Utility Week

10 | 15TH - 21ST MARCH 2019 | UTILITY WEEK A UtilityWeek c ampaign New Deal for Utilities Our goals Eight weeks ago, Utility Week launched a campaign of coverage to help discover what a New Deal for Utilities could looklike. The series took a long hard look at the industry and posed some big and o• en di• cult questions of a sector facing historic political, regulatory and technological chal- lenges amid low levels of public trust. Most importantly it asked what might be done to forge a new social contract with the public and what support utilities would need to achieve that goal. This week we draw together the main thoughts and conclusions shared by some key • gures and commentators from across the energy and water sectors. We look at possible next steps – including potential industry pledges – and how these might be tangibly progressed with policymak- ers and regulators. And with a growing range of initiatives being championed as potential solutions, we reflect on how a collaborative and focused approach from across industry could now be more important than ever. Redrafting the social contract When the utilities story changed… When we launched our New Deal for Utili- ties it was no secret that the public mood towards water and energy businesses was changing – but less clear was where things may go and how the traditional business o ering should and could respond. A myriad of questions stretched ahead. What would it take to make a case in favour of utilities against a growing populist swell of consumers concerned about current oper- ating models, including executive pay? How might strategies be revised? How were some companies responding and what was work- ing well? Was a new social contract with the public the answer – or even possible? All this amid a shi ing regulatory agenda around fairness and the most turbulent political climate in recent history. What had until just a couple of years ago been a relatively calm utilities space is suddenly facing a legitimacy crisis, huge technological demands, a credible threat of renationalisation and an international investment landscape dogged by Brexit. UtilityWeek Insight: the changing role of chief financial officers p14 MORE SUPPLIERS ARE LIKELY TO GO BUST AS MARKET CONDITIONS WORSEN p26 18TH - 24TH JANUARY 2019 THE BUSINESS OF UTILITIES ON-SITE GENERATION HELPS PROTECT FIRMS FROM ENERGY PRICE VOLATILITY p24 A New Deal for Utilities In the fi nal part of our New Deal for Utilities campaign, Suzanne Heneghan reviews the key fi ndings at this stage and asks industry what needs to happen next. How satis• ed are you with the services you receive from the following? Please answer on a 1-5 scale where 1 is 'very dissatis• ed' and 5 is 'very satis• ed'. (Base: n=1165) Net satis• ed Very dissatis• ed Dissatis• ed Neutral Satis• ed Very satis• ed Electricity supplier Water supplier Electricity network Gas supplier Gas network CONSUMER SATISFACTION 4% 4% 5% 5% 7% 65% 66% 65% 59% 56% 3% 25% 45% 20% 3% 25% 45% 22% 3% 28% 47% 19% 3% 33% 42% 17% 3% 36% 41% 15% The state we're in: our exclusive customer satisfaction survey launched the campaign

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