Consumer network access, core capacity

Abstract:

This document is a report for citizens advice by CAG consultants, in association with Timur Yunusov and Jacopo Torriti.

In December 2018 Ofgem launched a Significant Code Review (SCR) looking at access and forward-looking charging arrangements. Amongst other things it is seeking to clarify "access rights and choices for small users".

Ofgem is considering the concept of minimum "core access" in its proposals. "Core access" (if it can be defined) is an amount of capacity that cannot readily be flexed and that provides for consumers' basic needs. Capacity-based (or time of use energy-based) charging might mirror this concept by considering an affordable level of "core access"

Citizens Advice is participating in the SCR and has commissioned this work to better understand the concept of core access, and understand what it means for consumers. Citizens Advice posed three key questions for this research:

In the same order, we address these questions through:

The evidence points to a basic core capacity of around 2-3kW, characteristic of low income consumers. However, this research simply looks at current capacity usage, and has not examined the factors contributing to capacity use. Further work is required to understand whether low income consumers are using enough electricity to meet their basic needs - it is possible that the 2-3kW figure reflects suppressed demand.

1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Deriving capacity limits
4. Implementation
5. Conclusions and further work

Publication Year:

2019

Publisher:

CREDS

DOI:

No DOI minted

Author(s):

Snodin, H., Torriti, J. and Yunusov, T.