Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 12TH - 18TH OCTOBER 2018 | 23 Customers Business energy and water supplier Yu Energy has won a contract to power Nottingham- shire County Cricket Club. The Nottingham-based com- pany, which describes itself as a "bold alternative to the big six", will provide utilities for the next three seasons. It will also be partnering on a range of energy- related initiatives including the provision of mobile phone PAN-UTILITY Yu Energy wins Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club contract charging points and future renewable energy solutions for Trent Bridge cricket ground. The Fox Road Stand at the ground has been renamed the Yu Energy Stand. Bobby Kalar, chief execu- tive of Yu Energy, said: "It's an honour for Yu Energy to be powering Trent Bridge cricket ground which is such an iconic international sporting venue. "Our partnership will allow Trent Bridge to benefit from our unique offering, with the convenience of bringing together the gas, electricity and water supply all in one place." Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club's commercial direc- tor, Michael Temple, said: "Our partnership with Yu Energy is a natural fit given their com- mitment to Nottingham, their This week Toto ranks bottom in customer service Latest league table raises fresh concerns about performance of new entrants to the energy market Toto Energy has come bottom in the Citizens Advice league table for customer service, rais- ing further concerns about the performance of small and newer energy suppliers. The company received a score of 1.45 out of five stars for the period from April to June 2018, down from 1.6 the previous quar- ter, when it was second from bottom ahead of the now defunct Iresa. At that time, Iresa had more than 9,000 complaints per 100,000 customers – five times more than Toto's 1,800 and the worst score ever recorded by Citizens Advice. The company ceased trading in July. Toto was criticised earlier this year for transferring customers to Utilita Energy without adequate commu- nication. Between April and June Toto's customers were unable to contact the supplier and had problems with billing, said Citizens Advice. One person said their direct debit was increased by more than £100, and another could not get through to the supplier for over two weeks. Citizens Advice said the data in its league table backed up the complaints and showed that customers telephoning the supplier spent an average of 23 minutes on hold and that more than one in ten customers had waited over a year for an accurate bill. Jim Butler, Toto Energy's chief executive, said the company had made "significant improvements" to its customer service in the three months since this latest Citizens Advice star rating was taken. Renewable energy supplier Solarplicity, which is appearing in the table for the first time, came second from bottom with a score of 1.8. Citizens Advice has repeated its call for "tighter regu- lation" of the sector. AJ ELECTRICITY Consumers to shape future of EV charging Industry leaders have empha- sised the importance of con- sumer behaviour in determining the UK's future electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The comments were made at the Future of Energy Summit held by Bloomberg New Energy Finance in London. Angie Boakes, general man- ager for electric mobility at Shell New Energy, said: "We really need to understand where that car sits for 95 per cent plus of the time. And it's easy for people who have a dedicated driveway – a dedicated parking space. But what about everybody else? "Is workplace charging the answer? Probably yes. But where else do those trips end up?" Fiona Howarth, chief executive of Octopus Electric Vehicles, drew attention to the experiences of Norway – a world leader on EV uptake – where 95 per cent of drivers charge their car at home at least once a week. She said attention should not be focused on "putting out loads of rapid charge points", add- ing: "I think it's about balance and finding out where people want to be and enabling them to access low-cost electricity at those points." Howarth also noted the find- ings from a forecourt in London operated by Octopus: "We thought people would be there for 30 or so minutes to do a full charge. But actually, they're gen- erally there for 15 to 20 minutes just to get a top-up." Recounting her own experi- ences as an EV driver over the past nine months, she said: "I have yet to use a fast charger. I have no need." WATER Minister questions structure of sector The water minister has mooted a rationalisation of the structure of the industry in England. Responding to questions during a fringe meeting at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, Therese Coffey pointed to the existence of "some huge companies and some abso- lutely tiny companies". She said: "Ofwat historically has never wanted to change that. Perhaps there is an opportunity in the future but we would only do that if we had a big revolution in the way the industry operates." Coffey also responded to calls for greater liberalisation of the household water market. She said the government is "watch- ing carefully" progress in the retail market for businesses. She said that many large businesses had simplified their water supply arrangements with one supplier, but there had been little take-up by smaller firms. And while Ofwat may have a "possible role" in encouraging firms to switch suppliers, the minister expressed a preference for allowing the market to "take its way". Toto customers struggled to contact the supplier national outlook and their commitment to working with like-minded businesses to make a meaningful difference through energy supply." Earlier this month Yu Water – a subsidiary of Yu Group which operates Yu Energy – applied for a sewerage retail licence to add to its existing water retail licence. Yu joined the retail water market in December last year.

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