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Utilita is being investigated by the energy regulator in relation to how it deals with meter alerts and how it manages its response to them.
Ofgem said it is investigating whether Utilita is in compliance with several of its electricity supplier Standard Licence Conditions (SLCs) relating to operational capability and the Retail Energy Code, as well as matters relating to electricity meters and the theft of electricity.
‘Meter alert’ is a generic term for all the alerts a supplier receives in relation to a customer’s energy meter.
An alert can arise from a variety of situations including when a meter has been tampered with, when a customer is off supply, when emergency credit is activated, when a customer is in negative credit and needs to activate emergency credit, when credit has been added and when a power outage has been detected.
There is no detail of exactly which meter alerts Utilita is being investigated for.
Commenting on the matter, a spokesperson for the pre-payment specialist supplier told Utility Week: “The regulator is examining how we are assessing and dealing with meter alerts and how we manage our response to them.
“We are working collaboratively with Ofgem on the matter to address its concerns.”
Meanwhile, Ofgem stressed that the opening of the investigation does not imply that it has made any findings of non-compliance by Utilita.
Founded by chief executive Bill Bullen in 2003, Hampshire-based Utilita provides power to more than 830,000 customers, the majority of which (92%) have a smart meter installed.
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