Ofwat has confirmed Thames Water will change its policy for installing smart meters and make data from them freely available to retailers.
The regulator accepted the commitments made by the water company to address concerns raised that it breached competition laws by limiting access to such data. Ofwat has now closed the investigation and said Thames did not break competition law.
Ofwat had probed whether Thames had unfairly removed or limited access to water usage data used by retailers and third parties. This data is important for detecting leaks, helping retail customers use water efficiently and to issue accurate bills.
Thames offered commitments relating to meeting customer requests for loggable meters and to remove subscription charges for data services as well as to provide compensation where it had lost or damaged other parties’ equipment when changing meters.
These, Ofwat said, would ensure the company’s actions would not harm competition and give confidence to retailers that they can fairly access data.
Emma Kelso, senior director of markets and enforcement, said: “The package of commitments Thames Water has now put forward has addressed our concerns and will help rebuild trust with customers and other parties who rely on its services.
She said the investigation would offer useful lessons to other water companies as they rollout their own smart metering programmes.
Thames will be required to report regularly to Ofwat on how it is meeting the commitments.