DCUSA Schedule 8 – Paragraph 13 Obligations – Rota Load Block Alpha Identifiers

Based on press reports over the past week or so (see, for example, The Times, Saturday 20th August and Sunday 21st August) that discussed the possibility of (ESEC) rota disconnections being applied at some point(s) this coming winter, an issue has we think been identified.

Checking with some internal colleagues and external stakeholders over the past few days, it appears that a number of suppliers (‘big’ and ‘small’) are not providing their ESEC rota disconnection block letter information on to customers’ bills.

Given this, we are concerned that some domestic suppliers may appear not be complying with their (DCUSA) obligation whereby, “during the 12-month period commencing on 1 October of each year, the User shall (where it is a Supplier Party) take reasonable steps to notify each Alpha Identifier provided to it in accordance with Paragraph 13.2 to the User’s Customers that have Customer Installations located within the relevant Postcode area”.

In the event that ESEC rota disconnection is enacted then the industry / Government, public messaging is (as Ofgem noted – see below) built around, amongst other things, this information being readily available to customers.

The apparent lack of this information being provided by suppliers will impede the benefits to customers and the wider industry that Ofgem identified, in May 2010, when it approved the requisite DCUSA change which, for example, noted that:

“Should DNO and IDNO Parties ever be required to implement rota disconnections, the proposed [DCUSA] variation will ensure customers have access to their alpha identifier and can be easily directed to it through the media, for example”
DCP 010 (ofgem.gov.uk)