Research findings from qualitative message testing research to
understand how the rollout of smart-contingent contracts can be
communicated to non-domestic customers.
Communicating the rollout of
smart-contingent contracts (and associated policy changes) to
non-domestic customers: research report
Communicating the rollout of
smart-contingent contracts (and associated policy changes) to
non-domestic customers: technical annex
Communicating the rollout of
smart-contingent contracts (and associated policy changes) to
non-domestic customers: energy supplier toolkit
Details
From 1 September 2027, small businesses and public sector sites
in Great Britain that want to enter a new fixed term energy
contract with an energy supplier will need to agree to upgrade to
smart meters if they do not already have them.
Before this policy change, some energy suppliers were already
rolling out fixed term energy contracts that require small
businesses and public sector sites to have smart meters
(smart-contingent contracts). By requiring all suppliers to roll
out smart-contingent contracts from 1 September 2027, the
government has established common rules to ensure the process is
clear, consistent and fair for all organisations. More
information can be found in the government's response to
its consultation on the non-domestic smart meter rollout
post-2025.
This research was commissioned to identify how information on
proposed policy changes regarding smart-contingent contracts
could be communicated to non-domestic customers.
The findings report provides evidence on how to communicate
smart-contingent contracts to non-domestic organisations. The
insight in this report has been used to produce guidance in the
form of a communications toolkit for energy suppliers.
The toolkit document applies principles from the research to
create practical guidance for energy suppliers on how to
communicate smart-contingent contracts to non-domestic
organisations. The toolkit includes recommendations on content,
ordering, language, and presentation, and also provides a
template of communication that applies these principles in
practice for energy suppliers to use with their customers should
they wish to.
The technical annex outlines the methodological approach used in
this research.
This project was led by the Smart Metering Implementation
Programme. For further information, please contact smartmetering@energysecurity.gov.uk.
