Colin Griffiths

Policy lead on smart @CitizensAdvice. Work on smart meter rollout, data benefits/privacy, usability, consumer experience, AI IoT etc. All tweets own opinion

[Tom Brooke Bullard @Tbrookebullard]

With energy bills set to rise by £150, new @citizensadvice research finds that one in four people are so concerned about the rising price of energy this winter that they could be forced to turn their heating or hot water off. A thread👇

[Colin Griffiths @ColinGriff]

I've written a quick blog looking at what needs to be done by suppliers & our new Government to ensure that the smart meter rollout delivers on its promise as we approach the start of the post-2025 framework: https://t.co/bDXI09zf1o

[Colin Griffiths @ColinGriff]

Ofgem taking "operating in smart mode" more seriously. Good start but only captures the tip of the "smart metering kit working" iceberg that needs addressing: Our research found 20% regularly giving manual meter reads & 31% having In Home Display problems https://t.co/IO4OqPOaVU

[Jonny Tatam-Hall @JonnyTatamHall]

Today, energy prices will fall by 7%.

But that won't lift many of the people we help with debt out of a negative budget - where their income can’t cover their essentials.

Spending 7% less on energy bills would only have lifted 1% of the people we help with debt out of the red.

[Citizens Advice Energy @CAenergypolicy]

Today we’re publishing an open letter calling on Ofgem not to remove their ban on Acquisition-only Tariffs, alongside a coalition of consumer groups and energy suppliers: https://t.co/8Ppbj5oe4J

[Alex Belsham-Harris @AlexBH_Energy]

This change will give small comfort to the millions of families who are still in the red due to cost of living pressures - and prices are forecast to rise again later this year. We want to see better targeted energy bill support for those who need it most.

[Energy Live News @EnergyLiveNews]

Nearly 20% of smart meter users manually submit readings

Citizens Advice reports millions of UK households face issues with smart meters, urging new rules for suppliers to fix faults promptly to prevent unexpected bills
#smartmeters #energyusage #UKenergy
https://t.co/5wbsSQikjn

[Guardian news @guardiannews]

Almost a third of household smart meters not working properly, says Citizens Advice https://t.co/oCu2MnqU4N

[Colin Griffiths @ColinGriff]

We need to fix the "accountability gap" between suppliers and the DCC where each blame the other for a portion of issues leaving consumers stuck in the middle and ensure all suppliers sign up to replace faulty IHDs even if they're over a year old - 5/5 https://t.co/TLpGdV6vDz

[Colin Griffiths @ColinGriff]

Today we launched our new report into the smart meter rollout based on surveys with 4,000 energy consumers. You can (and probably should) read the whole thing here: https://t.co/TLpGdV6vDz but the below thread will offer a quick summary of the toplines. 🧵1/5

[Colin Griffiths @ColinGriff]

So how to fix this? We need smart-specific consumer rights to incentivise suppliers to keep smart metering kit working. Measures to reduce the allowable back-billing period for smart meters from 12 months to 6 and promptly address issues with non-functioning smart equipment - 4/5

[Colin Griffiths @ColinGriff]

Glad to see Government taking this seriously. Worth noting that the "smart mode" stats are very much the tip of the iceberg for working smart metering equipment. Far more than 10% of consumers are facing issues (watch this space for our forthcoming research showing the scale)

[Claire Coutinho @ClaireCoutinho]

Smart meters can help families benefit from better deals, and 90% of them work correctly.

But for the 10% that don’t, I’m not complacent. We have got suppliers to offer better protections & I'm considering further steps to speed up compensation and hold suppliers to account.

[Alex Belsham-Harris @AlexBH_Energy]

Great new report out today 🔋this chart of how net zero costs could impact families is key - and within each group there will be significant variation based on individual energy usage. We’ve called for better targeted bill support for those at most risk https://t.co/tcRm9WJZI2

[Citizens Advice Energy @CAenergypolicy]

‘I was hoping to get a mortgage in the next couple of years and get on the property ladder, but that’s down the pan now… At this point I feel like giving up.’ Nik’s story shows the harm court action for energy debt can cause - @ofgem must put better protections in place

[Alex Belsham-Harris @AlexBH_Energy]

Energy debt has risen sharply over the past year, and our new @CitizensAdvice report looks at the experience of people who owe money to their supplier. We’ve identified some key problems, like unaffordable repayment plans, and emerging risks from the use of court action 1/4

[Colin Griffiths @ColinGriff]

This is welcome. Sadly the definition of not working in smart mode only covers meters that have been offline for a LONG time & the "all reasonable steps" licence conditions include a clause saying "unless it's a signal problem". Consumers need more rights to working smart kit.

[Martin Callanan @MartinCallanan]

The vast majority of smart meters work correctly, helping people save on their bills, but some suppliers are not doing enough to ensure consumers can access these benefits.
Today I have written to @ofgem and called on them to hold underperforming energy suppliers to account.

[Colin Griffiths @ColinGriff]

Smart meters are for the long-term. Replacing broken displays only in the first 12 months totally undermines the benefits case. Most big suppliers have signed up to replace them after 12 months but not British Gas (as reported on by @harveydorset9)

https://t.co/J5xeceizUP

[Colin Griffiths @ColinGriff]

Excellent news coming out of @energygovuk - most suppliers have now signed up to best practice on replacing non-functioning smart meter IHDs when they're more than a year old. A huge win for consumers who need to keep track of their energy use: https://t.co/nCgtZB5BQq