taxpayers when wholesale costs elevated by behaving responsibly as costs fall and earnings return.
"The power market has modified. Ofgem has launched main adjustments to the market, and we want suppliers to study the teachings of the power disaster and play their half by ensuring they're financially sturdy, can take in potential losses and are assembly our new capital necessities.
"I expect no return to paying out dividends before a supplier has met those essential capital requirements."
Mr Brearley added that the regulator was carefully monitoring suppliers to make it possible for costs remained aggressive and weak clients have been being protected.
Ofgem's guidelines have been criticised by some within the sector for not going far sufficient.
Centrica, the proprietor of British Gas, had argued as an illustration that Ofgem ought to have ensured all buyer credit score balances are ringfenced so shoppers and corporations are shielded from extra prices within the occasion of a provider failure.
The coming winter is about to stay robust for bill-payers as the worth cap, that limits the quantity suppliers can cost for every unit of gasoline and electrical energy, is predicted to stay across the £2k stage.
Energy trade consultancy Cornwall Insight mentioned final week it believed that, based mostly on present market pricing and Ofgem's standards, the worth cap will fall to £1,978.33 from October from July's £2,074.
It predicted the cap would rise once more from January, to £2,004.40, reflecting the time of typical peak demand.
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