Scotland’s new action plan aims to empower energy consumers

It intends to establish an independent Consumers Commission ‘to give consumers a more powerful voice’ in Scotland and Britain’s energy policy

Scotland

The Scottish Government has unveiled a new action plan which aims to empower energy customers.

The Energy Consumer Action Plan has been developed in collaboration with an expert advisory group that included consumer groups, academics as well as Ofgem.

Some of the actions include the establishment of an independent Consumers Commission “to give consumers a more powerful voice” in Scotland and Britain’s energy policy and the development of a charter committing signatories to address consumer issues.

It also intends to introduce duty on public authorities to place people’s interest at the heart of policy and regulatory decision-making and invest in supporting new approached to tackle energy affordability through its new Improving Consumer Outcomes Fund.

In addition, the Scottish Government says it will explore ways to provide more holistic support to vulnerable energy consumers, including making it easier to access priority support and providing more help for consumers with energy debt.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon adds: “As the energy market continues to evolve, we need to ensure that it is more responsive to people’s needs and interests. If we are to influence consumer behaviour in the future we need to build trust – and ensure that the system puts people first.

“That’s why today, the Scottish Government is publishing our Energy Consumer Action Plan. It sets out what we will do to ensure better outcomes for consumers, in our energy market.”

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