Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 15TH - 21ST MARCH 2019 | 3 This week 4 | Seven days 6 | Interview Chris Loughlin, chief executive, Pennon Group 10 | Campaign A call for action as the fi rst stage of the New Deal for Utilities campaign wraps up 16 Policy & Regulation 16 | News Government unveils offshore wind deal 17 | Chief executive's view Johanna Dow, Business Stream 18 | Analysis Proposals for reforming codes governing the energy system 22 | View from the top Matthew Wright, UK managing director, Orsted 23 Finance & Investment 23 | News Ovo buys minority stake in Electron 24 Operations & Assets 24 | High viz Yorkshire Water's Esholt Wastewater Treatment Works 25 | Expert view It's time to rethink the smart meter rollout 27 Customers 27 | News Brilliant Energy is third to fail in 2019 28 | Roundtable Maximising service in a digital age 30 Community 31 | Disconnector GAS 5 | News Former energy minister for OGA 25 | Expert view It's time to rethink the smart meter rollout WATER 6 | Interview Chris Loughlin, chief executive, Pennon Group 17 | Chief executive's view Johanna Dow, Business Stream 24 | High viz Yorkshire Water's Esholt Wastewater Treatment Works ELECTRICITY 16 | News Government unveils offshore wind deal 22 | View from the top Matthew Wright, UK managing director, Orsted 23 | News Ovo buys minority stake in Electron ENERGY 10 | Campaign A call for action as the fi rst stage of the New Deal for Utilities campaign wraps up 16 | News Tempus in legal bid to enforce shutdown 18 | Analysis Proposals for reforming codes governing the energy system 27 | News Brilliant Energy is third to fail in 2019 28 | Roundtable Maximising service in a digital age Leader Suzanne Heneghan Putting a deal on the table There's a journalistic rule of thumb that says when you become the story, it's time to get out. Sadly, it's not that simple for utilities, which are the mainstream media's historic, cyclical whipping boys, with little choice but to weather the storm when the ak starts to y. It's hard to pinpoint when the latest antipathy surfaced, and the public mood pendulum began to swing against them once more. The received wisdom is about three or four years ago – fuelled by political rhetoric about rip-o• energy tari• s; international exposés such as the Panama Papers revealing the legal, but nonetheless image-damaging, use of o• shore companies; and the biting of austerity while executive pay remained at levels far beyond the reach of a public increasingly disillusioned with big business. Utilities have long known they must respond to plug the legitimacy gap. And many are already doing so, be it through building consumer trust via more engagement; clearly sharing ‚ nancial rewards; or greater transparency around the corporate governance of what customers regard as monopoly lifeline services that should be run far more for the public good. But the storm shows no sign of abating. On the contrary, it has been strengthened by the nationalisation debate, demands around decarbonisation, rising expectations on consumer service, regulatory reform and ongoing investment uncertainty. Against this backdrop, our New Deal for Utilities campaign gleaned views on the current state of play plus what key ‚ gures within and outside the industry need to do next. We also asked the public what they really think about their water and energy providers. It's been a fascinating journey that has thrown up both consensus and ‚ ercely con icting views. In our wrap-up report on pages 10-15, we share some key ‚ ndings. And we go further than providing feedback. We suggest pledges that could form part of a new social charter between utilities and the public – subject to co-operation from regulators and the government. Our next-stage plans will see us continue this crucial debate, including framing a high-level roundtable discussion and making submissions, both to the NIC's review of regulation and the government's forthcoming white paper on the future of energy. Much work is already under way throughout the industry. But amid what one source described as a "surround-sound of initiatives and soundbites", the sector knows it is time to show that the customer really is at the heart of everything it does – along with making a case for the support it now needs to do more. Industry, it's over to you. Suzanne Heneghan, acting editor, suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com DOWNLOAD: Reducing bad debt, generating effi ciency and improving the customer journey https://bit.ly/2EbKRH5 See the Community section, page 30 If you are responsible for your company's outsourced or internal customer service centre we can deliver compelling cost savings to your business, with a typical rate for an FTE of just £10 per hour. Synergy operates an established Contact Centre in a modern and thriving part of Durban, South Africa employing experienced and highly educated staff. We already successfully work with a number of UK utilities across a range of services: If you would like to see our operation for yourself we can fly you, at our cost, to South Africa. Here we will give you a full tour of our facilities, a presentation on how we work and access to our professional teams. For further information please contact steve.cripwell@synergyoutsourcingltd.co.uk / 020 7932 4171 or toby.selves@synergyoutsourcingltd.co.uk / 020 7932 4116 Double your successful meter installation rate and halve your costs with MATS - the new Universal SMETS2 Commissioning Mobile App from Cloud KB. It works with all DCC 53 Million Smart Meters by 2020? YOU MUST BE QUACKERS! AN APPSOLUTE MUST

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