Smart utilities

Water innovation fund ‘should target JVs’

Utility Week talks to Northumbrian Water’s head of innovation, Angela MacOscar, about what lessons she has brought across from her previous role tracking new trends in consumer goods. She discusses her hopes for Ofwat’s innovation fund, how facial recognition tools could help with mental wellbeing and how 2020 could be the year AI lives up to the hype.

ENA consults on 2020 workplan for Open Networks project

Unlocking the value of data for better asset management

Pioneering applications of asset data capture were showcased in a recent webinar which is now available to download.

Government boosts funding for on-street EV charging

Securing card payments

SSEN secures funds to model impact of local energy strategies

Weekend press round-up: Former minister says May’s price cap has failed

In this weekend’s press round-up: Conservative MP John Penrose says consumers are still being ripped off after Theresa May introduced the “wrong kind” of price cap; Octopus Energy acquires 70,000 customers from French energy firm Engie; and water companies defy Ofwat by paying out hundreds of millions of pounds in dividends.

Unlocking the value of DSOs

Omni-channel operations

Smart meter firm confirms plans to raise £300m through IPO

Calisen, the owner of Calvin Capital, is valued at £1.4 billion. It plans to use the offering to fund new and existing contracts relating to the smart meter rollout. It hopes to start trading on the LSE next month.

Moixa and Honda help council make EV charging smart

‘Urgent’ action on EV transition needed within 12 months

Smart charging should be the default for EV users connecting at home from next year, a new report has recommended. This is one of 21 proposals from the EV Energy Taskforce in its newly launched report, which also calls on the government and Ofgem to support the development of a new co-ordinated and accessible market for flexibility, aimed at EV drivers, by 2023 at the latest.

Yorkshire invests in smart network to tackle leakage

Sector backs calls for VAT cut on EVs

The director of EVs at Ovo and Octopus’ former head of smart projects are among those to tell Utility Week they support the AA’s plea to government to remove VAT from the price of an electric vehicle (EV). However, they insist this needs to be part of a wider package of measures to stimulate EV take-up.

Cyber-attack on a water company ‘highly likely’ in 2020

Tackling the per capita consumption of water is likely to require the increased uptake of smart water meters. However, the increased level of data collection required, teamed with the explosion of publicly connected devices, leaves water companies more exposed to cyber-attacks.

Northumbrian and O2 develop immersive AR underground asset tool

Concentrate on the quality

Security still an afterthought for too many companies

Suppliers in breach of smart meter rules could face customer ban

Trends, technologies, key topics, and issues that will shape 2020