Citizens Advice responds to Ofgem's new smart meter rules

Responding to Ofgem’s new smart meter rules, Gillian Cooper, Director of Energy at Citizens Advice said:

“We know smart meters improve customer experience and help lower bills, but only if they’re working properly. There are still over 3 million meters which aren’t operating in smart mode.

“These new protections should mean people get a quicker diagnosis of the problems they may be experiencing from their supplier. 

“However, there is a missed opportunity here. Without also introducing standards for suppliers to fix these meters in a timely way, consumers will remain stuck with a worse energy service and be potentially out of pocket. It’s vital that Ofgem takes forward these requirements as soon as possible.”

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Notes to editors:

• Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.

• Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. 

• Citizens Advice helped 2.71 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2024-25. And we had 44 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.

• Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 19,500 trained volunteers, working at over 1,900 locations across England and Wales.

• Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers. 

You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.