P R E S E N T S
24
| 10TH - 16TH MAY 2019 | UTILITY WEEK
Utilities need to generate enough
power for a population that is
likely growing faster than capacity is.
This will drive the rise of smart cities
and their use of green power. II
CUSTOMERS
AND TRANSITION
In our fi h and fi nal report in the run-up to
U lity Week Live at the NEC in Birmingham
on 21-22 May, Nadine Buddoo looks at the
changing expecta ons of customers and a
growing popula on and what this means for
energy and water companies.
he profi le of the consumer has changed signifi cantly in
recent years. With access to social media, the adop on
of new technologies and a growing focus on sustainable
consump on, u li es are face the challenge of
accommoda ng customers' evolving expecta ons.
In a recent survey conducted by Insight Advantage for U lity
Week Live (UWL), u li es professionals were asked how much
customer expecta ons and habits are driving transi on across
their business. Scoring on a scale of 1 to 10, respondents
currently rate these customer trends at 6.1, but believe the
impact will increase to 7.4 over the next fi ve years.
The adop on of new technologies and the digitalisa on of
energy and water networks are not only changing consumer
habits, they are also impac ng the way u li es engage with their
customers. "Digitalisa on both changes the nature of customer
engagement, and also provides much greater informa on about
customers, assets and consump on, enabling much more effi cient
opera ons," says Duncan Barnes, partner at Deloi e Digital.
Barnes notes that another key trend is the quickening pace of
urbanisa on, with increasing numbers of people moving to ci es,
par cularly in emerging markets. "This means u li es and energy
businesses need to fi gure out how to generate enough power, in
