Wednesday 6 November 2019

Ofgem seeks evidence on households not connected to power network

Ofgem has launched a call for evidence to gather information on households that are not connected to the electricity distribution network.

The regulator said there may be a number of households across Britain without access to the power network and while some consumers may choose not to be connected to the electricity grid, others may not be connected due to factors outside of their control.

It added: “Supporting and protecting consumers in vulnerable situations is a key priority for Ofgem and we are concerned that being off-grid could be an issue impacting vulnerable consumers or a contributing factor to vulnerability.”

Ofgem therefore wants to get a better understanding of the issue in order to establish what can be done, both in the short term and in the development of policy for RIIO-ED2, the next price control for network companies running the gas and electricity transmission and distribution networks.

It is seeking the information stakeholders hold on a number of households not connected to the network, the socio-economic characteristics and geographical distribution of such households, their proximity to the grid and whether those that are living without a connection are in vulnerable circumstances or at risk of vulnerability.

The call for evidence is open until 2nd December 2019.