Types of CEC customers

Vulnerable Customers and stakeholder engagement

Reflecting the CEC trial’s dual focus upon demand reduction and positive social impacts, research was directed at measuring and improving levels of vulnerable customer sign-up to the Priority Services Register. Baseline surveys revealed that general awareness of the PSR in both communities was very low at less than 8% of those interviewed.

Against this background, working through community-based intermediary organisations as part of the locally branded strategies, nominal sign up targets through local groups and friendship networks were readily achieved, with local groups and residents in both areas being very willing to share information and to identify individuals who they felt might benefit.

This more networked ‘local’ approach to promoting the PSR was specifically linked to the development of ‘emotionally connected, caring community’ as the key driver for collective behaviour change offering opportunities to address support needs for vulnerable and ‘fuel poor’ customers.

Local Branding
The principle of working initially with the communities unconditionally on their own terms was perceived positively as the Network Operator ‘Earning the Right’ to present its own energy agenda. This led naturally to the identification of local branding platforms which could support the energy messaging.

Local Branding Platforms

To give our community a voice
To make our community a better place
To use less energy and save money

Connecting People
Connecting Places
Connecting Power

Stakeholder Collaboration
Engagement with other stakeholders – utilities, local authorities and third sector organisations – was a key feature of the CEC trial. Willingness to engage in the research was underpinned by a genuine interest in testing the viability of joint public, private and third sector community development activity with the DNO as catalyst.

Power Graph
Having invoked the idea of Energy Literacy, the importance of peak demand became more obvious, leading to the development of the Power Draw Chart. This visual demonstration of where to focus attention in peak reduction was a ‘light bulb moment’ for many people in both communities.

Power rating of household appliances (watts)

Cooking
Seeking to change evening cooking routines in family households was initially perceived as a step too far. However, building engagement routines around the theme of ‘alternative cooking’, the Delivery Team were able to demonstrate the value of low energy baking, slow cooking and batch cooking in terms of saving time as well as energy.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks is a trading name of: Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution Limited Registered in Scotland No. SC213459; Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc Registered in Scotland No. SC213461; Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution plc Registered in Scotland No. SC213460; (all having their Registered Offices at Inveralmond House 200 Dunkeld Road Perth PH1 3AQ); and Southern Electric Power Distribution plc Registered in England & Wales No. 04094290 having their Registered Office at No.1 Forbury Place, 43 Forbury Road, Reading, RG1 3JH which are members of the SSE Group.