Suppliers irritated by ‘double’ smart reporting

by Brendan Coyne

Initial proposals for smart meter rollout reporting have been described by suppliers as “overly bureaucratic” and “another example of duplication” between regulator and government. Suppliers are also irked at being asked to set rollout benchmarks ahead of the full smart meter specification.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) is consulting on rollout monitoring and regulatory reporting. It aims to introduce licence conditions in December to ensure suppliers are deploying in accordance with its plans. Suppliers will need to set their own annual deployment targets and report on them to Decc, with the first “voluntary” reports due in August.

Following the consultation, Ofgem said it would consult on any additional information it may require. The regulator would try to align its requests with Decc’s, but warned that it may not always be possible.

Ofgem also said it would indicate by next June what kind of penalties suppliers might face for missing their rollout milestones.

One supplier said it was “unclear what additional information would be needed by Ofgem that is not already being asked for by Decc”. The company said it was “overly bureaucratic” and duplicated work by government and regulator.

SSE said both had jumped the gun. “We’re still waiting for the full smart meter specification, so it seems a bit early to be setting benchmarks,” said a spokeswoman.

Energy UK said “any new reporting structure should be … flexible, to allow suppliers to change their plans as they learn lessons from their rollout … as well as being consistent”.

This article first appeared in Utility Week’s print edition of 22 June 2012.

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