Utility Week

Customers UTILITY WEEK | 13TH - 19TH DECEMBER 2019 | 29 Northumbrian is looking for ways to bring water to customers in emergency situations or dur- ing supply interruptions that do not rely on single-use plastics. The company is inviting crea- tors, designers and innovators to pitch their ideas to solve water challenges via Northumbrian's new Amplify site, with fund- ing offered to develop the most promising ones. WATER Northumbrian seeks alternative to plastic bottles for emergencies The ideas-sharing platform has been launched to spark suggestions from around the world to find answers to what Northumbrian described as "big real-life challenges". The first it will examine is reducing single-use plastics, specifically eliminating the use of plastic bottles when providing water during supply interrup- tions or emergency situations. Head of innovation Angela MacOscar said: "Over the years we've heard from lots of SMEs and inventors who say they struggle to get their ideas off the ground or in front of big compa- nies like Northumbrian Water. This is the perfect opportunity. "I'm calling on all SMEs, inventors, creative thinkers and innovators to get registered for Amplify and get involved – now This week Survey: awareness of price cap is falling Only one in five energy consumers are aware of the price cap and just 15 per cent understand it Only one in five energy consumers are aware of the price cap and just 15 per cent say they also understand how it works, Ofgem has revealed in a new report. The figures are from a quar- terly survey commissioned by Ofgem and Citizens Advice on perceptions of the energy market among more than 3,200 household consumers. The results for the third quarter of 2019 show both awareness and informed awareness have returned the same levels as when the first survey was conducted in late 2018. They peaked during the previous quarter at 29 per cent and 22 per cent respectively. The price cap was brought in on 1 January this year and has been revised twice to keep it in line with the cost of wholesale gas and electricity prices. It currently stands at £1,179 (or £1,217 for prepayment customers). In terms of complaints, the survey found that most (31 per cent) concerned price, 28 per cent were due to billing problems and 19 per cent were smart meter related. Out of the complaints received, 31 per cent had been completed, while another 31 per cent of people had given up pursuing the complaint and 32 per cent said the process was still ongoing. Just 6 per cent of com- plainants said they were unsure of how their complaint was progressing. Overall, the majority of respondents said they were satisfied with customer service (72 per cent). Just under half (44 per cent) of the respondents to the survey said they had never switched energy supplier, while 22 per cent said they had never even considered switching. AJ ELECTRICITY SSEN calls for subsidies to encourage flexibility Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has urged the government to encourage house- holds and small businesses to participate in flexibility markets by offering them "interim incentives… beyond the current market value". In a new report setting out its progress towards the adoption of a distribution system operator (DSO) model, the company says there is "a gap between govern- ment aspirations for flexibility and the level of engagement from households, businesses and communities" and that "the government could help close this gap by incentivising partici- pation in flexibility markets and seeking to promote and educate the public about the changing nature of the energy system". It adds: "The government should launch a consultation into how this programme can be most effective and should combine behavioural nudges and financial rewards." The report lists regulatory and policy changes SSEN believes will help the UK meet its climate change commitments. It warns that network rein- forcements to accommodate the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) can take up to five years to deliver and calls for a "clear mechanism for anticipatory investment" to address the risk of assets being stranded. SSEN says all new homes should be "ready" for EV charg- ing and heat electrification, as should new network infrastruc- ture: "The most cost-effective time to upgrade a network is when it is being built." PAN-UTILITY Mottram joins the board of Centrica Northumbrian Water's Heidi Mottram has been appointed as a non-executive director at Centrica. Mottram, who has been chief executive of Northumbrian Water since 2010, will take up the role on 1 January 2020. She will also become a member of the safety, health, environment, security and ethics committee, and the nominations committee. She has previously served as managing director of Northern Rail from 2004, and before that she was commercial director of Arriva Trains Northern and operations director of Midland Mainline from 1999 to 2003. Centrica chair Charles Berry said Mottram "brings considera- ble relevant strategic and opera- tional experience acquired in her current and previous roles". He added: "Her deep under- standing of the importance of customer service, delivered in complex multi-stakeholder environments with a high public profile, is particularly pertinent to Centrica, at this time, as it focuses on the delivery of its customer-centric strategy." Billing: cause of 28 per cent of complaints is your chance to help us change the world." Users of Amplify can suggest ideas, pitch products, ask ques- tions and interact with other online innovators. Each of the challenges will have a sponsor from within Northumbrian who will moni- tor responses and engage with users to pick up and develop the promising ideas.

• Cover