Ofgem is proposing to modify the smart meter installation code of practice (SMICoP) to require the code’s governance board and administrator to publish domestic customer survey reports on the SMICoP’s website.
The energy regulator says it is proposing the modification because it believes it will improve transparency on supplier performance and make suppliers “more accountable for their actions and decisions” leading to an overall improved customer experience during the smart meter installation process.
In a letter to industry stakeholders Jacqui Russell head of metering and market operations at Ofgem, said the regulator also expects to see improvements in the quality of data through the introduction of additional scrutiny.
She added that the draft modification reflects policy decisions informed by responses to Ofgem’s request to review the features of the SMICoP, published in July.
Stakeholders have until 8 October to submit their responses to the proposal.
Earlier this month the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said the smart meter rollout deadline could be extended to 2024.
Initially suppliers were given until the end of 2020 to make all reasonable steps to offer every home a smart meter, a target which has looked increasingly impossible over the past few years.
BEIS proposes to introduce a monitoring framework period from 2021 to 2024. During this time milestones would be introduced, with the achievement of a minimum smart meter coverage of 85 per cent at the end of the framework period.
BEIS says this would be expected to deliver an additional net benefit of around £1.5 billion compared to a “do nothing” policy where the New and Replacement Obligation (NRO) is the sole obligation on energy suppliers relating to the installation of smart meters.