Citizens Advice published its response to Ofgem's Smart Guaranteed Standards consultation on 29 May 2025, giving strong support to the regulator's plan to introduce new Guaranteed Standards of Practice for smart metering1.
The consumer body said smart meters represent a significant technical improvement over standard meters, and that consumers should expect a commensurate improvement in their rights and protections1. It added that enhanced rights and protections for consumers with smart meters would also enhance the appeal of having one installed1. The response sits alongside the wider work of the energy consumer bodies that handle household complaints and representation.
Citizens Advice framed the standards as a first step rather than a finished product. It said the next vital step is to ensure the new standards are robust, effective and do not shy away from tackling the core issues that consumers face with smart meters1. The response sets out three key issues for Ofgem and policy makers to consider: the accountability gap between energy suppliers and the DCC, transparency about what the problem is and who is responsible, and the definition of smart mode and the threshold for compensation1.
"Citizens Advice strongly supports Ofgem's decision to introduce new Guaranteed Standards of Practice for smart metering"
The DCC, or Data Communications Company, is the body that runs the national communications network linking smart meters to suppliers. The accountability gap Citizens Advice identifies concerns where responsibility sits when something goes wrong between the two. The response does not set out proposed compensation amounts, response times or a definition of smart mode; those details are not reported in the published response page1. Ofgem's own consultation proposals, including any proposed timescales and payment levels, are not reproduced in the Citizens Advice material1.
Why it matters for households
Guaranteed Standards of Practice are the rules that set out what a supplier must do, and what a household is owed, when something goes wrong. For smart metering, the open questions are practical ones: how quickly a faulty meter must be fixed, what counts as the meter working in smart mode, and who pays when the fault lies with the communications network rather than the supplier. The smart meter guaranteed standards determine how fast suppliers must fix faults, while the broader smart meter rules and supplier obligations cover installation and operation.
For a household, the difference between a meter that sends readings automatically and one that has reverted to manual operation affects billing accuracy and access to time-of-use tariffs, which in turn affect how much control a home has over its own energy costs. The accountability gap Citizens Advice raises matters because a household chasing a fault may not know whether to press the supplier or the network operator. The energy complaints and redress route depends on that answer. The Ofgem page sets out the regulator's remit, and the smart meter standards and accuracy page covers the technical requirements meters must meet.
What happens next
The Citizens Advice response is dated 29 May 20251. No date for Ofgem's decision, for the standards coming into force, or for any further consultation stage is given in the published response1.