Consumer Consent Solution

Giving consumers control of their energy data

The Consumer Consent Solution (CCS) is creating a safe, trusted and consistent way for consumers to decide who can access their personal or sensitive energy data.

Think of it as Open Banking, but for energy.

Whether you’re comparing energy tariffs, using a smart energy app or signing up to a flexibility service, CCS gives you one consistent way to give, manage and withdraw permission for your data to be shared.

Why it matters

Today, organisations ask consumers for permission to access and use their energy data in many different ways. This can make it difficult to understand:

What personal energy data is and why it’s protected
Who data is being shared with
Why data is being collected
How long the data will be used for
How long consumers have to change their mind or withdraw their consent

The Consumer Consent Service (CCS) provides a single, trusted approach to manage consumer consent. It makes energy services simpler and more transparent for consumers, while providing organisations with a consistent and trusted framework for requesting, managing, and respecting consumer permissions.

What this means for consumers

Consumers will benefit from:

Clearer explanations before sharing data
Greater control over permissions
An easy way to review or withdraw consent
More confidence in data-driven services
Access to innovative products and services.

Depending on the service they choose, CCS will help consumers access smarter tariffs, improve energy efficiency and participate in flexibility services.

What this means for industry

Benefits for data users include;

One consistent way to request and record consent
Greater confidence that valid consent exists
Reduced costs and duplicated consent processes
Faster development of innovative energy services
Increased consumer trust and confidence
Clear governance, assurance and participation requirements.

Organisations using the CCS will remain responsible for meeting their legal, regulatory, and data protection obligations.

The solution will not:

Store or transfer energy data itself
Replace an organisation’s website, app or customer journey
Decide whether consumers should give permission
Give organisations unrestricted access to energy data
Allow data to be accessed or used for purposes the consumer hasn’t agreed to
Replace participating organisations’ legal, regulatory or data-protection responsibilities.

Who is involved?

Consumers

Choose who can access their energy data, why they need it and how long permission lasts.

Authorised Third Parties

Energy suppliers, third-party intermediaries and service providers who request permission to deliver products and services (outside of any licensed activities).

Energy Data Holders

Hold the relevant energy data and ensure valid permission is in place before providing it.

RECCo

RECCo is responsible for designing, delivering and governing the CCS. We work with industry to develop the service, set the rules for participation, security and assurance, and oversee its implementation through the Retail Energy Code.

Stage one scope and future roadmap

CCS is being rolled out in stages. First, it will support domestic half-hourly smart meter data (electricity & gas), creating a trusted foundation for managing consumer permission. Future updates may extend CCS to support additional data, services and participants as the energy market evolves.

What will be available in the first release?

The first version of CCS focuses on delivering a trusted permission service for a defined set of energy data sharing arrangements, including:

Domestic consumers
Domestic half-hourly smart meter data
Initial approved energy data use cases
Participating authorised organisations
A consistent way to give, manage and withdraw permission.

Future enhancements

As the energy market evolves, CCS has been designed to support future expansion. This could include supporting:

Non-domestic consumers and businesses
Additional types of energy data
New consumer services and use cases
More participating organisations
Further improvements to the consumer experience and trust framework.

Future phases may consider expanding CCS to support additional datasets, non-domestic consumers, new use cases and wider market participation, subject to future policy decisions, consultation and governance.

Where we are in the journey

Design consultation

February - March 2026

Six week industry consultation and supporting webinars.

Detailed design development & further engagement

Spring - Summer 2026

Reviewing feedback and refining the detailed CCS design. Publish the REC drafting consultation, while continuing to engage with stakeholders.

Build & implementation

October 2026 - March 2027

Development, testing and phased implementation to the planned Minimum Viable Product.

MMP launch

April 2027

CCS goes live with domestic half hourly metered data sharing use cases.

Tariff data launch

November 2027

Phase 1b of the Tariff Interoperability project goes live.

The above dates are a guide. We’ll keep you informed as plans are confirmed.

What's coming up

Get involved in future engagement and play your part in developing the Consumer Consent Service.

Engagement to date

We’re building CCS with the industry. Over the past 12 months, we’ve engaged with more than 927 stakeholders through 108 meetings, working groups, webinars, events and industry forums. These conversations have brought together a diverse range of organisations and experts, including consumer groups, energy companies, technology providers, policy specialists, banking, flexibility and the wider smart data ecosystem. We’re committed to keeping that collaboration going.

In February 2026, we launched a six-week consultation involving organisations from across the energy industry. We asked participants what they needed from the service and invited feedback on the proposed design.

Thank you to everyone who took part. Your feedback has directly informed the next stage of the programme. You can still download the original consultation pack here and read all stakeholder responses to the consultation here. On 28 May, we published our response to the CCS Design Consultation here.

The next phase will focus on developing the detailed CCS design, operational artefacts, and draft REC legal text, with continued stakeholder engagement through working groups and bilateral discussions.

Get involved

As we move into the next phase, we’re encouraging new and existing stakeholders to join the conversation, share their expertise and help shape the future of CCS.

We want to hear from:

Energy suppliers
Third-party intermediaries and energy service providers
Consumer and vulnerability representatives
Data and technology specialists
Privacy, legal and compliance professionals
Other organisations that use or manage consumer energy data.

Coming up

From August 2026, we’ll run further open sessions and consultations where stakeholders can ask questions and provide feedback.

We’ll publish:

REC Drafting Consultation, supported by webinars and engagement sessions
Updates on the CCS design, delivery approach and timetable-FAQs, guidance and technical information
Opportunities to review proposals and provide feedback