Retailer Roadmap actions
Retailers have four actions (R1-R5) allocated to it in the Strategic Panel's Roadmap to a Flourishing Market. Find out how retailers are progressing with these below.
Each action is assigned a red, amber or green (RAG) status depending on its progress. The definition of the RAG status is as follows:
- Green – on schedule, no concerns OR delivered and under review
- Amber – flagged because an issue has been encountered that may or may not delay the completion of the action
- Red - delay or issue identified that is preventing delivery to schedule
| Action | Latest update | End date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
R1. Notify businesses of recently occupied vacant sites An enduring process of retailers sending out notifications to replicate the awareness push at market opening for companies that may have missed this at the time so that all customers who are eligible for the market are in it. |
October 2025: MOSL has reached out to retailers as part of its engagement program to understand how this is being managed. Anecdotally, some retailers rely on their verbal communications pre-contract and reinforce these with their standard terms and conditions. Others have referenced sending "welcome to the market" emails.
August 2025: The Strategic Panel has asked MOSL to request current communications sent to new customers from retailers in order to understand how these compare to those issued at market opening.
June 2025: There are obligations in Schedule 1, Part 3 of the Wholesale Retailer Code (WRC) Operational Terms (v25.0), Process H7 (Vacancy incentive scheme) that require retailers to contact the customer who has occupied a vacant premises and inform it that it will be billed as a non-household customer. Similarly the Retail Exit Code (REC) (section 4.1) requires retailers to write to customers within 2 months of commencement of supply informing them of the market and their right to switch retailer. Options for confirming this activity may fall within MOSL's market audit function. |
31 March 2026 |
Flagged |
|
R2. Issue end contract notices Retailer licences require retailers to inform customers as they approach the end of their contract, what their consumption has been, what tariffs they are on, what services they have received and how much they have paid for them so that they can exercise their option to compare prices and service and chose an alternative supplier and (if they are no longer on the deemed rate) are not at risk of remaining on high standard variable rates. Licence changes to be driven by Ofwat. |
October 2025: See Ofwat action O6 - Retailers are continuing to submit compliance statements under the CPCoP, and Ofwat has found no new compliance issues. The requirement remains in effect and under ongoing monitoring. No changes to report since the previous update.
August 2025: No change from June.
June 2025: No change from April 2025: Ofwat is gathering annual statements of compliance with the CPCoP from retailers. Any non-compliances will be investigated by Ofwat and instances of enforcement communicated as appropriate. Panel is monitoring the impact of this on the customer base through market indicators. |
31 March 2027 |
Delivered and under review |
|
R3. Self-certify compliance with list of fields/information to be included on or with customer bills Retailers to self-certify their compliance to providing the agreed information on or with customers’ bills. Customers should clearly understand their tariffs, consumption, contract end dates and their retailers obligations so they can base their choice of supplier on accurate information. |
October 2025: See Ofwat action O6 - Retailers are continuing to submit compliance statements under the CPCoP, and Ofwat has found no new compliance issues. The requirement remains in effect and under ongoing monitoring. No changes to report since the previous update.
August 2025: No change from June.
June 2025: No Change from April 2025: CCW will monitor compliance with the Customer Protection Code of Practice (CPCoP) requirements through complaints (see roadmap action C1). Ofwat is gathering annual statements of compliance with the CPCoP from retailers. Any non-compliances will be investigated by Ofwat and instances of enforcement communicated as appropriate. Panel is monitoring the impact of this on the customer base through market indicators. |
31 March 2027 |
Delivered and under review |
|
R4. Retailers offer tariffs to incentivise demand side response nationally Retailers and wholesalers to work more closely with each other to deliver financially viable smart retailer tariffs (enabled by smart technology) which allow customers to manage their demand more efficiently by offering time or volume based incentives to any of their sites. |
October 2025: Based on information shared at the User Forum and Panel Open Forum, the Baringa report identifies tariff reform as key to driving efficiency, recommending removal of bulk-use discounts in favour of flat or dynamic tariffs that reflect water scarcity. It calls for coordinated implementation using smart meter data, national rollout of smart meters and standardised data sharing so retailers can offer real-time pricing and tailored incentives to reduce peak or excess use.
September 2025: The Strategic Panel funded RWG to enage Baringa to develop a report into how customers might be incentivised to become more water efficient. The RWG Water Efficiency Sub-Group presented an initial summary of the findings and sought additional input at the September Strategic Panel meeting, with these views to be shared and discsused at the Open Panel in September.
June 2025: Tariffs that could drive demand reduction are currently restricted by: rigid caps under price controls, high complexity and inconsistency in wholesale tariffs, a regulatory framework focused on customer protection rather than behavioral incentives, and a weak retail price signal relative to the wholesale component. This action implies a metric by which the retailers can prove that their customers have reduced demand and claim a subsidy. These factors together limit the market’s ability to use pricing as a tool to reduce water consumption. The Baringa report commissioned by the RWG is expected to provide more insight into this action and will be presented to the Panel in September. |
31 March 2028 |
On schedule |
|
R5. Share accurate, granular consumption data Granular consumption data can be paired with customer segmentation data and shared so that conclusions around the efficient use of water can be made by the retailer and other retailers and appropriate actions can be taken with the customer. |
October 2025: See progress on Smart Meter Read Hub P3.
August 2025: The Strategic Panel allocated funding to the Smart Meter Read Hub Programme to standardise smart meter data access, reduce market complexity, and support future tariff and settlement needs for the non-household water market. The hub, which will be managed by MOSL and CGI, is now fully mobalised and on track for Phase 1 delivery by March 2026, with development beginning in September 2025.
June 2025: This is dependent on Strategic Panel action P3 (Smart Meter Data Hub). |
31 March 2029 |
On schedule |
The table above includes the most recent three updates for each action. If you would like to view a full list of past updates please contact panel.secretariat@mosl.co.uk. For more information on how other stakeholders are progressing with their actions, please follow the links below.