The Central Switching Service was introduced in July 2022, allowing consumers to move to a new energy supplier within five working days, according to Smart DCC, the company that operates the national smart meter communications network1. The change applies to switching in Great Britain; the announcement does not set out separate arrangements for Northern Ireland, where the gas and electricity market is organised differently.
The service sits alongside the smart meter rollout that underpins it. Energy suppliers began installing first generation smart meters, known as SMETS1, from 2011, but those devices did not always allow a household to change supplier without losing the automatic sending of meter readings1. Interoperable second generation meters, SMETS2, were introduced in 2018 for all new installations, backed by an upgrade scheme to migrate existing SMETS1 meters onto the DCC network1. In 2020 a dual-band communications hub became available, addressing connection problems in buildings such as blocks of flats or where walls are very thick, and raising network coverage from around 70 per cent of properties to an expected 96.5 per cent1.
Smart DCC states that further improvements are planned:
"The Central Switching Service was introduced in July 2022, which meant consumers could move to a new energy supplier within five working days; future improvements will mean that ultimately this switching process will be completed in as little as 24 hours."
The same page notes that with smart meters it is easier for consumers to switch supplier and track usage, with compatibility "maintained or restored during the process"1. It does not give a date for the 24-hour target, and no completion date for that improvement has been reported.
| Change | Date given |
|---|---|
| First generation smart meters (SMETS1) rollout begins | 20111 |
| Second generation meters (SMETS2) for all new installations | 20181 |
| Dual-band communications hub available | 20201 |
| Central Switching Service introduced | July 20221 |
Why it matters for households
Switching supplier is one of the few direct levers a household has over what it pays for gas and electricity, and the length of the process has long been part of the calculation. A five working day window shortens the period in which a home sits between two suppliers, which is when billing queries and disputed final readings tend to arise. The switching process, its timing and how debt affects it are set out in more detail elsewhere on this site.
The link to smart meters is practical rather than administrative. A meter that keeps sending readings after a change of supplier means bills on both sides of the switch rest on measured use rather than estimates, and the new supplier starts with a record of consumption rather than a blank. Households wanting to know whether supply is interrupted during a change can read our guide to whether switching disrupts supply, and those who change their mind have a cooling off period and, in some circumstances, the ability to cancel a switch without a penalty.
For energy independence in the household sense, meaning a home's ability to control and verify what it uses and pays, the significance is that the meter, not the supplier, holds the record. That record survives the switch. It also supports time-of-use tariffs, which Smart DCC describes as enabled by smart metering and dynamic pricing1, though it notes that the effect on consumption "may vary depending on incentives" and that current policies and industry challenges "may not always lead to lower energy consumption for all consumers"1.
What happens next
Smart DCC says future improvements will ultimately bring the switching process down to as little as 24 hours, without giving a date1. Its future roadmap is published on its network updates page1. No further timetable for the Central Switching Service itself has been reported.
Sources1 cited
- What are smart meters? | Smart DCC, smartdcc.co.uk