Gas retail

How the utility bill can be redesigned to boost customer experience

Closing down MRA and SPAA ‘a necessary step forward’

Closing down the Master Registration Agreement (MRA) and the Supply Point Administration Agreement is a welcome direction of travel, a former board member has said. Ofgem launched a significant code review in 2019 with the aim of consolidating the MRA and the SPAA into a single Retail Energy Code (REC).

Ovo reports £106m loss

Record level of satisfaction with smart meters

Centrica accuses GMB of ‘being intent on causing disruption’ over strike

Thousands of GMB members at British Gas have walked out as part of a five-day strike over changes to workers’ pay and conditions. In June last year the company said it would be undertaking a major restructure in which 5,000 jobs, the majority of which are managerial roles, would be cut.

On the Move: Former Npower CEO joins Igloo Energy board

In our latest round-up of industry appointments a former Npower chief takes up a new role on the board of disruptor brand Igloo Energy - his first role with a supplier since 2012. Meanwhile six years since he founded the organisation, Richard Black has stepped down from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.

Ofgem investigates ‘unacceptable’ Symbio Energy

Smart meter rollout to continue in third national lockdown

Retaining utility customers in a recessionary environment

With tech giants like Google entering the utility space, suppliers need to rethink their current business models in order to retain customers. This is the view of Andrew Field, of digital performance specialist, Teleperformance. He believes retailers must integrate competitors’ services alongside their own and harness technology to appeal to the modern consumer – one who is conscious of and takes an active interest in personal energy consumption. But what else can utility companies do to remain relevant?

Octopus Energy sees value rise to $2bn with Tokyo Gas investment

The smart meter rollout: Where are we now?

Suppliers paid £348m through WHD last year

Hackers steal 400,000 energy customers’ data

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.

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.