Utility Week

Customers 22 | 26TH JANUARY - 1ST FEBRUARY 2018 | UTILITY WEEK This week SMETS1 installation cut-off postponed Government pushes back the switch to the rollout of SMETS2 meters from July to October The government has extended the deadline for the installation of the first generation of smart meters by three months. The original SMETS1 end date of 13 July 2018 has now been pushed back to 5 October 2018. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said the government target for every home to be offered a smart meter by the end of 2020 will not be affected by the postponement. So far 8.6 million SMETS1 meters have been installed. This year is meant to see the first big push to roll out more advanced (and interoperable) SMETS2 meters. In a letter to energy companies on 18 January, Daron Walker, senior responsible owner for the smart metering implementation programme at BEIS, said the systems for handling the newer meters were not ready and that the cut-off date for SMETS1 was therefore moved back by 12 weeks. The Advanced Meter Exception (AME) end date was also postponed to 5 October. Walker said it had become clear that despite "considerable efforts" no large energy supplier could meet the original July deadline "without significant risk". He added: "I do not envisage any further movement in the SMETS1 or AME end date. It is for energy suppliers to manage any remaining risks or emerging issues and to move over to SMETS2 meters by October 2018." A BEIS spokesperson told Utility Week: "We have taken this step to ensure that customers can continue to feel the benefits of smart meters, and suppliers can be completely ready to roll out SMETS2." KP ENERGY Two million elderly struggling on SVTs Charities fear an imminent health crisis, as a poll of over- 65s for comparison website Comparethemarket found that 20 per cent said they are eating less to offset high energy bills. About 20 per cent of respondents (the equivalent of around two million pensioners) said they were on standard variable tariffs (SVTs) rather than fixed-rate tariffs. Energy bills rose by an average of 14 per cent last year, with customers on SVTs paying the most. Over a million told the poll they will struggle to pay their bills this winter, with 11 per cent saying they could not afford any increase. Some 12 per cent said their health has already suffered because they limit the amount of heating they use, while 38 per cent ration their energy consumption because of the cost, according to the poll of 2,000 respondents. ENERGY Big six pressed to tackle fuel poverty The Scottish government put pressure on the big six energy suppliers about the use of prepayment meters at a fuel poverty summit with Ofgem and consumer groups on 17 January. The summit agenda included discussion of how to help customers move away from prepay, and extra support for those struggling to heat homes. At the summit, ministers also called on energy companies to make data publicly available to ensure issues for vulnerable customers can be tracked and managed. Suppliers agreed to report back to ministers on their progress in helping those struggling with energy bills. WATER Business retail transition approved South East Water has received conditional approval from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to transfer its non-household retail business (which supplies 55,000 companies in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire) to sister company Invicta Water on 1 April 2018. South East Water applied for the transfer in October to bring all its retail activities "under one roof ". The transition comes a year to the day since the opening of the water retail market. Trading as Water Choice, Invicta Water has been offering retail services across all of England since market opening. Water Choice offers dual service of water supply and wastewater removal to businesses throughout England. Nine million SMETS1 meters installed to date I am the customer Jo Causon "48 per cent of employees want to make a difference" January is nearly over, and many of us have already broken our New Year's resolutions, but one I think worth keeping all year is around personal development. Our research has revealed that employees who undertake a regular sense check on their competencies and training needs – particularly for personal skills such as dealing with customers – feel, on average, that they are 62 per cent more productive. And with one in three saying they want more to deliver the organisation's purpose, it's a winning formula for the individual and the organisation alike. In a time of exceptional uncertainty, change and disruption, a determination to develop the right skills and competences is essential for sustainable success. Like many resolutions this will not be easy to keep, but it will be well worth the focus, time and energy. Jo Causon, CEO of the Institute of Customer Service development opportunities, there is good reason to ensure this particular resolution doesn't fall by the wayside. We are all well aware of rising customer expectations and the higher level of skills needed to handle them. For me, though, it is about taking ownership of our own development. If we know what experience we want as customers, logic suggests we instinctively know the skills we need to deliver it for others. Our research also shows that 48 per cent of employees aspire to more senior roles. They want an opportunity to make a difference; where this is combined with a genuine desire

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