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26 | 3rd - 9th OctOber 2014 | UtILItY WeeK Customers This week Power cut helpline to launch in April 2016 three-digit number will connect customers with the right network company for their area A three-digit emergency phone number to provide the public with assistance during power cuts will be set up by April 2016, a spokesman for the Energy Networks Association (ENA) said on Tuesday. He told Utility Week that a tender process seeking a telecommunications provider to build and develop the system was under way, but that no further details were available. In January this year, energy secretary Ed Davey prom- ised to establish a 999-style number for the industry, aer hundreds of thousands of households were le without power over Christmas. The emergency number will automatically connect customers with the right network company for their area, whether calling from a landline or mobile, any- where in the UK. The ENA spokesman commented: "There are still many bureaucratic and technical hurdles to overcome, but hopefully we will deliver the number in two years. We are still waiting for Ofcom to give us the green signal." He added: "The police and the NHS took nine years to develop their respective emergency numbers, so we will be doing it in a record time of sorts, from initial consultations to delivery." The ENA has taken on the responsibility of delivering the single emergency number project, following calls from the Department of Energy and Climate Change. JB energY Ofgem to toughen comparison site rules Ofgem will strengthen its con- sumer protection rules for com- parison websites aer research showed the proportion of people using the sites to switch energy providers had risen to 31 per cent, from 26 per cent in 2013. The watchdog is proposing changes to its confidence code to protect the interests of consumers and to include more comparison sites under the code of conduct, it said. The first proposal is that all accredited price comparison sites must make all tariffs across the market available to consum- ers, regardless of whether a commission is earned. Second, Ofgem proposes to remove an existing restriction on accreditation so that more sites can be accredited. Cur- rently, only sites that maintain their own tariff database and price calculator are able to gain accreditation, but the regulator has noted this can be expensive and can exclude certain sites. energY Regulator demands action on complaints Ofgem has demanded action from energy firms to address poor consumer complaint handling. Energy companies were told last Friday to improve their han- dling of customer complaints aer research showed more than half of customers with com- plaints were dissatisfied with the way they were dealt with. The regulator said it would bring forward its next scheduled survey of customer complaints to next year, and if no improve- ment was shown would take regulatory action against compa- nies found at fault. energY Feedback could cut up to £80 from bills Energy consumers could reduce their bills by up to £80 a year if they were given feedback on their energy use by their supplier, a study conducted by Sustainable Homes has found. The National Energy Study surveyed 500 households across the UK and found 82 per cent of people wanted regular feedback from their supplier on how their energy use compares with that of other consumers. Those who already receive feedback are able to make sav- ings of up to £80 on their annual bills, the study added. In addi- tion, 79 per cent felt their energy bills needed to be clearer. Andrew Eagles, managing director of Sustainable Homes, said: "These results drive home the point that in the battle against rising bills we need to be better at giving people the tools they need to manage them well." Calling all providers: tender process under way I am the customer Lewis Shand Smith "Customers want to feel like they are being treated fairly" This year has been eventful for the energy sector. We've seen the big six increase their prices by as much as 10 per cent and, unsur- prisingly, we've seen increasing levels of dissatisfaction from consumers. And Ofgem has referred the big six to the CMA. The tone was set early in the year by Which?'s branding of one particular supplier as the "worst company in Britain". This didn't go unnoticed by consumers. As the sole ombuds- man for the energy sector, we many fixed-price tariffs are set to end, people are likely to feel the pinch. We may see a further increase in complaints and a ra of customers keen to switch to smaller energy providers. Taking all of this into account, if energy companies want to retain customers and rebuild trust in the next 12 months, they will need to do more to improve their customer service strategies. Lewis Shand Smith, chief ombudsman, Ombudsman Services reported a complaints figure of 32,561 between 1 January and the end of August 2014. This is almost double the 17,948 com- plaints we received in the whole of 2013. Billing issues have been the irritant, accounting for 84 per cent of the issues we handled. But it's not necessarily all about the money. Our Consumer Action Monitor research indi- cates that consumers aren't necessarily looking for financial compensation; they simply want to feel like they are being treated fairly. In the event of a mix-up, an apology can have a profound effect on a customer's perception of their supplier. As winter draws close and