UTILITY WEEK | 1ST - 7TH JUNE 2018 |
27
Customers
Speakers'
views:
1. Companies don't
want to put up their
prices, because the
moment they do
they're lambasted in
the press, but no-one
acknowledges that
these rises are not
hiking profits so
much as covering
factors including
regulation and
capacity market
changes.
2. The industry
needs to consider
new pricing models
and how these
might work, to make
everything simpler
and clearer.
3. At the moment,
the vulnerable pay
the price while
those who are savvy
enough to switch get
a good deal.
4. Regulation stifles
the diversity of
pricing, but the price
cap might also stifle
diversity – as Ofgem
takes accountability
for pricing, there may
well be a backlash.
Key points
Sara Vaughan, political and
regulatory affairs director, Eon
"Will we ever solve
the trust issue while
prices continue to
rise? And will prices
ever stop rising if
regulatory costs con-
tinue to rise?"
Dawn Stobart, director of external
affairs, Christians Against Poverty
"Ofgem puts the onus
on suppliers to iden-
tify vulnerability, but
so many vulnerable
customers are not
engaged, so how can
you tell?"
Doug Stewart, chief executive,
Green Energy
"Fair doesn't translate
into free – everyone
is going to have to
use a different pricing
model. And to do that
we will have to take a
view on what we will
be charged on regula-
tory issues."
Ian Belfield, senior vice president
– utilities, WNS
"Smart meters will
help with the issue of
trust. Smart metering
promotes engagement
and trust – these are
things we know. We
need more data, more
information, relayed
simply – and that will
create more trust."
Ben Newby, customer services
and IT director, Bristol Water
"Trust in a supplier
can be destroyed in an
instant by one inflam-
matory headline."
Ashleye Gunn, independent
consultant and member of
Ofgem's Stakeholder Engagement
and Customer Vulnerability
Monitoring Panel
"Is pricing as com-
plicated as suppliers
make it out to be?
Does it need to be that
complicated?"
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