Utility Week

4 | 23RD FEBRUARY - 1ST MARCH 2018 | UTILITY WEEK STORY BY NUMBERS Seven days... National media Oil industry's swagger takes knock from gas The oil executives who control the world's most traded commodity are usually the big draw at the Interna- tional Petroleum Week conference. But this week, it could be the lead- ers in gas that steal the limelight. As the electric car revolution takes hold and governments turn to greener fuels to power growing economies, gas and renewable energy is increasingly challenging oil as the headline act. Financial Times, 19 February Coal chief warns against 'green' failure to back industry Boycotts of coal projects by western financial institutions will be coun- terproductive if they discourage investment to reduce power sta- tion emissions, the coal industry has warned. The head of the World Coal Association, which represents inter- national producers, said institutions would have more impact by working with the industry to develop cleaner coal-fired power plants. Financial Times, 18 February Driving through flood water 'risks lives' Two-thirds of drivers would risk driving through flood water, despite it being the leading cause of death during a flood, the Environment Agency says. The agency's Caroline Douglass described the statistic, taken from a survey of 18,000 AA members, as "extremely concerning". "No-one should put their own life or those of their friends and family at risk during a flood," she said. A total of 101 drivers have been rescued from Rufford Lane in Newark, Nottingham, in the past five years. BBC News, 18 February Ofgem opens investigation into Iresa customer service T he customer service processes of small energy supplier Iresa are under investigation by regulator Ofgem. A number of Iresa customers are facing a sudden direct debit increase or a one-off payment of hundreds of pounds – in some cases both. The direct debit and one-off payment were both taken out of customers' accounts at the end of January, with very little warning. Iresa customers took to online forums to express their concerns, and said they were struggling to get through to the company on the phone. This is a particular worry for consumers because both GB Energy Supply and Future Energy hiked their direct debits shortly before they closed. Ofgem said the investigation would examine whether Iresa broke rules on customer infor- mation and customer contact. There is mounting pressure on the UK energy regulator to toughen the licensing rules for new suppliers. Concerns have been growing about the long-term viability of some of the smaller operators aer a number stopped trading. Ofgem is considering the timing of a wider review of its approach to awarding supply licences. Concerns about the number of complaints about Iresa were raised with Ofgem through Citi- zens Advice and the regulator's consumer affairs team. Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said the investi- gation was "extremely welcome". Citizens Advice reported Iresa to Ofgem in November 2017 aer a number of concerns about billing, long phone queues and attempts to block customers from switching. Guy said: "According to our complaints-handling data, Iresa is one of the poorest-performing energy companies. "It's currently too easy for new firms to set themselves up as energy suppliers, oen before they are able to provide good quality customer service. Ultimately it is energy customers who pay the price." Iresa was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press. AC Energy switching up by 14% Energy switching has increased by 14 per cent, according to the latest figures from Energy UK, with nearly 400,000 customers changing electricity provider in Janu- ary 2018 and 5.5 million switching last year. This is the breakdown for January 2018. 36% of customers switched from a larger to a small or mid-tier supplier. 32% switched between larger suppliers. 21% switched between small and mid-tier suppliers. 11% moved from small to mid-tier or larger suppliers. 98,302 Net gain by small and mid-tier sup- pliers in December 2017. "Smart meters are one of the most secure pieces of technology in your home. The system was designed with security at its heart" Robert Cheesewright, director of policy and communications at Smart Energy GB, responds to reports that intelligence agency GCHQ had warned ministers smart meters could enable hackers to steal personal details.

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