Utility Week

4 | 1ST - 7TH JULY 2016 | UTILITY WEEK How easy is it to change your energy supplier? New research from price comparison website Gocompare has revealed that energy providers are the fourth easiest to switch between compared with other sectors. Home insurance topped the list (84 per cent) with mortgages coming bottom (61 per cent). 76% of customers found it easy to switch in May 2016. 75% of customers found it easy to switch in July 2014. 29% said they would switch more regularly if the process were faster. 35% would switch regularly if it were easier to find the right product. STORY BY NUMBERS Southern says it will exit the retail market Seven days... S outhern Water has announced it will exit the non-household retail mar- ket in April next year, at which point Scottish supplier Business Stream will take on its business customer base. The deal, agreed for an undisclosed amount, will cre- ate the third biggest company in the UK non-domestic water market, with a combined market share of more than 10 per cent. Southern Water said the deci- sion will enable it to "focus on additional service improvements for its household customers", which represent 95 per cent of its retail business. The two companies assured that "no compulsory redundan- cies" are being made as a result of the decision. As part of the acquisition, a number of Southern Water's account managers will transfer to Business Stream to ensure continuity of service to and maintain existing relationships with customers. In addition, as many as 40 new jobs will be created at Business Stream's Edinburgh headquarters to support the expanded operation. Business Stream chief executive Jo Dow said: "The acquisition of Southern Water's customer base provides us with a springboard for growth ahead of the English market opening next year." Speaking exclusively to Util- ity Week, Dow said the company would consider further acquisi- tions to bolster its share of the UK water retail market. "We've made no secret of our ambitions, that we want to grow the business, and we've always said that we were looking at joint venture, acquisition or partnership," she said. LV "It is our neighbour" Association for Decentralised Energy director Tim Rotheray told Utility Week that exiting the EU does not have to hamper the growth of the heating sector. He said: "Whatever happens, we will always have to have an eye on what happens in the European Union because it is our neighbour." National media Elon Musk to merge Tesla and SolarCity US electric carmaker Tesla has offered to buy solar panel com- pany SolarCity in a bid to expand its clean energy business. The company has made an all-stock deal worth as much as $2.8 billion (£1.9 billion). Tesla shares fell 10 per cent in extended trading after the announcement while Solar- City jumped 23 per cent. California-based Tesla is known as a pioneer in electric cars but since last year has also been selling batteries that can power homes and businesses. BBC News, 22 June German government agrees to ban fracking German politicians have approved a law that bans fracking, ending years of dispute over the contro- versial technology to release oil and gas locked underground. The law does not outlaw con- ventional drilling for oil and gas, leaving it to state governments to decide on individual cases. But fracking, which blasts a mixture of water, sand and chemicals underground to release shale oil and gas, will be banned. The Guardian, 24 June Higher lead levels in kids after water switch Flint children under the age of six had significantly higher blood lead levels after the city switched its water source in 2014 to save money, according to a report released by US disease experts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report said the likelihood a child would have a concerning blood-lead level was about 50 per cent higher after the April 2014 switch from Detroit's water system to the Flint River. Flint used the water for 18 months, during which lead leached from old pipes. Daily Mail, 25 June

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