Utility Week

Customers UTILITY WEEK | 1ST - 7TH JUNE 2018 | 23 The London Assembly has called for more electric vehicle (EV) charge points in the capital. The assembly's environment committee warns in a report that recent growth in the number of EVs in the capital is outstripping the number of charge points and could limit the number of people who can own an EV. There are 12,000 EVs in London, ten times as many as in 2012. ELECTRICITY London Assembly calls for more EV charging points But 60 per cent of Londoners do not have their own garage or driveway and would have to rely on on-street charging. The report calls for a "stra- tegic pan-London approach" to improve the spread, location and accessibility of EV charge points across the capital. It also says mayor Sadiq Khan should encourage London bor- oughs to make parking for elec- tric vehicles free or discounted to drive EV take-up. The former chair of the com- mittee, Leonie Cooper, said the: "These cars are cleaner, quieter and much better for the environ- ment. What puts people off is not knowing whether they will be able to find a charger." The Renewable Energy Asso- ciation's EV lead, Daniel Brown, said a number of amendments This week South West ready for Scilly Isles expansion Water company says licence is the key to an infrastructure investment of £40 million by 2030 South West Water has been granted a licence expansion to cover the Isles of Scilly, which the company said will lead to infrastructure investment of about £40 million by 2030. The company made the announcement as parent com- pany Pennon Group released its financial results for the year ended 31 March 2018 – reporting a 2.9 per cent increase in revenue to £1.39 billion compared to 2016/17 and a rise in pre-tax profit of 3.5 per cent to £258.8 million. Pennon's total dividend increased by 7.3 per cent, up to 38.59p per share, as the company sounded a positive note on its "strong performance" in water and waste. SWW's licence expansion has been agreed by Defra and Ofwat aer customers were consulted. It is subject to an amendment of the Water Act and the company's licence. Services at the five islands are currently pro- vided by a combination of the Council of the Isles of Scilly, the Duchy of Cornwall and the Tresco Estate. A statement included with the financial results, said: "This transfer is at zero cost but will lead to investment of around £40 million by 2030 to bring the infrastruc- ture up to the standards we would expect at South West Water and at the same time delivering RCV growth. "Surveys indicate a willingness to pay for this invest- ment. An increase in water quality, public health and security of supply will all be delivered." South West said it is on track with plans for PR19, which include proposals for more than £1 billion of investment between 2020 and 2025 to increase resilience. Susan Davy, chief financial officer at Pennon, told Utility Week: "Again the company has been outperform- ing both in terms of services and costs." KP ENERGY Mental health help 'patchy' at utilities The energy and telecoms sectors have been rated the worst for customer service and additional support for those with mental health issues, while water com- panies are seen most favourably. Research from Citizens Advice indicates that support is "limited, inconsistent and patchy" among utilities. The research was conducted in response to a surge in the num- ber of people with mental health problems seeking help with utili- ties from Citizens Advice. The research revealed that people are oen promised extra support with meter readings but do not receive it. But the survey also found awareness of the support schemes on offer in the energy sector is high. Financial support is the best-known, including the Warm Home Discount and the Cold Weather Payment. About a third of participants had heard the phrase "a Warm Home Discount" but didn't necessar- ily know how it works and how much the discount would be. Far fewer could recall the Cold Weather Payment scheme. Among those who did, there was an assumption that it is for older people specifically. There is also an assumption that "additional support" just means financial support, such as money off the bill, being given a discount or being put on a lower tariff. Citizens Advice is calling for minimum standards to be set for mental health support across all essential service providers. WATER Yorkshire will trial meters to cut bills Yorkshire Water is to review the accounts of up to 100,000 cus- tomers who it thinks could save money by having a water meter installed. As part of a pilot scheme, the company will offer a two-year meter trial to those it believes would benefit from lower bills. During the trial, the firm will assess whether the customers have saved money. If not, it will switch them back to the unme- tered rate. The firm currently provides water to 2 million households. Of these, 1.2 million are currently on a metered supply and the rest are billed on the basis of the rateable value of their property. Yorkshire Water will approach 100,000 customers to take part in the trial because they are cur- rently living in a property with a high rateable value with a small number of occupants. If the pilot project is success- ful, the company is considering rolling out the meter trial idea to all its unmetered customers as part of a "price promise". Under this proposal, the company would review the accounts of about 650,000 customers who do not have meters to identify those who might be better off on a metered supply. Licence clears way for infrastructure investment to the Automated and Electric Vehicle Bill, being debated in the Lords, mirror initiatives in the dra London Plan. "Ensuring that new proper- ties, including those with public car parks such as supermarkets and offices are 100 per cent "EV Ready"… would make it easier for both those with and without off-street parking to charge their cars."

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