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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
The number of fuel poor households has dropped slightly to 2.4 million, according to new government figures, with a slower than average increase in bills for low-income households cited as a main reason. However, the proportion of households in fuel poverty is projected to rise in 2019 by 0.1 per cent to 10.4 per cent. New analysis of the figures also looks at the impact of the price cap.
5 years ago
Yu Group chief executive Bobby Kalar believes business utility customers need more help from the government to recover following the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to Utility Week Kalar said unprecedented times called for corresponding measures to tackle the economic downturn.
Connecting with customers has never been more important but how can utilities companies help consumers at this most difficult time beyond payment holidays and extending credit?
Eon UK chief executive Michael Lewis tells Utility Week that energy retailers should look at how the water sector is dealing with bad debt during the coronavirus pandemic. He insists that if the situation escalates, the energy retail sector “should not have to bear the risk of the non-collection of costs that suppliers collect on behalf of other parts of the industry”.
Greg Jackson has expressed disappointment that large suppliers are resorting to “traditional energy industry infighting” instead of coming together to help the most vulnerable customers. The Octopus Energy chief executive said he had proposed a standardised form for assisting vulnerable customers but it had not been adopted by the wider sector.
As part of Utility Week’s Keeping Us Connected campaign, we highlight two UK Power Networks employees who are helping their communities battle coronavirus – through delivery of vital PPE and assisting the St John Ambulance.
Yu Energy has become the second supplier in the space of a week to offer two months’ worth of free power to customers. The pan-utilities business supplier said the move had been made to support firms hit by coronavirus.
The latest electricity switching figures – the first covering the coronavirus lockdown – show a 4.3 per cent year-on-year drop for March. See a full breakdown of the switching activity via supplier type.
Our Keeping Us Connected campaign is showcasing how the utilities sector is responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Here we take a look at how Scottish Power Energy Networks is supporting some of its most vulnerable customers, as well as keeping young children occupied during lockdown.
Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus Energy, believes a six to 12 month delay may give the industry sufficient time to resolve connectivity issues. He said the delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic will not be as long as those resulting from technology issues in the programme's early days.
Severn Trent has committed to paying £38 million to its small and medium-sized suppliers to help the businesses stay afloat while non-essential work is on-hold. As well as suppliers the company is assisting customers with bills and donating to community groups on the frontline during the pandemic.
Water UK, on behalf of wholesalers, has told Ofwat that water retailers should pay 70 per cent of wholesale charges to ensure liquidity remains in the market. As part of Ofwat's consultation to find an enduring solution during coronavirus the group urged the regulator to avoid any moves that could disrupt the market's stability.
Matthew Vickers, chief executive at the Energy Ombudsman, tells Utility Week about the effects the virus has had on the service and about the worries over how SMEs are being affected with little protection. He does however remain optimistic that the lessons learned from the sector's response to the pandemic will be a key tool to achieving the 2050 net zero target.
