Electricity retailers and distributors will come under renewed regulatory scrutiny over how they engage with electricity customers and meet their needs, under national rule changes being proposed by federal energy minister Chris Bowen.
In a rule change request submitted to the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) last week, and shared publicly this week, Bowen has proposed the new “principles-based rule,” or set of rules, “to uplift the general standard for retailer engagement with customers.”
“This is to ensure that retailers not only comply with minimum engagement standards, but also make best efforts to tailor, where practicable, their engagement and communication practices to the individual needs and circumstances of customers.”
Bowen says the rule change request, backed by the Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council in May, originates from the Australian Energy Regulator’s review of payment difficulty protections, but is intended to apply to all customers, and not only those identified as experiencing hardship.
“The growing complexity of the energy market, alongside a diverse range of customer needs and circumstances, means retailer communication to, and engagement with, customers’ needs to be tailored, contextualised and responsive,” the rule change request says.
