elivery of the new switching arrangements will require a substantial data cleanse, population and migration exercise involving parties from across the industry. The Data Working Group will help ensure this is centrally coordinated and will also build data knowledge resilience into the programme.  The duties of the DWG include:

• Agreement and management of policies, risks and issues relating to data across the Switching Programme. This will include quantifying the impact of proposed data changes as well as identifying data risks and issues.
• Defining, prioritising and scheduling potential solutions to issues and tracking them to resolution.
• Monitoring the progress of data acceptance, migration and cleansing activities in accordance with the requirements of the design baseline and delivery plan
• Identifying and driving data related activities to support the operation of the market through transition.
• Reviewing and actioning recommendations resulting from any Change Requests that have an impact on data and data assurance commissioned by Ofgem.

The Data Working Group is open to all those in industry who are required to participate in data cleansing, data population or data migration as set out in the Switching Programme Design Baseline 4 and Ofgem’s open letter regarding near term improvements to address and meter data. This may include (but is not limited to) electricity DNOs and IDNOs, gas transporters and independent gas transporters, Code Bodies, existing central service providers, suppliers and agents. 

DCC, the System Integrator and CSS provider will also attend. Market participants are welcome to attend all meetings, or choose to attend specific meetings on the basis of the agenda.

Delivery of the new switching arrangements will require a substantial data cleanse, population and migration exercise involving parties from across the industry. The Data Working Group will help ensure this is centrally coordinated and will also build data knowledge resilience into the programme.  The duties of the DWG include:

• Agreement and management of policies, risks and issues relating to data across the Switching Programme. This will include quantifying the impact of proposed data changes as well as identifying data risks and issues.
• Defining, prioritising and scheduling potential solutions to issues and tracking them to resolution.
• Monitoring the progress of data acceptance, migration and cleansing activities in accordance with the requirements of the design baseline and delivery plan
• Identifying and driving data related activities to support the operation of the market through transition.
• Reviewing and actioning recommendations resulting from any Change Requests that have an impact on data and data assurance commissioned by Ofgem.

The Data Working Group is open to all those in industry who are required to participate in data cleansing, data population or data migration as set out in the Switching Programme Design Baseline 4 and Ofgem’s open letter regarding near term improvements to address and meter data. This may include (but is not limited to) electricity DNOs and IDNOs, gas transporters and independent gas transporters, Code Bodies, existing central service providers, suppliers and agents. 

DCC, the System Integrator and CSS provider will also attend. Market participants are welcome to attend all meetings, or choose to attend specific meetings on the basis of the agenda.

Delivery of the new switching arrangements will require a substantial data cleanse, population and migration exercise involving parties from across the industry. The Data Working Group will help ensure this is centrally coordinated and will also build data knowledge resilience into the programme.  The duties of the DWG include:

• Agreement and management of policies, risks and issues relating to data across the Switching Programme. This will include quantifying the impact of proposed data changes as well as identifying data risks and issues.
• Defining, prioritising and scheduling potential solutions to issues and tracking them to resolution.
• Monitoring the progress of data acceptance, migration and cleansing activities in accordance with the requirements of the design baseline and delivery plan
• Identifying and driving data related activities to support the operation of the market through transition.
• Reviewing and actioning recommendations resulting from any Change Requests that have an impact on data and data assurance commissioned by Ofgem.

The Data Working Group is open to all those in industry who are required to participate in data cleansing, data population or data migration as set out in the Switching Programme Design Baseline 4 and Ofgem’s open letter regarding near term improvements to address and meter data. This may include (but is not limited to) electricity DNOs and IDNOs, gas transporters and independent gas transporters, Code Bodies, existing central service providers, suppliers and agents. 

DCC, the System Integrator and CSS provider will also attend. Market participants are welcome to attend all meetings, or choose to attend specific meetings on the basis of the agenda.

Most energy switches run smoothly, but if things go wrong you may be eligible for automatic compensation under our guaranteed standards.

Am I eligible?

Automatic switching compensation applies from 1 May 2019. You are entitled if:

• you are switched to another supplier and have not requested the switch (sometimes called an ‘erroneous’ switch or transfer)
• a supplier is late refunding a credit balance following a final bill.

It does not apply:

• to switches that happened before 1 May 2019.
• to business energy customers.
• if an energy supplier has gone out of business.

If your supplier has gone out of business, the Ofgem Safety Net works to ensure any owed credit balance is protected. As part of the safety net process we will work with the new supplier we appoint to ensure credit is refunded as quickly as possible.

How much am I entitled to?

A supplier must pay automatic compensation to affected customers as below. Further compensation may be awarded if these payments aren’t made on time.

How will I get my compensation? Can I also make a claim?

Suppliers will automatically compensate you if they identify an issue, but you can also contact a supplier to make a claim.

Payments will be made by suppliers directly to your bank, by cheque or by issuing credit to your pay-as-you-go meter.

In some cases, the gaining supplier from an erroneous switch may contact you to confirm payment arrangements. This is normal, but always ask for further information before supplying your personal details. You can check the current supplier allocated to your property by contacting the Meter Point Administration Service. See Who is my gas or electricity provider?

How long will it take until I am refunded?

You should be refunded within 10 working days after the supplier fails to meet the guaranteed standard.

Anything else?

All suppliers must provide automatic switching compensation. Some suppliers have also signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee, which is a voluntary industry initiative. Find out more at energyswitchguarantee.com.

We will introduce further new standards to tackle delayed switches and late bills later in 2019.

If you have issues with switching compensation, follow the complaints steps below.

Further help

These are all the non-confidential documents submitted by National Grid Electricity System Operator to the Electricity Network Innovation Competition for the project entitled Black Start from Distributed Energy Resources upon which our decision to award...

Data is a currency and we are empowering consumers to realise the value of their energy data. Midata in energy will enable residential consumers to quickly, securely and easily share their energy data with trusted third parties.

Consumer energy data such as tariff name and consumption information is currently stored by energy companies in different formats and in varying quality. Accessing this data is often cumbersome and time-consuming for consumers. Moreover, there is no standard format for suppliers to export and share data with a consumer, so it is often unusable by comparison sites and other third parties.

Currently consumers see little to no benefit in accessing their energy data. Midata in energy will change this.

What is midata?

The midata in energy project is led by Ofgem and BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy), in collaboration with a range of government and business partners.

The midata framework will encompass:

• An open data standard to establish a set of rules to ensure that data being shared is consistent across all suppliers. This will include a dictionary to define the language around data fields, integration mechanisms, security and customer experience.
• An accreditation framework to ensure that data is only shared with trusted and appropriate third parties.
• Supporting operational arrangements to monitor compliance with the standard. A governing body will also allow evolution of the standard as innovation and demands require.

The resulting framework allows consumers to choose which accredited third parties can request data from their supplier instantly and autonomously. This could be one-off or recurring data requests, and consumers can revoke ongoing consent permissions at any time.

What products and services will midata enable?

Initially midata will focus on improving the tariff comparison process to increase switching and drive competition. Consumers will be able to share the data their current energy supplier holds on them with accredited third parties, such as Price Comparison Websites (PCW) and competitor suppliers. This will make the process of comparing suppliers and tariffs quicker and easier for consumers, while third parties will be able to provide more informed comparisons and recommendations to consumers. Consumers may also choose to provide ongoing consent, so PCWs can regularly check that they are on the most suitable deal .

Additionally, midata will support innovation by enabling services that may not have been possible before. We plan for the midata standard to evolve and expand over time, to support third party requests and facilitate more use cases for consumer benefit.

Who does midata apply to?

A new Standard License Condition (SLC) will require all domestic gas and electricity energy suppliers to adhere to the midata framework. Ofgem will ensure monitoring is in place to ensure compliance with the SLC, and take appropriate measures for non-compliance if needed.

Third parties who are keen to utilise the midata framework will be able to apply for accreditation from mid-2019.

How will we deliver midata in energy?

We are delivering the midata project in accordance with the following principles:

1. Open and transparent . The midata standard will be developed in a transparent manner. We will have a consultative and collaborative drafting process, which is in line with the Open Data Institute’s (ODI) Guidelines for developing open standards and the principles of open policy making. We will share our thinking early and often.
2. Lean and iterative. Content within the standards documentation will be as lean as is practicable, particularly for the first iteration. This will mean a balance between detailed specifications and principles-led guidelines, to ensure that there is sufficient standardisation without being overly prescriptive or stifling.
3. Empowered stakeholders. Stakeholders are critical to the success of the midata project. Our three working groups comprise a wide variety of representatives including energy suppliers, PCWs, and consumer groups. The working groups focus on consumer outcomes, industry delivery and standards development to collectively develop the midata framework.

The launch of the first iteration of the midata standard and the associated SLC change is planned for Autumn 2019.

Want to know more?

Find out more about the outputs of our working groups:

To sign up to our mailing list for regular updates or join a working group email consumerdata@ofgem.gov.uk.

Publications

Data is a currency and we are empowering consumers to realise the value of their energy data. Midata in energy will enable residential consumers to quickly, securely and easily share their energy data with trusted third parties.

Consumer energy data such as tariff name and consumption information is currently stored by energy companies in different formats and in varying quality. Accessing this data is often cumbersome and time-consuming for consumers. Moreover, there is no standard format for suppliers to export and share data with a consumer, so it is often unusable by comparison sites and other third parties.

Currently consumers see little to no benefit in accessing their energy data. Midata in energy will change this.

What is midata?

The midata in energy project is led by Ofgem and BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy), in collaboration with a range of government and business partners.

The midata framework will encompass:

• An open data standard to establish a set of rules to ensure that data being shared is consistent across all suppliers. This will include a dictionary to define the language around data fields, integration mechanisms, security and customer experience.
• An accreditation framework to ensure that data is only shared with trusted and appropriate third parties.
• Supporting operational arrangements to monitor compliance with the standard. A governing body will also allow evolution of the standard as innovation and demands require.

The resulting framework allows consumers to choose which accredited third parties can request data from their supplier instantly and autonomously. This could be one-off or recurring data requests, and consumers can revoke ongoing consent permissions at any time.

What products and services will midata enable?

Initially midata will focus on improving the tariff comparison process to increase switching and drive competition. Consumers will be able to share the data their current energy supplier holds on them with accredited third parties, such as Price Comparison Websites (PCW) and competitor suppliers. This will make the process of comparing suppliers and tariffs quicker and easier for consumers, while third parties will be able to provide more informed comparisons and recommendations to consumers. Consumers may also choose to provide ongoing consent, so PCWs can regularly check that they are on the most suitable deal .

Additionally, midata will support innovation by enabling services that may not have been possible before. We plan for the midata standard to evolve and expand over time, to support third party requests and facilitate more use cases for consumer benefit.

Who does midata apply to?

A new Standard License Condition (SLC) will require all domestic gas and electricity energy suppliers to adhere to the midata framework. Ofgem will ensure monitoring is in place to ensure compliance with the SLC, and take appropriate measures for non-compliance if needed.

Third parties who are keen to utilise the midata framework will be able to apply for accreditation from mid-2019.

How will we deliver midata in energy?

We are delivering the midata project in accordance with the following principles:

1. Open and transparent . The midata standard will be developed in a transparent manner. We will have a consultative and collaborative drafting process, which is in line with the Open Data Institute’s (ODI) Guidelines for developing open standards and the principles of open policy making. We will share our thinking early and often.
2. Lean and iterative. Content within the standards documentation will be as lean as is practicable, particularly for the first iteration. This will mean a balance between detailed specifications and principles-led guidelines, to ensure that there is sufficient standardisation without being overly prescriptive or stifling.
3. Empowered stakeholders. Stakeholders are critical to the success of the midata project. Our three working groups comprise a wide variety of representatives including energy suppliers, PCWs, and consumer groups. The working groups focus on consumer outcomes, industry delivery and standards development to collectively develop the midata framework.

The launch of the first iteration of the midata standard and the associated SLC change is planned for Autumn 2019.

Want to know more?

Find out more about the outputs of our working groups:

To sign up to our mailing list for regular updates or join a working group email consumerdata@ofgem.gov.uk.

Publications

Enforcement action can include provisional and final orders being made, where appropriate, for breaches of licence conditions and relevant requirements under the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989.

Provisional orders are made with the intention of bringing an end to a breach of a licence condition or other relevant requirement and addressing an urgent need to remedy harm caused by that breach.

Typically (although not always), a final order would be made at the conclusion of an investigation, whereas a provisional order is usually made at an earlier stage when there is a greater urgency to address a breach.

Circumstances in which a provisional order may be made include where a regulated person is not taking steps to secure compliance, where behaviour needs to be stopped urgently, or where consumers (or other persons) are suffering continuing harm.

For example, provisional orders have been used previously in the following circumstances:

• to prevent serious harm to customers of one energy company who were at risk of having their supplies cut off during cold weather
• to require an energy company not to disconnect customers and to provide the option of prepayment meters for customers in payment difficulties
• to require an energy company to lodge sufficient credit, pay any outstanding debts, and send us a business plan, updated monthly, on the measures it has taken to comply with industry code payment and credit requirements.

A provisional order will lapse if the Authority does not confirm it within three months of it being made. In contrast, once a final order is made, it does not need to be confirmed by the Authority to prevent it lapsing. The Authority does not have to undertake consultation prior to deciding whether to make a provisional order, but must consult before it decides whether to confirm a provisional order. The Authority must consult before it decides whether to make a final order.

The Authority need not make a final order, or make or confirm a provisional order, if the regulated person has agreed to take, and is taking, appropriate steps to comply with the relevant licence condition or requirement, or where the Authority considers that the breach is trivial.

If a regulated person fails to comply with a final order, confirmed provisional order or does not pay a financial penalty imposed on it by the Authority, we may decide to revoke its licence.

Further details in relation to our powers to make and confirm provisional and make final orders can be found in the Enforcement Guidelines.

Links to any current and past provisional orders can be accessed via the list below.