The landscape for energy consumers is changing rapidly, due to new technology, demographic changes, and public pressure. The nature of consumer protection must change too. In the short term, Ofgem is implementing a price cap for default energy consumers to ensure disengaged customers can get a fair deal. Longer term, we are exploring further possibilities for transforming the energy market, including breaking up the dominant supplier hub model, and delegated switching alternatives. We are also using new methods to ensure that consumer behaviour and needs are fully taken into account, for instance through randomised controlled trials of proposed interventions and better use of the wide range of available datasets.
Joe Perkins is chief economist and partner for analysis. He is responsible for Ofgem’s analytical strategy and quality assurance, and analysis of potential energy sector developments. He leads Ofgem’s economics profession, promoting the quality of economic analysis across Ofgem, and represents Ofgem economics in external forums. Joe joined Ofgem in 2016. He was previously director for regulation, consumers and competition at the National Audit Office, and has worked as an economist at HM Treasury and Oxford University.
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