Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | SEPTEMBER 2022 | 23 Talking Points… "Families are already facing stark choices because of mounting bills. Some are turning off fridges and freezers because they can't aff ord the running costs." Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive, Citizens Advice "We were told by a number of witnesses, 'if you think things are bad now, you've not seen anything yet'. This winter is going to be extremely diffi cult for family fi nances and it's critical that public funds are better targeted." Darren Jones, chair of the BEIS Committee, unveiling its damning report on the state of the energy retail market "The trade-off s we need to make on behalf of consumers are extremely diffi cult and there are simply no easy answers right now. [These] changes ensure the price cap does its job, making sure customers are only paying the real cost of their energy, but also, that it can adapt to the current volatile market." Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, announcing the move to a quarterly price cap Quote, unquote only paying the real cost of their energy, but also, that it can adapt to the current volatile market." Jonathan Brearley executive of Ofgem, announcing the move off fridges and freezers because they can't aff ord the running costs." Dame Clare Moriarty chief executive, Citizens Advice it's critical that public funds are better targeted." Darren Jones BEIS Committee, unveiling its damning report on the state of the energy retail Next PM must commit to tackling energy staffi ng crisis Comment Sue Ferns Deputy general secretary, Prospect L ast month's heatwave underlines the fact that we are in the midst of a climate crisis alongside an energy security, cost of living and unfairness crisis: a trium- virate of threats that should, and must, weigh heavily on any prime ministerial candidate. All were foreseeable, and none will be resolved either by good intentions or market economics alone. What may be less apparent is that energy networks are also in the midst of a sta• ng crisis which, if not resolved, will make it nigh on impossible to achieve our goals. Britain's Energy Security Strategy and legal obligations to deliver net zero urgently require a clear delivery plan that provides certainty for investors, an expanded skills pipeline, and good green jobs. Employers and unions alike need government to provide that leadership, now and for the long term. This is sadly lacking, as shown by the continuing delay in committing to getting on with Sizewell C. We need a strategy that moves us away from crisis man- agement. It is simply negligent to delay investment decisions when the alternative is the wide- spread chaos and human cost caused by the kind of so-called extreme weather events that have already occurred several times this year. The Committee on Climate Change says that electricity production must double by 2050 and that low-carbon electricity generation must quadruple. But that cannot be achieved on the back of systems and structures that are decades old. Neither can increased electric- ity production be achieved on the back of employment models that incessantly demand more from staˆ . In a recent Prospect survey of members working for distribution network operators, 70% of respondents said their team was not adequately staˆ ed for safe work. One-third of respondents working on standby regularly worked in excess of 16 hours a day and 77% reported that they did not have a choice about how much stand-by they do. Excessive workloads have caused signi' cant issues of fatigue and low morale. This is unsustainable. Prospect members working in network companies are clear that there is an energy sta• ng crisis and that the current price control review will not resolve it. Political pressures on a regulatory framework that is not ' t for purpose will exacerbate these trends to breaking point. The Energy Bill will return for parliamentary scrutiny in September. Delivering more secure, aˆ ordable energy must be a key priority for the new prime minister, but they will not succeed unless they also ' x the energy sta• ng crisis. commit to tackling energy staffi ng crisis Deputy general secretary, Prospect The news in numbers: 78% Year-on-year fall in switches between electric suppliers for June 2022. £8m Amount awarded to 18 projects as part of the inaugural round of Ofgem's £450 million Strategic Innovation Fund competition. 7.33/10 The measure of public trust in water companies, according to CCW's latest poll – the lowest level since 2011. £2,000 The annual premium people living in poorly insulated homes face paying this winter, based on an assumed level of the next price cap period.

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