WIREDGOV

Ofgem has recently launched a consultation on its Consumer Vulnerability Strategy which seeks to bring the energy industry and consumer groups together to help protect consumers.

Ofgem’s proposals recognise that there are many different factors that might make someone vulnerable, where they might find it difficult to engage with the energy market or pay their bills. These factors might include the characteristics or capacity of the individual (such as limited numeracy or having physical health issues), their circumstances (for example having become unemployed or suffered a bereavement), or the way the services were purchased (e.g. if there is excessive pricing complexity). In considering a broader range of contributing factors and how to identify these, it will mean that help could be offered to these consumers at an earlier stage and regulatory interventions could be targeted more effectively. This improved understanding would help inform all of Ofgem’s work.

This proposed new strategy builds on Ofgem’s longstanding Social Action Strategy and ties in with the ongoing Retail Market Review, which aims to make the energy market simpler for all consumers.

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