Launch of the Domestic Consumer Insight Tracker Survey

The Utility Regulator (UR) has today published the results of its first domestic Consumer Insight Tracker (CIT) which sampled over 1500 domestic consumers.

The survey is an important piece of research that will help us ensure that our regulation reflects consumer views and continues to protect consumers.  We intend to use the results to monitor, and have a better understanding of how domestic energy consumer experiences, attitudes and engagement with the energy markets change over time.

Some key headline results are:

• The majority of consumers spend between £30 and £59 per month for electricity in NI, which is in line with the UK average monthly spend of around £49 per month.
• The majority of respondents who have switched energy supplier have had a positive experience.
• Trust and satisfaction with suppliers is relatively high.
• Doorstep selling remains the most common way to switch, particularly amongst those aged 65+.

The survey also found that in general, domestic consumers have responded positively to outcomes of our regulation, including the introduction of competition, the extension of the gas network and the provision of consumer support services. This is particularly the case for those consumers who are engaged with the market. 

We intend to repeat the domestic survey every other year and plan to undertake a similar tracker survey with business customers later this year. In addition, the results of the survey identified some areas that we will explore further, which will be closely aligned with our wider consumer protection work.

Along with the survey results, we have also published the full CIT report. Any comments or queries in relation to this paper should be made to:

Copies of all documents can be made available in large print, Braille, audio cassette and a variety of relevant minority languages if required.