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SSEN’s advisory board chair is challenging DSOs to rethink how close they are to customers, as we round up our recent series of reports produced with the network on the future of the operator.
1 year ago
6 years ago
Yorkshire Water's rejection of Ofwat's final determination on its 2020-2025 business plan, triggering a referral to the CMA, has lit the touch paper on what was already an explosive situation. But will the fire spread? Ruth Williams investigates whether the company's concerns represent a wider rebellion across the sector.
The new chief executive of Ofgem has pledged to crack down on “sharp practice” in the energy retail sector and promised networks a squeeze on the cost of capital. Jonathan Brearley also vowed to change the perception of the regulator as overly concerned with short-term cost-cutting at the detriment of future investment. And, he insisted the fears around the potential pitfalls of the energy price cap have so far proven to be misplaced.
CCW has warned water retailers to "get their act together" as complaints remain higher than before the market opened, despite falling for a third successive quarter.
Smart technology company Moixa will conduct an electric vehicle (EV) charging trial to help drivers deliver flexibility to the UK’s energy system and reduce emissions. Moixa's technology will be integrated with Dutch firm Alfen's EV chargers, creating tailored charging plans for consumers.
The government has rejected calls to beef up its target of getting all homes to the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C standard by 2035 - while signalling that its own heat policy road map will be published “very soon”.
British Gas owner Centrica is expected to report a dip in profits after being hit by the price cap when it posts its preliminary results on Thursday. Meanwhile there are reports that Sarwjit Sambhi, head of its consumer business, is the front-runner in the contest to take over from Iain Conn as chief executive.
Lower wholesale costs have seen a £17 reduction in both the default and pre-payment meter (PPM) caps, Ofgem has announced. The energy regulator has also provided a breakdown of how the cap is calculated.
Ofgem has announced it is minded to allow SSE to claim a last resort supply payment of up to £711,000 for costs incurred when it took on the customers of failed supplier Brilliant Energy. The claim is, among other things, to cover the cost of customer credit balances.
Ofgem says it is pushing back a consultation on its plans to demand suppliers protect a minimum of 50 per cent of customer credit balances. Other measures as part of a wider supplier licensing review will go to consultation in the Spring as planned. One industry source described the review as a detailed way to "lock the regulatory stable door well after the irresponsible small supplier horse has bolted".
Citizens Advice is proposing to include email and social media response times into the customer service metric for its star ratings table for energy retailers. The charity issues a quarterly star ratings table which measures the customer service performance of energy suppliers.
The trade body has put forward 14 steps for the government to take in the upcoming Budget and energy white paper, including using general taxation to fund a national energy efficiency programme. It also calls for low-carbon heating trials, incentives for large-scale energy storage projects and “urgent clarity” on UK carbon pricing.
Citizens Advice has set out a number of options for a potential successor to the default price cap in energy. They include mass opt-out collective switching, the creation of a backstop supplier for disengaged customers and the implementation of a “price to beat”
This year, the UK will host arguably the most important climate summit since the landmark
Excellence in service is about communicating with customers using their preferred channel - not yours. Denise Chevin looks at best practice in perfecting the omni-channel experience.
