Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 1sT - 7Th AUgUsT 2014 | 27 Customers This week Thames pays price for misreporting Water company agrees to pay package worth £86 million to customers and community projects Ofwat last week confirmed Thames Water's agreement to pay a package worth £86 million to customers and the com- munities, a•er the regulator's investigation into the company's misreporting of sewer flooding data in 2010. In June, the regulator found that between 2005 and 2010 Thames Water reported that more properties were at risk of sewer flooding than could be supported by evidence, resulting in "inefficient spending of customers' money". Thames said it would accept a reduction of £79 mil- lion from its regulated capital value, resulting in lower bills for its customers. The company said it would put an extra £2 million into the independently managed Thames Water Trust Fund to help customers who are having difficulty pay- ing their bills, and invest £5 million into community projects. Cathryn Ross, chief executive at Ofwat, said: "We welcome Thames's co-operative approach which means we have concluded our investigation more quickly and [it] resulted in a better outcome for customers." Sir Tony Redmond, London and South East chair for the Consumer Council for Water, said: "We are pleased this investigation will result in additional benefits for Thames Water customers, including reduced sewerage bills and extra support for those struggling to pay." Thames Water admitted the "mistake" in its sewer flooding statistics in a statement in June, and added it was pleased that Ofwat has accepted its offer. MB EnErgY SSE and UKPN pay £8m after storms SSE and UK Power Networks (UKPN) will pay out a total of £8 million a•er the regulator's investigation into their perfor- mance during the storms in the south of England last Christmas. Ofgem has secured an extra £3.3 million from the companies, which will be paid to charities such as the Red Cross, on top of the £4.7 million that has already been paid to consumers under the guaranteed standards and goodwill payments. Ofgem said that both SSE and UKPN's electricity distribution areas were "particularly badly hit" by the storms over Christmas 2013, but "they could have done more" to reconnect consumers and better inform them about what was happening. The storm le• 16,000 custom- ers without power for more than 48 hours and Ofgem has put the industry on notice that any repeat of last year's performance issues will trigger further action. EnErgY Home improvement fund shuts up shop The Green Deal Home Improve- ment Fund (GDHIF) has been closed indefinitely by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc), a•er just seven weeks. The incentive package was launched in early June, but has already spent its £120 million budget because of "overwhelm- ing demand". Decc told Utility Week that no decision has been made as to whether the GDHIF will be re-introduced. The incentive scheme offered householders up to £7,600 to make their property more energy efficient. Applications received before the fund closed that satisfy the terms and conditions and meet the eligibility criteria will be honoured at the original rates. gAs Green Energy to offer dual fuel Independent energy supplier Green Energy is to offer custom- ers a dual fuel product. The renewable energy sup- plier has offered electricity to consumers for 13 years, but will now also offer gas supply a•er 83 per cent of customers who responded to a customer survey indicated they would like a dual fuel option. The supplier added that its survey revealed that customer service is considered just as important as competitive prices. The latest data on energy supplier switching shows that consumers are increasingly opting for smaller suppliers over the big six energy companies. Ofgem's Ross: welcomed Thames's co-operation Peterborough Arena, East of England Showground, Peterborough, PE2 6XE, UK Don't miss out – Register Online Now to attend the early morning breakfast briefings, the UKSTT Mini Trenchless Masterclasses and to visit the Indoor & Outdoor Exhibitions. Email: trenchless@westrade.co.uk Tel: 0845 094 8066 The UK's only event dedicated to trenchless technology NO-DIG LIVE 2014 16-18 September 2014 www.nodiglive.co.uk Organised by Supported by NO-DIG ¼ page horiz_Layout 1 24/07/2014 13:48 Page 1

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