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| AUGUST 2022 | UTILITY WEEK
Analysis
Suppliers must act to soften
soaring energy prices
The unprecedented rise in energy prices has, according to Utilita
founder and CEO Bill Bullen, created a 'best-ever opportunity' for
the government and energy suppliers alike to encourage energy
effi cient customer behaviour.
W
hen I rst heard that Thatcher's government
was proposing to privatise the UK's energy
sector, I was working as a consultant on a
project to cut acid rain emissions. Despite many people
being against privatisation, it was clear to me that it
would result in ending the subsidy to burn coal at power
stations – accounting for about 80% of electricity at the
time – and cause a tranche of much more e- cient and
cleaner gas- red plants to get built.
Not only would it solve the acid rain problem much
more cost eƒ ectively than installing „ ue gas scrubbers,
but it would also deliver a big step in reducing CO2
emissions at virtually no cost to the consumer.
That was just the start, I was convinced we would see
wide-ranging innovation, helping consumers to cut their
energy consumption, and hence cut their bills and
reduce environmental damage.
I wanted to be part of it, and within a year I was
working for the South Western Electricity Board as
a business analyst. A decade later, following a rst
start up with Electricity Direct, and a brief spell at
Centrica, having seen very little innovation across the
sector, I decided to take matters into my owns hands –
taking inspiration from the then Labour government's
Energy White Paper which highlighted fuel poverty
and climate change as two of the big issues facing the
sector.
I wanted to build a company with these issues
in mind, and co-founded Utilita in 2003 to help
households use less energy.
