Customers

Editor's Picks

Can DSOs put the customer first?

Can DSOs put the customer first?

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

‘Why is Boris Johnson on the PSR?’

1 year ago

Smart meter installations fall to lowest level in years

1 year ago

Trust in water sector hits all-time low

1 year ago

Local energy plans must be funded to ensure a just transition

1 year ago

Latest

Partnerships can open doors closed to utilities

5 years ago

Hackers steal 400,000 energy customers’ data

5 years ago

Suppliers issued with warning over incorrect backbilling

Energy retailers have been issued a warning after various consumer bodies found a number of suppliers are incorrectly charging customers for unbilled usage beyond the 12-month cut off point.

5 years ago

CMA cases informing PR24 approach to engagement

5 years ago

Business Stream prepares backstop against coronavirus losses

Scottish Water has made financial support of up to £88 million available to Business Stream to mitigate the impact of coronavirus. It comes as the water retailer reported an operational loss of £14 million for 2019/20, down from a profit of £0.3 million the previous year.

5 years ago

Sharp rise in water retailer complaints

Despite efforts to protect non-household water customers from bills during lockdown a sharp rise in complaints to the watchdog over the summer shows many businesses were unhappy with the service from their retailer

5 years ago

Electricity switching down 6.5 per cent on 2019

5 years ago

Covid pushes 600,000 more energy customers into debt

There has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of people behind on their energy bills, with 600,000 more currently in debt to their supplier than February. Citizens Advice found that, as of September, 2.1 million energy customers were in arrears, with the average amount owed at £760 for electricity and £605 for gas. A quarter of all energy customers worry they will not be able to pay this winter.

5 years ago

Call waiting times rose following lockdown

Average call waiting times for energy retailers in the period after lockdown increased, with the worst performing supplier coming in at just under 12 minutes. New statistics also show suppliers took more than two working days to responded to a third of emails.

5 years ago

Customer service leads South East digital upgrade

South East Water has moved its customer service systems to a cloud platform that allows it to build apps for ease of interaction with billpayers

5 years ago

Auto-switching proposals could lead to ‘unintended consequences’

Proposals to reform roll-over tariff arrangements could have the unintended consequence of reducing engagement in the energy sector, a fuel poverty expert has warned. The Energy White Paper proposes customers who do not opt-out could be automatically switched to a new, cheaper contract instead of being rolled over onto a default tariff when their deal ends.

5 years ago

Smart meters ‘can be eyes and ears of water network’

Ofwat has named smart networks as an area of focus for the next AMP cycle to bring step change in water companies' service. Engineering and analysis experts from Enzen talk to Utility Week about the advantages data could bring

5 years ago

Poll shows public find GHG ‘difficult’

Three quarters of people who tried to access the Green Homes Grant (GHG) have found it difficult to find a registered contractor, according to a new survey.

5 years ago

Fixing a broken retail market

As chief executive of one of the market’s earliest disruptors, Doug Stewart has seen a lot of change since Green Energy UK came onto the scene in 2001. He talks to Utility Week about his concerns about mutualisation being triggered for the third year in a row in relation to suppliers not meeting their renewables obligations and his disdain at Ofgem’s rebranding of the big six to the "large seven".

5 years ago

Fire brigade to share vulnerable customer data with Thames

London Fire Brigade has agreed to share high-risk customer data with Thames Water. It follows a change to the way the company registers householders for its priority services register.

5 years ago

Councils call for devolution of net-zero powers

5 years ago

Ovo-backed supplier had 40 minutes average call waiting time

Ovo-backed power supplier Boost Energy took almost 41 minutes on average before answering calls to its customer service line, research by Which? has found. The consumer group's mystery shop investigation found British Gas in second last place, as it grappled to adapt to pandemic conditions. See the full table and reaction from companies featured.

5 years ago

Suppliers’ green tariff claims should be independently audited

Claims by energy suppliers regarding the environmental impact of their green tariffs should be audited, either independently or by Ofgem, Good Energy has recommended. The retailer’s proposals to tackle greenwashing have been backed by Ofgem’s former head of future consumers.

5 years ago

What are customers saying?

5 years ago

Scottish Power takes on Yorkshire Energy customers

Customers of failed power supplier Yorkshire Energy have been transferred to Scottish Power, Ofgem has confirmed. The regulator also further revealed that it is minded to allow Scottish Power to claim a £10.6 million last resort supply payment after it took on the customers of Extra Energy in 2018. This is £3 million less than the supplier's original claim.

5 years ago

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