UKRN cross-sector project: Making better use of data

Correspondence and other

Ofgem has been collaborating with Ofwat and the UK Regulators Network (UKRN) to explore how making better use of data can help identify customers in vulnerable situations across the energy and water sectors.

The UKRN report "Making better use of data: identifying customers in vulnerable situations" has now been published.

In the report we:

  • Highlight positive collaboration already taking place between water and energy companies to better identify customers who might be in a vulnerable situation. 
  • Explore how companies can make better use of data and work towards sharing non-financial vulnerability data across sectors. 
  • Set expectations for companies on how we'd like to see them move forward with this work and how we as regulators will contribute to and monitor developments.

We think there is scope for water and energy companies to work more closely together, pooling their knowledge and insight, to better support consumers in vulnerable circumstances. Energy and water companies are already collaborating, but we want them to go further.  We envision a future where greater cross sector collaboration and better use of customer data can improve the experience of customers who find themselves in a vulnerable situation through more targeted identification, better quality interactions and more varied support offerings. 

Building up to the publication of the report, the UKRN published an open letter in January 2017 to give an update to stakeholders on the progress of the first phase of our work and set out our next steps for the new year. 

A series of blogs have been published, to provide a continuing update for stakeholders as the team moved towards publishing the findings report in October 2017.

  • January 2017 - Dermot Nolan's blog accompanied the open letter.
  • April 2017 blog – engagement with industry stakeholders.
  • August 2017 blog – engagement with third party stakeholders and report update.