Company strategy

Greenwashing investigation ‘should include energy retailers’

An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into misleading claims about eco-friendly products should be broadened to include energy retailers, the chief executive of Good Energy has said. The CMA said its investigation is a response to the growing number of products and services marketed as environmentally friendly, adding that £41 billion was spent on ethical goods and services – almost four times as much as people spent two decades ago.

CCW CEO: Shouting from the sidelines doesn’t change anything

Fast and flawed: Pressure mounts on CMA’s PR19 stance

WHD and social tariffs ‘could be used as vulnerability flags’

Schemes such as the warm home discount in energy or social tariffs in water could be used to flag potentially vulnerable customers to different sectors, a new report has recommended. National Energy Action’s ‘Surviving the wilderness’ report focuses on three sectors – energy, water and council tax. It concludes that common approaches to debt management can help customers to know what to expect at all stages of the process, and how to navigate the support options which may be available to them.

Octopus continues growth with acquisition of Upside Energy

On the move: MOSL, Gemserv, Aurora, SES

Initiative helps reach disengaged utility customers over debt

Weekend press round-up: New Sizewell plant looks set for green light

In our latest round-up of sector coverage from the national press, the government looks close to giving the green light to a new nuclear plant at Sizewell in Suffolk; RWE warns that Britain’s bid to power every home with offshore windfarms by 2030 is at risk of being derailed; and the founder of Ovo Energy has spun out a new start-up.

Utilities thought to be owed almost £300m in unpaid bills

There are “significant” lockdown bill arrears in the energy and water sectors, with consumers owing their suppliers almost £300 million, according to new research. Citizens Advice has released new projections about the level of debt based off its previous polling data which found 3 million adults had fallen behind on at least one of their water bills during the coronavirus pandemic, whilst 2.8 million had missed an energy payment.

Ofgem issues final orders over unpaid RO and FIT bills of £15m

Utilita CEO apologises ‘unreservedly’ after overcharging customers

Utilita’s chief executive has apologised “unreservedly” to all customers who were overcharged by the supplier and outlined how the company has rectified the underlying problem.. The challenger brand, which serves 800,000 customers, agreed to pay £500,000 after it was found by Ofgem to have overcharged almost 40,000 prepayment customers.

Utilita agrees payout after overcharging 40,000 prepayment customers

Challenger brand Utilita has agreed to pay redress of £500,000 after it overcharged almost 40,000 prepayment customers. Utilita first self-reported to the regulator that between May 2019 and September 2019 it had mistakenly overcharged prepayment customers.

Ofgem proposes to increase performance penalties for DCC

Auriga launches nationwide priority services portal

Scarsella’s 10 tips from 10 years of UKPN

UK Power Networks’ chief executive Basil Scarsella looks back over 10 years since the company’s creation and the lessons learnt over that time.