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

Sustainability strategies driving growth in self-supply

5 years ago

Call to protect customer service professionals after rise in abuse

5 years ago

Ovo to pay £1.2m over SSE smart meter failings

5 years ago

Ofwat forms Covid-19 impact assessment group

5 years ago

SSE launches demand side response platform

SSE Enhance is described as a smart grid, aggregation and trading platform that will give customers access to the wholesale market, balancing mechanism and ancillary services.

5 years ago

Why back office automation is key to helping the vulnerable

Parseq's managing director Craig Naylor-Smith believes rethinking how payments are allocated can help utilities improve their customer experience and avoid reputational damage when supporting vulnerable consumers in the wake of Covid-19. He argues that while the channels customers use to interact with their suppliers have become more digital, the back office has fallen behind.

5 years ago

Energy market may be in for a ‘winter of discontent’

By August 2019 a total of five energy suppliers had entered the supplier of last resort process, with a further four to follow before the end of the year. However, despite the economic disruption seen so far in 2020, only one supplier has exited the market - with one other believed to be on the brink. To find out why, Utility Week speaks to industry experts.

5 years ago

Post-lockdown meter reads only possible with customer co-operation

As businesses re-open after lockdown the pressure is on water retailers to read a copious number of meters and accurately update customer bills. Castle Water CEO John Reynolds talks to Utility Week about the storm after the calm.

5 years ago

Effortless Energy set to exit the market

Effortless Energy is set to become the first energy supplier to exit the market since the Covid-19 pandemic began, Utility Week understands. The Stoke-based retailer is understood to have put in a request to Ofgem last month to place its customers through the supplier of last resort (SoLR) process.

5 years ago

Lockdown saw EV sales overtake diesel for the first time

The turbulent car sales market during lockdown gave electric vehicles a chance to shine, the latest data has shown.

5 years ago

Weekend press round-up: Energy sector’s Covid bill hits £1.1bn

In our latest review of sector coverage across the national newspapers, new research puts a figure on the energy industry’s lost income during the pandemic. Meanwhile, SSE hits out at Ofgem’s draft determinations, saying they will cause “years of delay” to renewables projects. There are also reports that suppliers are fearing a surge in bad debts in the autumn as the furlough scheme draws to an end.

5 years ago

Energy advice must be ‘future proofed’ as market evolves

Help given to energy customers must evolve to reflect the changing nature of the market, Citizens Advice's interim head of energy policy has stressed.

5 years ago

Energy customers more likely to switch provider

Energy consumers were among those most likely to switch service providers compared to other sectors in the 12 months to June, according government figures, as Energy UK confirmed electricity switching rebounded last month. According to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) latest public attitudes tracker, energy was the second most popular product or service for switching, with 28 per cent saying they were most likely to have switched either provider or contract for energy.

5 years ago

Bulb to pay £1.76 million over customer failings

5 years ago

Smart meter installations see dramatic recovery

5 years ago

Energy customers in local lockdown need ‘flexible protections’

A BEIS official has said the government’s attention is turning to ensuring those who have to isolate in the winter are supported in being able to heat their homes. He pointed to the extension of free school meals during lockdown as evidence that help can be targeted but stressed that good data would be key.

5 years ago

Former BP trader creates challenger with ‘digital workforce’

Fledgling challenger brand Rebel Energy, due to launch later this year, is creating a “digital workforce” to complement its human customer service team. The company will combine employees with intelligent automation platform Blue Prism Cloud, allowing many customer service issues to be automated. Where the platform cannot resolve issues automatically, the team will be notified.

5 years ago

Ofwat calls for wholesalers to support competitive markets

5 years ago

Yu Group: Energy market is ‘ripe for a shakeup’

Yu Group chief executive Bobby Kalar believes movements within the energy market are creating the perfect opportunities for the company to pursue its growth ambitions. Kalar was speaking to Utility Week following the acquisition of Bristol Energy's business customers.

5 years ago

Challenger suppliers gain from switching leap in July

The number of people changing energy suppliers appears to have recovered from a four-year low in the middle of lockdown with the highest number of switches completed in the month of July since records began.

5 years ago

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