Water & Wastewater Treatment

" " The challenge of making the retail energy sector work for all consumers is ge ng bigger as the market gets more complex. Suppliers are having to grapple with the challenges of the smart meter rollout as well as major changes to industry systems including faster switching and the introduc on of half hourly se lement. The poli cal spotlight remains as strong as ever given ongoing concerns about the impact of energy prices on household bills. The Compe on and Markets Authority (CMA) remedies were supposed to be the last word but further interven on appears likely. Nor can suppliers escape the wider challenges in the economy. Ci zens Advice has found that whilst many people value flexible hours, more people are in insecure work that can make it harder to budget and afford the essen als. Debt problems are becoming increasingly complex with consumers having mul ple debts. Suppliers rely heavily on prepayment meters to stop debts from increasing any further. But prepayment isn't the right solu on for some households. Ofgem has given a very strong signal it expects suppliers to make greater efforts to meet the needs of customers in vulnerable situa ons and is consul ng on strengthening licence requirements. Smart meters can also provide households with more control over their energy bills but many people, par cularly more vulnerable households, will need addi onal support to help them make the most of the benefits. Ci zens Advice's recent Smart Support report shows the industry has made some posi ve steps, but much more work needs to be done, par cularly in providing tailored support for vulnerable consumers a er the installa on. These issues represent huge challenges for the incumbent businesses when it comes to mee ng their customers' needs. But there's also been many new entrants. In response, Ci zens Advice is developing a suite of good prac ce guides around vulnerability, to help ensure these new entrants have the resources to meet these challenges and give their customers a be er experience. Speaker's column: Gillian Cooper, head of retail energy markets, Ci zens Advice Daniel Walker-Nolan, principal policy manager, energy and consumer, Ci zens Advice "Overall, billing cases for consumers with smart meters more than doubled between 2015 and 2016." Peter Haigh, chief execu ve, Bristol Energy "Let's make decisions for the benefit of our customers, not our balance sheet, par cularly for customers who are more likely to be living in vulnerable circumstances." Lucy Darch, managing director, Northumbrian Water Group Business "I am a believer that to be successful all our decisions need to work towards providing great value and customer experience" Mike Foster, chief execu ve, Energy U li es Alliance "It has long been recognised that the rural off-grid housing stock is less energy efficient than its more urban counterparts – nearly half of off-gas grid homes receive one of the three least efficient EPC ra ngs." Gillian Cooper will be speaking about mee ng the needs of vulnerable customers in the Customer Solu ons Theatre at 15:45 on 23 May. 16 | Book your free ckets today www.u lityweeklive.co.uk

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