The Energy Theft and Tip Off Service (ETTOS) is the final element in a project to allow suppliers to improve the identification and detection of energy theft.
Implementation of the service comes after Electralink, which provides governance services and a regulated data transmissions service to the gas and electricity market, launched its Theft Risk Assessment Service (TRAS) in April 2016.
Electralink chief executive Stuart Lacey said: “The ETTOS project, as well as the earlier delivery of the back-end Theft Risk and Assessment Service (TRAS), covered both gas and electricity, requiring changes to industry codes, co-ordination between suppliers, and implementation of the data analytics service.
“We’ve demonstrated that significant cost savings for consumers can be achieved by using existing industry bodies to complete large change and IT projects such as these, and we’re proud to have delivered on time and on budget.”
The project was awarded to Electralink by industry code companies SPAA and DCUSA in 2014 and marks the first time that the industry has partnered with an external body such as Crimestoppers to work on a customer facing project of this scale.
Electralink has managed the procurement of data analytics provider Experian, as well as the project co-ordination of multi-party IT service providers and suppliers. It will also be responsible for the long term management of the contracts and service provision, including change management.
Ofgem has said that the annual cost to the public of energy theft is £440 million, but tampered and bypassed meters also increase the risk of fire and explosions.