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Remaking energy retail – major new report

Energy retail is a state of upheaval – huge consolidation, tighter regulations and falling profits, but a wealth of opportunities lie ahead as we transition to net zero. In this comprehensively researched report, in association with Charles River Associates, we talk to 16 senior executives about the future, including in depth interviews with Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus and Ed Kamm CEO Shell Energy.

By Utility Week

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Latest articles

How Kraken is waking up customer service for global partners
Kraken Technologies, the customer service platform built by Octopus Energy, is currently running 17 million accounts. But by 2027, Kraken hopes to have 100 million, by offering partner energy companies cost savings, added value and its 'special sauce'. Lara Beers, vice president for global sales, explains.
Analysis
Repurposing customer service for net zero
How is the drive for net zero transforming expectations of customer service operations? Utility Week asked energy and water leaders to tell us their experiences.
Analysis

Editor’s picks

The future of serving customers
To ensure a successful energy transition, utilities must change the way they reward customers and start thinking in terms of services not commodities. Laura Sandys discusses these and other key findings from her ReCosting Energy report.
Opinion
Giving customers breathing space
This month saw the Debt Respite Scheme, also known as “breathing space", come into force. The legislation is designed to give customers with problem debt temporary legal protections from creditor action. Jayne Gardner, head of debt recovery at Corclaim, examines how it is likely to affect the utilities sector.
Opinion
Sibling rivalry: How Octopus differentiates its white labels
Although both are white labels of Octopus, M&S and Co-Op Energy manage to outperform their parent company on customer service rankings. Utility Week asked Octopus Energy’s Rebecca Dibb-Simkin why this is, and what approach the company has taken to integrating two household brands into a disruptor model.
Interviews

Customer service

Embracing the new customer service reality
From shifting large numbers of staff to home working to accelerating the use of digital communication channels, the utilities sector has been widely praised for its response to the issues thrown up by the Covid-19 pandemic. During Utility Week Live Summit, a number of industry experts gathered to discuss what lessons the sector can take from the pandemic to transform customer service. Having robust and varied communications was among the key topics explored.
Analysis
Six of the best: accelerating the energy transition
From urging companies to fire up consumers about energy, to more efforts to open up data, strong messages emerged in the virtual think-tank convened by Utility Week with Microsoft and Accenture on accelerating the transition to net zero. Denise Chevin chaired.
Market insight
Request to Pay – shaking up billing operations
Could a new technology development, fueled by the success of Open Banking in the financial services sector, help utilities overcome long standing efficiency, accuracy and customer experience challenges in their billing operations? Read our report to find out more.
Downloads

Energy flexibility

Enhanced flexibility could save up to £16.7bn per year by 2050
Greater flexibility could cut energy system costs by £16.7 billion per year by 2050, according to new research from the Carbon Trust and Imperial College London. The report said flexibility should be embedded into all sectors of the energy system – power, heat and transport – to reduce the impact and cost of their decarbonisation.
News
SSEN procures 348MW of flexibility
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks' latest tender brings the total amount of flexibility services procured to date for the distribution network operator (DNO) to almost 447MW.
News
Networks to build digital map of Britain’s energy system
Network operators have announced plans to build a “proof-of-concept” digital map of the energy system, including network assets, generators, and energy intensive users. The Energy Networks Association will work with Ordnance Survey and 1Spatial to pull together data from electricity and gas networks into an integrated map covering the entirety of Great Britain.
News

Green transport

Energy sector ‘requires deep digitalisation’
A taskforce has been launched to accelerate the digitalisation of the energy system. The Energy Digitalisation Taskforce is the successor to the Energy Data Taskforce and will once again be chaired by Laura Sandys.
News
MHHS should not place limits on elective arrangements
Utility Week gauges industry views on the approval of mandatory half hourly settlement (MHHS), including whether the timeline is realistic and if there is a danger the process could actually slow down early adopters of smart tariffs. Including contributions from Octopus' Rachel Fletcher, Marzia Zafar of Kaluza and Mark Bygraves at Elexon.
News
EV drivers unhappy with public charging infrastructure
A survey by the newly formed Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) England has revealed EV drivers are poorly satisfied with the country’s current public charging infrastructure. The survey, which was commissioned in response to the government consultation Consumer experience at public electric vehicle chargepoints, polled more than 1,200 drivers in total.
News

Heat

Enhanced flexibility could save up to £16.7bn per year by 2050
Greater flexibility could cut energy system costs by £16.7 billion per year by 2050, according to new research from the Carbon Trust and Imperial College London. The report said flexibility should be embedded into all sectors of the energy system – power, heat and transport – to reduce the impact and cost of their decarbonisation.
News
Concerns raised over ‘headlong rush’ to air-source heat pumps
An official for Cambridge City Council has raised concerns over a “headlong rush” towards air-source heat pumps, saying there are “lots of problems” with the technology, particularly within urban areas. Environmental quality and growth manager Jo Dicks made the comments during a discussion of retrofitting as part of Utility Week’s Future of Heat conference.
News

Smart meters

Reshaping the energy system for the smart generation
The energy sector is seeing a rapid evolution of customer journeys and channels, with consumer expectations growing all the time. But are the energy market and the systems changing fast enough to meet these needs? This new white paper from Coeus Consulting considers some of the key challenges facing technology leaders across the energy sector and their wider significance.
Downloads
The local push to build smart communities
Local authorities are facing the dual pressures of boosting investment and decreasing emissions. However, these goals are not mutually exclusive. As part of our Countdown to COP series, SSE’s Stephen Stead looks at how forward-thinking councils are seeking to use the post-Covid economic recovery to modernise their energy infrastructure.
Opinion
Bulb to install 30,000 free smart thermostats
Energy retailer Bulb has outlined plans to offer low-income or vulnerable customers a free smart thermostat. The company will trial the free fittings of Google Nest Thermostat E devices in 2,000 West Midlands homes and, if successful, will expand it to 30,000 properties across the UK.
News
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