Domestic supplier-customer communications rulebook reforms
Consultation
- Upcoming
- Open
- Closed (awaiting decision)
- Closed (with decision)
- Publication date
- Closing date
- Industry sector
- Supply and Retail Market
For consumers to get the maximum benefit from the market today, and in the future, it is essential that they have the right information, in the right format and at the right time, to enable them to understand their costs and consumption, to access and assess their options and to take action where needed. Supplier-customer communications play a critical role in delivering these outcomes. But there is room to improve how suppliers currently communicate with consumers. We also need to ensure that our rules support and enable clear communication of new time-of-use tariffs and demand response initiatives.
We intend to rely more on overarching rules (principles) and remove detailed prescriptive rules where this can help to deliver better results for consumers. We expect this will provide better protection for all consumers, including the vulnerable, foster an environment where they get engaging, informative and useful communications, and provide room for suppliers to innovate. This will also put the onus on suppliers to understand the needs of consumers, and tailor their communications accordingly.
This policy consultation sets out an ambitious package of proposed reforms to the supply licence rules relating to customer communications. We are proposing to introduce a suite of five new narrow principles to supplement the existing Standards of Conduct and SLC 25 informed choices principles, and to remove prescription in priority areas such as the Bill, Price Increase Notice and Statement of Renewal Terms.
Respond name
Fiona Cochrane-Williams and Katherine Harris