MOSL, the market operator for the retail water sector, is inviting expressions of interest from subject matter experts to join working groups to address the issue of long unread meters.
MOSL, the market operator for the retail water sector, is inviting expressions of interest from subject matter experts to join working groups to address the issue of long unread meters.
The nomination period has been opened following the publication of MOSL’s Long Unread Meters (LUM) report, which was sent to Contract Managers on 12 July and discussed during the July User Forum. The report has now been made publicly available by MOSL.
According to MOSL, since the opening of the water retail market in April 2017 customer complaints to water retailers have increased significantly.
Long unread water meters have been identified as a potential driver for customers not receiving accurate and timely bills, resulting in increased market friction and customer dissatisfaction, the report says. It also says that for the market to run efficiently “timely and robust consumption data is essential.”
However, while progress has been made in this area it has been not at the rate required, or committed to by most companies as part of their data improvement plans submitted at the end of 2018.
Introducing the report, MOSL said:
“This report should be used as a springboard for increased focus on the issue of long unread meters. More must be done by retailers and wholesalers to address their performance in this area and work with industry to better understand the challenges faced across the market.
“PwC’s recently published Market Audit goes some to outline the biggest challenges but is vital that we work closely with trading parties to see real and effective improvement.
“We are now in the third year of the market, and we must not be complacent in delivering continued evolution and progress in terms of improving the quality and visibility of data.”
The report shares key insights and reviews work completed to-date in identifying the scale of the problem and potential root causes. This report also acts as a call to action for all parties to focus their efforts in addressing this long-standing market issue.
Tackling the issue of long unread meters in the market was outlined as a priority area in MOSL’s Market Performance Operating Plan (MPOP) 2019/20. As part of our recommendations in the LUM report, we are keen to establish working groups with industry representatives with the view to getting a better understanding of underlying issues. These working groups will focus on eight themes which will include skip codes, meter reading provision and read validation.
MOSL’s Interim Head of Market Performance and Operations, Andrew Howorth, said:
“Long unread meters have consistently been identified as a driver for customers not receiving accurate and timely bills. This has resulted in increased market friction and customer dissatisfaction in the second year of the open market. If we are truly committed to delivering better outcomes for customers and improving trading party performance and accountability, we must accelerate both the pace and impact of planned improvement initiatives outlined in the MPOP.”
Click here to download MOSL - Long Unread Meters Report
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