Energy Survey Findings Prove Interesting
03-Jul-2008
Energywatch, the gas and electricity watchdog, is to be disbanded at the end of September 2008 leaving a gap in the protection available to small businesses, including many licensees. Numerous BII members took part in an online survey by the Morning Advertiser on energy usage and suppliers and the results proved very interesting.
The MA team has fed the results to the Government for consideration and we are currently awaiting a response. Here is an excerpt from an article in the MA which gives the highlights of the survey findings:
Fewer than one in three licensees would qualify for energy protection under current plans for a new scheme to begin in October.
A survey of 158 hosts found just 30% would qualify for the redress scheme under current plans to limit it to firms that use less than £5,000-worth of gas or electricity per year.
But 79% would qualify under alternative plans to offer it to businesses that employ 10 or fewer full time staff, or with annual turnover under E2m.
The results will be sent to the Government as it considers the final threshold for the energy redress scheme. The scheme will offer access to an independent ombudsman to resolve complaints about energy suppliers and agents. Suppliers will be legally bound to take part.
In addition, the survey shows the level of unhappiness with energy suppliers. Three quarters had lodged a complaint with their supplier - and just 32% had it resolved to their satisfaction. The most common reason for the complaint was a billing problem (64%), followed by inaccurate meter readings (23%) and customer service (14%).
The Findings
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One in five licensees saw energy bills increase by 40% to 60% in the past three years.
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The most common increase was 20% to 40%, with one in three hosts falling in the bracket. Almost one in four (23%) saw bills rise by up to 20%.
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But a significant proportion saw much bigger rises, with 4% saying bills were more than 200% higher than three years ago. In addition, 6% saw bills increase between 100% and 200%.
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Many licensees are paying a double-digit percentage of their turnover on energy bills.
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The survey shows 17% spend 11-15% of turnover, while 8% pay 16-20%, 5% spend 21-25% and 3% spend more than 25%.
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The most popular bracket is 5-10%, with 43% in that bracket, while 23% spend under 5% of their turnover on bills.
| michellel@bii.org | |
| Contact | Michelle Luscombe Corporate Communications Manager 01276 417863 |
