According to a new survey launched today by leading independent utility management consultancy Utilitywise, most businesses in England are unaware of and unprepared for the upcoming deregulation of the English water market in April 2017.
The survey highlighted a lack of knowledge about water deregulation with only one in four businesses feeling “informed” about how upcoming water legislation will affect their business. Small businesses surveyed felt particularly uninformed about water deregulation – just 20% of them felt “informed” about the issue.
Just one in three English businesses believe their business has access to enough information on the impacts of deregulation. However, of those who are informed about water deregulation, over half (59%) of English businesses say they are likely to switch compared to 49% of unaware businesses.
Many English businesses are unaware of the potential benefits that deregulation could bring. Just four in ten English businesses think customer service will be better. Only half of businesses say value for money will be better.
Brendan Flattery, CEO of Utilitywise said:
“The Utilitywise water survey results show that businesses across England are mostly unaware and unprepared for water deregulation in April 2017. Worryingly, the survey shows a particular lack of awareness among SMEs and a lack of belief that market deregulation will deliver better value for money to their businesses.
“From next year in England, all companies – small family businesses as well as large companies – will be able to benefit from deregulation by shopping around for the cheapest deal in a similar way to finding an energy provider."
“We’re calling for greater education about water market deregulation to ensure that businesses of all sizes don’t miss out. For our part, we’re launching a free helpline and website to help businesses become informed about the benefits that water deregulation will bring.
“Most importantly, the opening of the water market enables Utilitywise to offer our customers a full energy and water utility management plan which can deliver lower bills, better value for money, improved customer service as well as water and energy savings”.
Utilitywise is currently advising around 30,000 clients, helping them to get the most value from their energy through better procurement and services that allow them to be more energy efficient.
The research, which was conducted between 13-20 October 2016 via online interviews with 453 business decision makers in England, echos the findings of a separate report published last month by the independent water watchdog the Consumer Council for Water.
The CCWater report Testing the Waters was based on interviews with nearly 4,000 business customers and warned that currently too few businesses are aware of water competition changes.
The consumer watchdog is now challenging the water industry to ensure that the majority of the 1.2 million businesses and other non-household customers in England eligible to switch from April 2017 are aware of the changes.
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