Multi-utility metering and market deregulation in the UK

The gas and electricity markets in the UK have undergone significant change with the introduction of competition into many areas of the industry. The development of competition has also applied to metering, although the time-scale for its development has been slower than that of energy supply. There is little doubt that competition in metering will develop and this will result in the development of multi-utility metering. The one big question is when multi-utility metering will happen on a large scale. This is most likely to be dependent upon the developments in supply competition and the regulators view of the future of metering organisations. While there is uncertainty regarding the timing of full competition, metering organisations can make the best use of the current environment to gain limited experience of multi-utility operations in preparation for fuller competition