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Suppliers will be allowed to trial alternatives to the in-home display unit (IHD), such as smart phone apps, as part of the smart meter rollout, the government announced today.
The move, in response to consultation, is designed to gather evidence on whether IHDs are the most effective way of engaging customers with their smart meters. Critics argue that IHDs are fast becoming redundant as new and alternative technologies emerge.
Announcing the right for suppliers to offer time-limited trials of alternatives today (February 4), energy minister Lord Bourne said: “We’ve listened to stakeholders who have told us that they want to give their customers the choice in how they engage with their energy use. That’s why we are allowing energy suppliers to introduce trials of alternatives to the In Home Display – such as smart phone apps – so we can ensure our decisions meet the needs of consumers across the country.”
The government will publish guidance on the IHD-alternative trials in mid-March, with the licence changes necessary to facilitate them due to come into force on July 1. Suppliers will have until the end of September to apply to run trials, and the resulting evidence must be submitted to the government by September 2017.
Where a trial has been unsuccessful, suppliers will be expected to offer an IHD as soon as possible. On the back of evidence from the trial, Decc said it would consider introducing a backstop requirement in any future licence conditions so that all consumers on any unsuccessful trials receive the offer of a relevant engagement tool. Also, the licence conditions will require suppliers to offer an IHD to those consumers who exit a trial early to change energy supplier.
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