Citizens Advice published its response to Ofgem's statutory consultation on smart meter Guaranteed Standards of Performance on 13 September 2025, stating that it "strongly support[s] Ofgem's decision to introduce new Guaranteed standards for smart"1. The charity said it had called for smart-specific standards in its 2024 report Get Smarter, and welcomed "Ofgem's commitment to introducing new standards as quickly as practicable"1.
Guaranteed Standards of Performance are the licence conditions that set fixed payment levels to customers when suppliers miss specified service levels. The smart meter guaranteed standards proposed by Ofgem would extend that framework to smart meter installation and fault repair, a step Citizens Advice said it had sought for some time1.
"Our core goal in calling for Guaranteed Standards for smart meters is to ensure that consumers consistently see the promised benefits of smart meters and that their reputation not be undermined due to poor user experience."
The response also said the charity was "glad to see Ofgem addressing several of the issues raised in our initial consultation response in this new document"1. The published response document runs to 124 KB and is dated 13 September 20251. The specific standards, payment amounts and timescales Ofgem proposes are not set out in the published response text, and the outcome of the consultation has not been reported1.
Why it matters for households
Smart meters are meant to give households accurate bills without manual readings, and to support time-of-use tariffs and home energy monitoring that let a household see what it is using and when. Those benefits depend on the meter being installed correctly and continuing to work. Where a meter loses connection, or an in-home display stops updating, the household can be left with estimated bills and no visibility of its own consumption.
Guaranteed Standards matter because they attach a defined remedy to a defined failure, rather than leaving the household to pursue a complaint. The existing supplier obligations on smart meters sit alongside the general complaints and redress route through suppliers, Citizens Advice and the Ombudsman. A smart-specific standard would add a payment trigger where service levels are missed, which is the mechanism Citizens Advice says it wants in order to make the promised benefits consistent1.
For a household weighing up whether a smart meter supports its own energy independence, the practical question is what happens when the equipment fails. The consultation response does not state what the new standards would cover, what payments would be made, or when they would take effect1.
What happens next
Ofgem's consultation is statutory, and Citizens Advice has now filed its response1. The date on which new standards would come into force, and their final content, have not been reported1.