Utility of the Year
This year saw a flurry of entries from a wide range of companies but with some familiar names upping their game. After a year dominated by the cost of living crisis, it was unsurprising but still very welcome that entries clearly demonstrated the lengths companies had gone to to offer support for vulnerable customers.
Under the revised criteria for this award we were keen for companies to outline what they were doing to enhance the reputation of the sector and the judges were pleased to see firms respond with compelling arguments for how they are doing this.
Other strands across the entries included a focus on diversity and inclusion and an increasingly culture of unlocking data across the companies. Evidence of genuine collaboration and partnership working was also welcomed.
Utility of the Year
This year saw a flurry of entries from a wide range of companies but with some familiar names upping their game. After a year dominated by the cost of living crisis, it was unsurprising but still very welcome that entries clearly demonstrated the lengths companies had gone to to offer support for vulnerable customers.
Under the revised criteria for this award we were keen for companies to outline what they were doing to enhance the reputation of the sector and the judges were pleased to see firms respond with compelling arguments for how they are doing this.
Other strands across the entries included a focus on diversity and inclusion and an increasingly culture of unlocking data across the companies. Evidence of genuine collaboration and partnership working was also welcomed.
Cadent
Our purpose, ‘keeping people warm, while protecting the planet’, has never been more important than in today’s challenging climate.
We’re always focused on delivering excellent service for 11million homes and businesses (not just as a gas network, but as part of the community), building a strong culture of innovation and continuing our dedication to the net zero agenda. The culture we’ve created is not only disrupting the sector’s status quo but involves working hard to support those in the most vulnerable situations.
We’re proud of our people, future ambitions and our drive to continually enhance the industry’s reputation.
Electricity North West
Our pride and performance in delivering for our 2.4 million customers has seen a step change since our new CEO, Ian Smyth, joined in September 2022 and has overseen a transformation in our culture and ambition, resulting in immediate tangible benefits for customers. We’ve delivered our best-ever outperformance in CSAT (94.1% in May); the biggest reward for reliability of any network (90% of incentive revenue); Our best-ever score and biggest improvement of any network in Ofgem’s stakeholder incentive (7.0/10); zero lost time incidents in the year; and our best-ever colleague engagement scores (82% completion rate and 79% positive agreement rate).
Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy is proud to showcase exemplary performance, with world-class customer service fuelling fast-track growth. During our toughest year to date, we’ve continued to invest and innovate to successfully navigate our customers and employees through the cost-of-living crisis, mass customer migrations and higher than ever spikes in peak demand - all whilst advancing to net zero.
Standout results include:
- Second largest UK Energy provider following acquisition of 1.3m Shell Energy customers
- Only 6 times Which? Recommended Energy Provider
- Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Work 2023’
- Expanding licensing partnerships to transform water and broadband sectors
- Trailblazing net zero and sustainable energy projects
Severn Trent Water
Severn Trent is a water and waste company covering 21,000km2. We serve over 8 million people, supplying 2 billion litres of drinking water and treating 3.2 billion litres of wastewater daily.
We’re proud to be a socially purposeful company focused on creating long-term value for our shareholders, wider stakeholders and the environment. We consider the impact of our company holistically, shown by our emphasis on innovation and partnerships (e.g. we were the Commonwealth Games ‘Official Nature and Carbon Neutral partner’ last year), ambitious environmental targets, and building our ambitions into our bonus structure to further drive positive change.
UK Power Networks
When partners truly collaborate, wide-ranging benefits are created which far exceed the sum of the two parts; so here’s how 2+2=5!
For UK Power Networks, the past year has been pivotal in making step changes towards collaboration. It hasn’t just partnered to deliver enhanced services, it has jointly learned exciting new ways of future working, delivered data-led solutions that work for diverse participants, and amplified customer benefits way beyond licence remit and sector boundaries.
UK Power Networks has shown its cards far and wide, collaborating on what matters most to customers and helping millions through the cost-of-living and environmental crises.
Utilita Energy
The intelligence, kindness and morality of one man and his team has continued to set Utilita apart from all energy suppliers this year. Bill Bullen’s refreshing, transparent approach to doing the right thing by people, the planet, and the pocket, while delivering a multi-award winning service, endless innovation and a sustainable business model designed to cope against substandard regulation and poor government policies, is nothing short of extraordinary. This year has proved that the UK’s ninth largest energy supplier is not only here to stay, but it’s here to pave the way to a better way to pay for energy.