Utility Week

Community Control freaks It's sobering to think that today it would be impossible to make a political satire like The Thick of It, the noughties comedy show that savaged the spin doctors and media manipula- tors who populated govern- ment in the Blair era. It's not so much that today's motley assortment of politi- cians are beyond parody so much as that they are clearly the hapless victims of an agenda over which they have no control, and over which they fail to exert any influence. What truth would the satirist be trying to illuminate that wasn't already obvious to anyone watching? And so the Labour party conference rolled into Liver- pool this week, still furiously trying to be the party of both Leave and Remain. At the time of going to press, the party had U-turned on a second referen- dum about the EU, saying now that it would back a second vote. Except that remaining in the EU wouldn't be one of the options on the ballot paper – at least according to shadow chancellor John McDonnell. What the question would be, and under what circum- stances it would be asked, are too tiresome to go into here. The point is that on the biggest question of the day the main opposition party is as much at a loss as the party in government. Where it does have clear messages, they are scarcely credible: renationalisation – of the railways, the electricity industry and the water sector. We're told that renationali- sation is "popular" with the public, but Disconnector can't help but wonder how high up it is on most people's list of things to worry about. The rail- ways are a mess, and people are annoyed that fuel bills are high, so it's little wonder that if you ask them whether the government should take back control, they say "yes". But it won't make the trains run on time or reduce the cost of fuel. The wetness of water We ought not to be surprised by whatever idiocy comes out of the mouth of US president Donald Trump, given his track record, but somehow he still manages to impress. The latest gem came in a video address to the nation in the wake of the devastation to several southern states in the US by Hurricane Florence. He praised the spirit of the citizens, the dedication of the emergency services and emphasised the unprecedented ferocity of the forces of nature arrayed against them. "This is a tough hurri- cane, one of the wettest we've ever seen from the standpoint of water," he said. It instantly became an internet meme, of course, with people tweeting about Venice beach being one of the "sandi- est beaches we have seen, from the standpoint of sand", and so on and so on. And don't forget, this was a video address, not off-the- cuff remarks, so they could have reshot had he wanted. Or maybe they did – and that was the most comprehensible take they managed to get. Just turn it off and on again Disconnector likes to help our beleaguered energy industry by pointing to where they do things worse, and this week that prize goes to power utili- ties down under. Over the past two years the Australian regulator has levied fines totalling nearly AUS$500,000 on energy firms for cutting the power without warning to homes and hospitals with life support equipment on no less than 30 occasions. No-one has yet died, but it's just a matter of time, surely. Apart from the financial cost, the reputational damage is immense. When it comes to PR, they really don't give a damn. 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ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. 2,500 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2017 Membership subscriptions: UK £769+VAT per year. Overseas £781 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332057 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the publishing director, Ellen Bennett, at ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk UTILITY WEEK | 28TH SEPTEMBER - 4TH OCTOBER 2018 | 31 Thomas Edwards @NotionalGrid Embedded Benefits Alert: National Grid is aiming to hold an Issue Group in early October to consider changing BSUoS charging, perhaps including more locational, temporal signals and considering socialization - aim to raise a modification in late October Jeff Hardy @jjeh102 Just arrived @BIEE10 for a 2-day conference on "consumers at the heart of the energy system". I deliberately removed the "?" as I don't think it's a question. If consumers aren't at the heart we are going to miss out on a system that is good value, flexible, exciting and smart. Rebecca Long-Bailey @RLong_Bailey Labour launches strategy for a Green Transformation, setting out our principles and priorities for tackling the environmental crisis. More to follow at #LabourConference Alan Whitehead @alanwhiteheadmp Labour's pledge for 60% of power and heat to come from #renewable sources means we'll need significant heat decarb. Hydrogen and electric will have significant roles to play Ed Gill @EdGill1983 Worth remembering however much DNOs/ DSOs might want to collect and use data (and they do, increasingly so - because of the drive towards flexibility), there are restrictions on them due to the regulatory firewall between retail and T&D. All comes back to the supplier hub model. CCC @theCCCuk Transport is now Scotland's biggest challenge as the sector's emissions continue to rise. Scotland's aim to phase out petrol and diesel car sales 8 years ahead of the UK Government's target requires more action. #ScottishClimateAction Richard Waters @UK_Richard I'm not a fan of this @BritishGas unlimited usage tariff. Our #environment needs society to move to dramatically reducing consumption (of energy, plastics, water, fast-fashion, etc.). #Smartmeters should help this, not hinder. #sustainability Top Tweets

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