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| JANUARY 2023 | UTILITY WEEK
Customers
Analysis
U
K utilities are going to miss out on
their slice of a mouthwatering pie,
deeply lled with value-add ser-
vice opportunities. That is the rst-glance
takeaway from a consumer research ini-
tiative recently conducted by Utility Week in
association with consultancy Charles River
Associates.
The survey, which canvassed views from
more than 1,000 UK adults, found just 10%
of respondents want to see service provi-
sion coming from their utilities. Instead,
the resounding message was that the public
feels energy and water companies need to
work much harder on their knitting and get
the basics right.
For the large majority, this means focus-
ing on a€ ordability of services, with main-
tenance of secure supplies and e‚ cient
operation of infrastructure also featuring
as key priorities in consumer eyes (see "key
ndings" list). Even work on decarbonisa-
tion took a back seat in the survey, with just
a ˆ h saying they see sustainability as some-
thing utilities should be focused on in the
current economic climate.
While there's no doubt these responses
are a direct re‹ ection of the harsh realities of
a cost of living crisis, they nonetheless repre-
sent a blow to companies – especially in the
energy sector – who have bet heavily on ser-
vice innovation to open up a new lease of life
for them in a net zero future.
Through o€ ering solutions which pro-
mote long-term relationships with custom-
ers, they see an alternative reality ahead: one
Will utilities drive innovation
or be sidelined by it?
Exclusive research carried out by Utility Week and Charles River
Associates warns that while utilities are invested in a smart tech
future, the public doesn't trust them to deliver it.
