Citizens Advice response to Ofgem forward work plan 2016-17

Citizens Advice response to Ofgem draft forward work plan, February 2016 [ 87 kb]

We welcome the opportunity to comment on Ofgem’s draft forward work plan 2016/17. We have reviewed the draft plan and are supportive of the activities set out. In our response we have commented on areas of relevance, particularly reflecting on overlap with our remit for energy. Areas that we think may be strengthened are identified and reasoning is given.

We recognise that the context in which this year’s plan has been drafted and will be delivered is one of significant change, and therefore advise that there is sufficient flexibility to adapt the plan following the output of key dependencies, and primarily the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) energy market investigation.

We also recognise that the over the next few years Ofgem will deliver a hugely ambitious reform plan, and for a sector that is not known for handling significant process change too well. We're aware of the individual complexity of programmes underway, such as half-hourly settlement, smart rollout, faster switching and project nexus, but also note the added level of complexity of delivering these programmes quickly and concurrently.