Citizens Advice response to DESNZ’s Tariff Interoperability Consultation

Citizens Advice response to DESNZ’s Tariff Interoperability Consultation 195 KB

Citizens Advice welcomes the opportunity to respond to DESNZ’s consultation on Tariff Interoperability (TI) under the Smart Secure Electricity Systems (SSES) Programme. Standardising tariff pricing data is an important step in enabling consumer-led flexibility and helping households and small businesses benefit from smart energy services. Interoperability should make it easier for consumers to compare tariffs, switch supplier and make the most of energy smart appliances. However, these benefits will depend on broad market coverage. We raise concerns about the proposed exemption threshold for non-domestic suppliers, as this could exclude many small non-domestic consumers from the benefits of tariff interoperability and limit effective switching. We support making the list of registered Tariff Interoperability Users publicly available, as this will improve transparency and help consumers verify third parties before granting access to their tariff data. Overall, we support the direction of travel and encourage the government to ensure that implementation promotes inclusion, transparency and effective consumer protection across both domestic and small non-domestic markets.