Communicating the rollout of smart-contingent contracts to non-domestic customers
Research findings from qualitative message testing research to understand how the rollout of smart-contingent contracts can be communicated to non-domestic customers.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
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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.