We will publish our revised Consumer Vulnerability Strategy in 2019. It will build on the earlier work of our previous strategy during 2013-2019, Social Action Plan and Social Action Strategy. Please contact us if you would like to provide input.
What is the Ofgem Consumer Vulnerability Strategy?
Our strategy has two roles:
- To guide Ofgem’s approach to understanding vulnerability – through evidence, research and market analysis – to help us set our priorities, develop and implement interventions and assess their effectiveness.
- To guide our expectations of supply and distribution companies to embed consideration of consumer vulnerability when they design and deliver products and services.
The new Consumer Vulnerability Strategy will outline our approach for the next 5-6 years. With regards to this, currently we have:
- Completed an initial phase of comprehensive stakeholder engagement with consumer experts and other stakeholders in England, Wales and Scotland.
- Published an Open Letter which outlines the work we have done so far to update the strategy and sets out next steps.
How we define Vulnerability
We define vulnerability as when a consumer’s personal circumstances and characteristics combine with aspects of the market to create situations where they are:
- significantly less able than a typical consumer to protect or represent his or her interests in the energy market
- significantly more likely than a typical consumer to suffer detriment, or that detriment is likely to be more substantial
Through the publications and update feed below you can access our publications and outputs produced in relation to the Consumer Vulnerability Strategy.