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UTILITY Week 28th October 2016

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20 | 28TH OCTOBER - 3RD NOVEMBER 2016 | UTILITY WEEK Customers This week Tempus Energy exits energy supply market Independent shuts supply division after securing funds to develop a 'smart electricity supply model' Tempus Energy has closed its energy supply division and asked Ofgem to revoke its licence. Tempus Energy founder and chief executive Sara Bell told Utility Week that the supplier has closed down and all of its customers have switched. "We have asked Ofgem to revoke the licence of Jetstream Energy Supply Limited, the original registration name," she added. The independent supplier is quitting the supply market aer securing £3.78 million of funding to help it develop a flexible smart electricity supply model in December last year. The investment was raised from high net worth individuals and existing shareholders, bringing the total funding secured by the company to just short of £5 million in 2015. Tempus was also outspoken about the recent two- year investigation into the energy market by the Compe- tition and Markets Authority (CMA), insisting it will not increase competition or incentivise customers to switch. Bell added that Tempus Energy Technology would continue, focusing on international markets with liq- uid wholesale markets. Fellow independent energy suppliers GB Energy Supply and Ecotricity have recently hiked their prices by an average of 30 per cent and 5.7 per cent respectively. The companies blamed rising wholesale costs and policy changes. Meanwhile, Good Energy has promised to freeze its gas and electricity prices until at least March 2017. SJ WATER Business Stream and Castle square up Business Stream and Castle Water are both "committed to competition" and will keep each other under pressure in the Eng- lish water retail market. Castle Water chief executive John Reynolds said: "I am fas- cinated that we are both on the overlapping and neighbouring patch with Business Stream." Castle Water bought the business customer base of Portsmouth Water when the incumbent water-only company announced its intention to exit the market in January this year. The Scottish new entrant then bought the business custom- ers of Thames Water when it announced its exit from the market in July. Scottish incumbent retailer Business Stream bought the business customers of Southern Water when it announced its exit at the end of June. PAN-UTILITY D-Energi to expand into water market Business-to-business energy supplier D-Energi is planning to expand into the English water market when it opens to compe- tition in April next year. A spokesperson for the com- pany said: "We are looking to diversify into the water market like we have done for renewa- bles biomass, and solar PV." The company has also announced that it has secured £1.5 million in funding from HSBC, and plans to double its workforce to 200 employees over the next two or three years. D-Energi was founded by brothers Shak and Zico Ahmed in 2002 with £30,000 from cash they had saved and a loan from the family. It is based in Manchester, and supplies gas and electricity to the commercial market. GAS Smart meter rollout 'could increase leaks' A rush to meet smart meter rollout deadlines could lead to increased gas leaks, Wales and West Utilities has warned. Speaking at Utility Week Con- gress, WWU head of emergency and metering services Clive Book said: "When you disturb things, you get leaks, you get problems. However, the volumes could be significant." He added that "inexperienced meter workers" recruited to meet high supplier demand "could increase the number of mistakes". Furthermore, Book said there is also a risk that unsafe home appliances might not be spotted by unseasoned smart meter technicians, potentially leaving customers exposed to carbon monoxide risk. Bell: critical of CMA energy market investigation The Scottish government will review the definition of fuel poverty to make sure help is tar- geted at those who need it most. Fuel poverty groups in Scot- land have made more than 100 recommendations for govern- ment to consider to address the issue of fuel poverty. In an independent report, the Scottish Fuel Poverty Strate- gic Working Group and Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force urged government to review the definition of fuel poverty aer they identified concerns that the current definition can "impede targeting and the measurement of impact". The report also made four high-level recommendations, including one that fuel poverty strategy should be based firmly on the principle of social justice and that a new community- based approach to tackling fuel poverty should be developed. It concluded that all four drivers of fuel poverty – income, energy costs, energy performance, and how energy is used in the home – must be addressed in policy. Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: "The advice is clear that the current definition is unhelpful in ensuring support is delivered to those who need it most. I will take immediate and decisive action to take forward the recommendation on review- ing the definition of fuel poverty. "Since 2008 over one million energy efficiency measures have been installed in almost one million households across Scotland… We will build on this by investing half a billion pounds over the next four years to continue tackling fuel poverty and improving energy efficiency. "Over 100 recommenda- tions have been made, many of which are complex and have wider implications that must be considered alongside other policies. Both reports are a good first step in informing our new fuel poverty strategy and we will respond fully in due course." ENERGY Scottish government will review definition of fuel poverty

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