General Data Protection Regulation

Subject access requests (SARs) under General Data Protection Regulation (2018) give an individual the right to obtain a copy of their personal data as well as other supplementary information. It helps individuals to understand how and why an organisation is using their data, and check if the organisation is doing it lawfully.

Access to personal information

What you need to provide us with:

• a timeframe you need the information for,
• your full name, and
• your original signature (not needed for online and email requests).

If you would like to make a Subject Access Request please email FOI@ofgem.gov.uk (or ECO@ofgem.gov.uk if the request is related to ECO schemes) or alternatively, write to us at:

Freedom of Information

Freedom of Information Officer

10 South Colonnade

Canary Wharf

London

E14 4PU

You can also contact us to make a SAR request in an oral format on 020 7901 7295.

In most cases there will be no fee associated with a subject access request.

We endeavour to complete a SAR within the statutory one calendar month limit, or within three calendar months under a permitted extension, starting from the first working day after which the request was received. 

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) will be available from 1 January 2020. Some suppliers may already have information available on their websites about their participation in the SEG.

SEG Licensees (electricity suppliers) are obligated to publish their status as a SEG Licensee where it is easily accessible, so it is assumed that Generators will be able to find this information easily.

Generators should contact SEG Licensees in the first instance for information on the SEG. 

Please visit our contacts page to find details on contacts within Ofgem.

For a full list of our publications, visit the publications library.

The smart export guarantee (SEG) is an obligation set by the government for licensed electricity suppliers to offer a tariff and make payment to small-scale low-carbon generators for electricity exported to the National Grid, providing certain criteria are met.

The SEG comes into force on 1 January 2020.

Who’s the SEG for?

The SEG is an opportunity for anyone who has installed one of the following technology types up to a capacity of 5MW, or up to 50kW for Micro-CHP:

• Solar photovoltaic (solar PV)
• Wind
• Micro combined heat and power (CHP)
• Hydro
• Anaerobic digestion (AD)

These installations must be located in Great Britain.

How does the SEG work?

The SEG Licensee is required to put processes in place to pay for the electricity exported by the eligible installation and to report to Ofgem on installations under the SEG arrangements.SEG Licensees determine the rate they will pay, contract length and other terms. However, whilst wholesale electricity prices can sometimes fall below zero, SEG Licensees must always offer a tariff that remains above zero. SEG payments must be calculated by SEG Licensees using Export Meter Readings.

Need help?

Visit our page for generators if you are thinking of applying for the SEG.

If you are an electricity supplier, visit our electricity suppliers page [link].  

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) enables small-scale low-carbon generators to receive payments from electricity suppliers for electricity exported to the National Grid, providing certain criteria are met. The SEG starts on 1 January 2020.

Which technologies are eligible for SEG?

There are five eligible low-carbon technology types. These are:

1. Solar photovoltaic (solar PV)
2. Wind
3. Micro combined heat and power (CHP)
4. Hydro
5. Anaerobic digestion (AD)

These installations must be located in Great Britain and have a total installed capacity (TIC) of no more than 5MW, or no more than 50kW for Micro-CHP.

What other eligibility requirements are there?

In order to guarantee a tariff from a supplier, generators will need to meet the following criteria:

• The installation will need a meter capable of measuring the electricity exported to the grid at half-hourly intervals. 
• Solar PV, Wind and micro-CHP installations up to 50kW should be installed by a certified installer on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or an equivalent scheme.
• AD and Hydro installations, and Solar PV and Wind installations above 50kW should meet the same standards as those required by an MCS or equivalent scheme.
• AD installations will need to meet sustainability criteria and feedstock restrictions, administered by Ofgem.

In addition, generators will not be entitled to SEG payments if they are receiving FIT export payments.

How do I apply?

All generators with an eligible installation will need to apply to a SEG Licensee for payment for electricity exported to the National Grid. 

Please note that there is no requirement for the SEG licensee to be the same company as your energy supplier. You can choose to use separate companies for your SEG export payments, electricity supply and your gas supply if you wish.

What tariff will I receive and how long will I receive SEG payments for?

The details of SEG payments, including the amount of money received and the length of the contract, will be determined by the supplier you apply to. However, whilst wholesale electricity prices can sometimes fall below zero, SEG licensees must always offer a tariff that remains above zero. Generators are also entitled to payments based upon actual meter readings, even if some suppliers offer deals with alternative payment models. 

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) requires certain licensed electricity suppliers to offer a tariff and make payment to small-scale low-carbon generators for electricity exported to the National Grid, providing certain criteria are met.

These suppliers have specific obligations under Conditions 57 and 58 of the Standard Conditions of the Electricity Supply Licences (“the SLCs”).

All licensed electricity suppliers are required to participate in declaring their SEG status on an annual basis.

Becoming an SEG Licensee

Licensed electricity suppliers are only obligated to provide SEG payments to generators if they are confirmed to be an SEG licensee.

By 14 February of each SEG year all licensed electricity suppliers must notify Ofgem whether in the next SEG Year they will be a:

• Mandatory SEG licensee, if they have at least 150,000 domestic electricity customers as at 31 December of the immediately preceding year. These licensees are obligated to offer payment to certain eligible generators.
• Voluntary FIT licensee, if they have fewer than 150,000 domestic electricity customers and elect to participate in the SEG arrangements.
• Non-SEG licensee, if neither of the above apply. Non-SEG licensees can still make export payments to generators, but will not be bound by the SEG arrangements.

The status will then apply for the duration of the relevant year (1 April – 31 March) in which they enter.

Note that for the first SEG Year running for the period 1 January – 31 March 2020, Ofgem will set up a process for licensees to advise Ofgem of their status under the SEG during that year.

Need help?

We will provide guidance on the role of licensed electricity suppliers in Autumn 2019.

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) will be available from 1 January 2020. Some suppliers may already have information available on their websites about their participation in the SEG.

SEG Licensees (electricity suppliers) are obligated to publish their status as a SEG Licensee where it is easily accessible, so it is assumed that Generators will be able to find this information easily.

Generators should contact SEG Licensees in the first instance for information on the SEG. 

Please visit our contacts page to find details on contacts within Ofgem.

For a full list of our publications, visit the publications library.

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…

Notice of grant of a gas supply licence.

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.