Steve Brown MD discusses the importance of competition

Competition is good for everyone.  It encourages business innovation, drives efficiency, rewards customer-centricity and gives consumers greater choice, and lower prices. Without competition there is little incentive to change the status quo.  At IMServ we passionately believe in the benefits of the free-market for both consumers and businesses.  However, we are increasingly concerned that current government policy relating to energy metering and data services threatens to erode competition.

So, on behalf of our customers, we have taken action and recently formed the ‘Association of Independent Meter and Data Agents’ (AIMDA)* together with our peers.

The heart of the issue is that Government consultations continue to question the optimal operating model for delivering energy metering and data services to end user customers. AIMDA aims to preserve effective competition for the benefit of the customer. We believe that centralising energy metering and data services will stifle innovation and cost effectiveness for the business community because competitive markets provide the most efficient and effective delivery of energy metering and data services.

What are we doing:

• lobbying OFGEM and BEIS to influence government policy making, and so preserve effective competition for the benefit of the customer in the markets for energy metering and data for business users.
• calling for open access to the Data Communications Company to ensure that individual businesses can continue to offer settlement services and preserve the ability to keep competition and choice for customers; not a single provider but multiple service providers to choose from.

 The primary objectives of AIMDA are:

• To preserve and promote competition within the electricity and gas markets and in particular for (i) the provision of half-hourly settlement and (ii) advanced metering products and services within Great Britain and
• To collectively address regulatory and legal changes to the electricity and gas markets for in particular (i) the provision of half-hourly settlement and (ii) advanced metering products and services within Great Britain.