Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how her Department assesses the likely effectiveness of alternatives to in-home displays in changing consumer behaviour when applications for derogations to provide such alternatives are considered.

DECC has committed to publish guidance to support energy supplier applications for derogations to trial alternatives to in-home displays with smart meter consumers. This will include a pro forma capturing the information required to consider the merits of those trial applications. The Government’s response to the consultation setting out the derogation proposals indicated that applications will need to, among other things:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/497078/IHD_Policy_Framework_Licence_Conditions_Post_Consultation_Decisions_Final_for_Publication.pdf.

• Demonstrate a reasonable expectation that the alternative approach will lead to regular and sustained engagement with energy consumption information and in turn energy savings;
• Provide full details of the trial proposed including details of the customer journey and engagement tools, the trial design, the research questions, research methods to be used and the approach to assuring the trial is robust in design and delivery;
• Justify the size of trial necessary to provide robust and sufficiently precise findings; and,
• Set out how they will communicate information on the alternative to consumers in a clear and intelligible way, ensuring it is appropriate to the consumers it is offered to.