Refreshing our Consumer Vulnerability Strategy

Overview

We are consulting on our proposals for a refreshed Consumer Vulnerability Strategy.

Who should respond

Everyone is welcome to share their views and help us develop the updated strategy.

We particularly encourage responses from:

• consumer groups
• charities
• suppliers
• network companies
• consumers

Background

In 2013, we published the first Consumer Vulnerability Strategy, which explored the complex nature of vulnerability and set our definition of it. In 2019, we updated the Strategy due to the widespread changes in the energy market.

Since then, the energy sector has gone through significant upheaval. The resulting price rises have been especially hard for consumers in vulnerable situations.

We want to refresh our Strategy to reflect a rapidly changing sector and evolving social and economic environment.

Our proposals

We want to make our strategic outcomes more specific. We have proposed outcomes for each theme in the Strategy. We have also said how we will measure the success of these outcomes.

We propose having an annual meeting with energy suppliers where they show how they are helping consumers in vulnerable situations. After these meetings, we would publish our findings to share good practices and encourage innovation.

Before you start

For more details and background information, see:

• Consumer Vulnerability Strategy 2025
• Consultation paper: Consumer Vulnerability Strategy Refresh (PDF 572 KB)

Why your views matter

We want to achieve positive outcomes for consumers in vulnerable situations by:

• refocusing our priorities
• refocusing the industry’s priorities
• improving company cultures
• building collaborative ways of working

Your views will help us focus on work that has the most value for consumers in vulnerable situations.

What happens next

This consultation has now closed. We are analysing all responses we have received. Once analysed, we will publish a summary of the non-confidential responses.