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Energy bills to come with compulsory QR barcodes | Energy bills to come with compulsory QR barcodes |
(about 5 hours later) | |
Energy bills are to come with compulsory Quick Response (QR) codes to help people switch supplier more easily, the government says. | Energy bills are to come with compulsory Quick Response (QR) codes to help people switch supplier more easily, the government says. |
The barcodes, which can be scanned by smartphones and tablets, will let customers upload tariff and consumption data directly from their bills. | The barcodes, which can be scanned by smartphones and tablets, will let customers upload tariff and consumption data directly from their bills. |
They could then feed this information into price comparison websites to make sure they are on the best rate. | They could then feed this information into price comparison websites to make sure they are on the best rate. |
Energy UK said suppliers were already helping customers find better deals. | Energy UK said suppliers were already helping customers find better deals. |
The government hopes its plans will encourage the development of smartphone apps that let consumers swipe their phone over an energy bill to read data such as tariff and consumption. | The government hopes its plans will encourage the development of smartphone apps that let consumers swipe their phone over an energy bill to read data such as tariff and consumption. |
The data could then be automatically uploaded to price comparison sites, to let consumers look at deals from other energy suppliers. | The data could then be automatically uploaded to price comparison sites, to let consumers look at deals from other energy suppliers. |
"We're determined to make energy markets work better for consumers - and despite all the evidence showing that QR codes on bills would make a real difference to people, energy companies still haven't done anything about it," said energy minister Ed Davey. | "We're determined to make energy markets work better for consumers - and despite all the evidence showing that QR codes on bills would make a real difference to people, energy companies still haven't done anything about it," said energy minister Ed Davey. |
Energy companies have not voluntarily included QR codes on bills, so the government wants to modify energy licences to make it a condition that companies use the codes, it said. | Energy companies have not voluntarily included QR codes on bills, so the government wants to modify energy licences to make it a condition that companies use the codes, it said. |
The energy sector said that it was already working hard to streamline tariffs and encourage customer choice. | The energy sector said that it was already working hard to streamline tariffs and encourage customer choice. |
Industry body Energy UK said its latest figures indicated that a quarter of a million customers switched energy supplier in February, representing around one-in-a-hundred customers. | |
"New rules, coming in by April, will help customers find their best deal by providing more information to help compare deals," it added. | |
By 31 March, there will be a new tariff comparison rate in pence per kilowatt hour, to enable people to compare prices quickly, Energy UK said. | By 31 March, there will be a new tariff comparison rate in pence per kilowatt hour, to enable people to compare prices quickly, Energy UK said. |
People will get a personal projection on bills which will give an estimate of future charges, and there will be tariff information labels, so people can compare key facts about tariffs. | People will get a personal projection on bills which will give an estimate of future charges, and there will be tariff information labels, so people can compare key facts about tariffs. |