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Guidance Notes

CONTENTS

Long Term Vacant Sites

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Long Term Vacant Sites

Guidance Note

Summary

This document covers:

    • What is a Long Term Vacant Site?

    • Do Suppliers have to Classify Sites as Long Term Vacant?

    • What criteria must be met to classify a site as Long Term Vacant?

    • Does a Supplier have to do anything to Continue Classifying a Site as Long Term Vacant?

    • When Must a Supplier Cease Classifying a Site as Long Term Vacant?; and

    • What Readings are used at the Start and End of the Process?

    • How Will Suppliers’ Classification of Long Term Vacant Sites be reviewed by the BSC Audit?

    • How will NHHDCs know how to use ‘Site Visit Check Codes’ Correctly so that Sites are Identified as Long Term Vacant Accurately?

    • How does the Long Term Vacant Site Process Interact with other Industry Processes?

What is a Long Term Vacant Site?

Where a Non Half Hourly Metering System is registered in the Supplier Meter Registration System (SMRS) as energised, it may be classified as Long Term Vacant, provided it meets certain criteria. This will allow the Supplier to have a zero Estimated Annual Consumption (EAC) figure entered into Settlement.

Do Suppliers have to Classify Sites as Long Term Vacant?

Suppliers don’t have to classify sites as Long Term Vacant; the process is optional. However, if a Supplier wants to classify certain sites as Long Term Vacant, they must adhere to the processes in BSCP504: Non Half Hourly Data Collection for SVA Metering Systems Registered in SMRS.

1. Qualifying conditions

    • The Supplier must have received two D0004 - ‘Notification of failure to obtain reading’ flows, with the data item J0024, ‘Site Visit Check Code’ populated with ‘02’ - ‘Site not occupied’1. These must be received more than three calendar months apart, but less than seven months apart.

    • The Supplier must not have received a D0004 with the J0024 data item populated with anything other than the following codes in between the receipt of these two D0004 flows;

02 – Site not occupied

18 – Unsafe premises

19 – Call not made on routine visit

20 – No access

28 – Unable to gain access due to Insufficient address details

    • The Supplier must not have received Meter Register Readings for the Metering System which indicate consumption;

    • There must be no sign of consumption on the site.

2. Proactive attempts - The Supplier must make proactive attempts to obtain a meter reading, and retain a record of the attempts.

Examples of actions that could be considered to be proactive attempts are:

    • Extra attempts to contact the owner through multiple ways e.g. telephone, post, email;

    • Attempting to contact the local estate agent or local authority; and

    • If the Supplier also supplies the gas, checking for a similar situation with gas consumption.

3. General Conditions - The site must be energised according to the SMRS to qualify as a Long Term Vacant site under BSCP504.

The start date for the Long Term Vacant period cannot be set at a date which has already passed Final Reconciliation (RF).

Does a Supplier have to do anything to Continue Classifying a Site as Long Term Vacant?

The criteria for continuing to classify a site as Long Term Vacant are similar to those for the initial classification, they include:

1. Qualifying conditions

    • The Supplier must continue to receive D0004 flows, with the ‘Site Visit Check Code’ populated with ‘02’ - ‘Site not occupied’ at least once every seven months;

    • The Supplier must not receive a D0004 from the Non Half Hourly Data Collector (NHHDC) with the J0024 data item populated with anything other than the following codes since the site was registered as Long Term Vacant:

02 – Site not occupied

18 – Unsafe premises

19 – Call not made on routine visit

20 – No access

28 – Unable to gain access due to Insufficient address details

    • The Supplier must not receive Meter Register Readings for the Metering System.

2. Proactive attempts

    • The Supplier must continue to make proactive attempts at least once every seven months to try and obtain a meter reading.

When Must a Supplier Cease Classifying a Site as Long Term Vacant?

As soon as any of the conditions above are not met, or the Supplier receives information indicating there is consumption on the site, it must stop classifying a site as Long Term Vacant and instruct the NHHDC to enter a non-zero EAC into Settlement. If the Supplier receives a meter reading for the site, it must also stop treating it as Long Term Vacant. The end date for the site’s treatment as Long Term Vacant varies according to the circumstances.

What Readings are used at the Start and End of the Process?

In some cases, for instance if a customer has closed an account, an actual reading may be available for the start of the Long Term Vacant period. If not then the NHHDC should deem a reading.

Where a site has previously fallen out of the process due to a warrant reading being obtained, this reading can be used for the start of the new Long Term Vacant period.

The reading used for the end of the Long Term Vacant Site period may also be either an actual reading or a deemed reading, depending on the reason for the site having exited the process.

If an actual reading taken at the end of the process indicates that a deemed reading at the start of the process was incorrect the deemed reading may be withdrawn – as long as that reading has not passed RF.

How Will Suppliers’ Classification of Long Term Vacant Sites be reviewed by the BSC Audit?

The treatment of Long Term Vacant sites is included within the scope of the audit.

The BSC Audit will not address the Supplier’s individual classification of sites as Long Term Vacant; instead, it will assess the validity of a Supplier’s process of classifying sites as Long Term Vacant.

How will NHHDCs know how to use ‘Site Visit Check Codes’ Correctly so that Sites are Identified as Long Term Vacant Accurately?

NHHDCs should use the J0024 in the D0004 dataflow to inform Suppliers if a site is vacant. Only Site Visit Check Code ‘02’ can be used to initially identify a Long Term Vacant site, because Site Visit Check Code ‘20’ may indicate short-term vacancy. On the other hand, if a Site Visit Check Code of ‘20’ follows one of ‘02’, this does not provide strong enough evidence that the site is now occupied, so the site can remain in the LTV process. Because of this distinction, it is particularly important that Site Visit Check Codes ’02’ and ‘20’ are populated correctly in the D0004.

This section provides guidance on how each of these Site Visit Check Codes should be used.

Use of the Site Visit Check Code 02 (site not occupied)

Site Visit Check Code 02 should be used only where there is clear evidence that the site is vacant, which should include at least one of the following:

    • Property is derelict;

    • Site is boarded up;

    • No furniture / fittings;

    • Uncollected post;

    • New property that is empty.

The additional information field should be used where possible to give more details, such as “Estate Agent phone number”.

Note that Site Visit Check Code 02 should not be used if there is evidence of the following;

    • Energy is being consumed on the site, including meter advances on a gas meter that is accessible (use Site Visit Check Code 20 instead);

    • Site has been demolished (use Site Visit Check Code 35 instead);

    • Site is suspected to be demolished (use Site Visit Check Code 34 instead);

    • Site is unmanned e.g. a mobile phone mast (use Site Visit Check Code 37 instead);

    • Site is a Holiday let, (use Site Visit Check Code 20 instead);

    • Site is undergoing building works and is uninhabited, (use Site Visit Check Code 20 instead).

Use of Site Visit Check Code 20 (no access)

Site Visit Check Code 20 should be used when the site appears to be occupied but:

    • There is no answer when calling;

    • Site is a Holiday let and nobody is in;

    • Site is undergoing building works and is uninhabited;

    • Site appears to be inhabited.

The additional information field should be used where possible to give more details, such as “Estate Agent phone number”.

Note that Site Visit Check Code 20 should not be used in the following circumstances:

    • No access as De-energised (use Site Visit Check Code 04 instead);

    • Property demolished (use Site Visit Check Code 35 instead);

    • Site is suspected to be demolished (use Site Visit Check Code 34 instead);

    • Site is unmanned premise e.g. mobile phone mast (use Site Visit Check Code 37 instead);

    • Meter is blocked and cannot read display use Site Visit Check Code 22 instead);

    • Customer will not allow access to meter (use Site Visit Check Code 21 instead);

    • Premises are locked and there is no key or code to gain access (use Site Visit Check Code 38 instead);

    • Site is unsafe and unable to access meter (use Site Visit Check Code 18 instead).

How does the Long Term Vacant Site Process Interact with other Industry Processes?

Sites in the Long Term Vacant process should not be treated any differently to any other sites. Other industry processes such as Gross Volume Correction can still be applied in the usual way.

Related Links

Further information can be found in BSCP504 on the BSC Website

Need more information?

For more information please contact the BSC Service Desk or call 0370 010 6950.

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1 The full set of check codes comprise the J0024 valid set and are set out in the Data Transfer Catalogue (DTC).