National Energy Action (NEA), the fuel poverty charity, published its response on 10 May 2025 to Ofgem's consultation on Supplier Guaranteed Standards of Performance for smart meters1. The charity said it welcomes the proposals to enhance the consumer experience of smart meters, particularly the focus on post-install aftercare and remedy1.
NEA said it has continually advocated that Ofgem uses and enforces its existing regulatory controls in this area, to better support, engage and protect consumers through the rollout, and described the consultation as a positive and significant step towards that end1. The response is built around three themes: ensuring vulnerable and fuel-poor households are supported through the smart meter rollout and enabled to access the smart-enabled future energy market; the need to prioritise and provide clear communication to vulnerable households through all stages of the install and remedy journey; and the need to consider consumer detriment against the feasibility and mandated pace of smart meter remedy standards1.
"NEA welcomes the proposals to enhance the consumer experience of smart meters, particularly the focus on post-install aftercare and remedy."
The charity set out what it sees as the benefits of the rollout for low-income households. It said the capacity of smart meters to end estimated billing, to provide greater control over personal energy use, and to make payment for pay as you go energy much more convenient are key aspects of the rollout for fuel poor households1. It added that many low-income consumers ration their energy use, particularly during the winter, due to fear of a shock bill, and that smart meters will help put consumers in control of the energy they are using and give them clear oversight of the cost1. NEA also said smart metering is a central part of the journey towards a more flexible energy system, where consumers can access time-of-use tariffs and participate in flexibility schemes1.
The consultation itself, and Ofgem's response to it, have not been reported in the material available. The dates of any final decision, and the standards that will apply once decided, have not been reported.
Why it matters for households
Guaranteed standards of performance set the service levels suppliers must meet, and the remedies owed to households when they are missed. The smart meter guaranteed standards are the rules that govern how quickly a supplier must act when an installation goes wrong or a meter stops working, and what a household can expect in return. NEA's response focuses on the period after installation, when problems such as a meter that does not communicate or an in-home display that does not work can leave a household without the information the meter was meant to provide. For a home trying to track and control its own energy use, a meter that is installed but not functioning delivers none of the benefits NEA describes, which is why the remedy stage carries weight for energy independence.
The charity's second theme concerns communication with vulnerable households at every stage of the install and remedy journey, and its third raises the question of whether the pace at which remedy standards are mandated is feasible, and how consumer detriment should be weighed against that pace1. Both bear on how long a household may wait for a fault to be put right. The existing supplier obligations and the time limits for fixing a faulty meter are set by Ofgem, and any change to them would apply across suppliers.
What happens next
NEA's response is dated 10 May 20251. No date for Ofgem's decision, and no detail of the final standards, has been reported.