EURELECTRIC conference puts customers in the spotlight

Retail customers are at the heart of the electricity industry’s business, and engaging them in the energy transition will be of critical importance. However, getting customers on board will only be possible with greater transparency in electricity prices and underlying cost structures, leading to greater trust. EURELECTRIC will therefore use its first annual retail customers conference today to publish a two-page leaflet providing simple summary information on recent price developments in retail markets. The conference will also showcase best practice examples of how energy supply companies are already getting their customers involved, using innovation to cater to the needs of different customer groups.

The leaflet “Making sense of your electricity bill” helps electricity consumers understand what exactly they are paying for. With the help of easily understandable infographics it breaks down the average household bill into its three main components – electricity, transport, and taxes – and shows how each of these components developed between 2008 and 2012. The leaflet is based on comparative work on EU electricity prices that EURELECTRIC carried out earlier this year, which showed that recent price surges are largely the result of rising taxes and levies primarily aimed at funding policy choices. Electricity is thus made artificially expensive – a fact that retail customers are usually unaware of.

EURELECTRIC Secretary General Hans ten Berge commented:

“EURELECTRIC is convinced that providing customers with relevant, objective information is the best way to get them more involved in electricity markets. The leaflet we published today aims to provide helpful information in clear and simple terms, and should be the starting point for a greater discussion on what is actually driving recent price hikes. Governments should be clearer with citizens about the costs of the policy choices they make.

“At the same time, we recognise that power companies themselves can do more to engage their customers, taking into account diverging customers’ needs and preferences as well as the level of development of different retail markets across the EU. Established utility companies are well placed to offer customers new products such as demand-side response, energy efficiency, distributed generation, and broader value-added propositions. But in striving to increase customer engagement, they need to become more agile and open-minded, for instance by collaborating with smaller start-ups to deliver greater customer satisfaction.”

The leaflet is available here.