As this summer’s silly season, dominated by ice bucket challenges, draws to a close, it’s time to knuckle down to the serious business of the autumn. MPs are back in Parliament, party conferences are fast approaching, and the finishing touches are being put to the regulatory settlements that will govern the next five or eight years – not to mention the competition inquiry that will reshape the energy supply sector. The Utility Week team gazed into its crystal ball and made some predictions for the closing months of 2014: