EM - October/November 2010 - (Page 9)

Oct/Nov 2010 www.esb.ie/em energy solutions Energy Solutions fighting back The energy Solutions business is the combination of eSB Customer Supply, eSBIe and eSB energy Services, and a new management team has been appointed under Liam Molloy. In his first address to staff Liam said, “We have never faced such a serious challenge to our future as that posed by the unrelenting inroads being made by our competitors”. Following Cer’s ‘roadmap to Deregulation’ for the retail electricity market, as and from the 1st October 2010, energy Solutions can target the retention, and win-back, business customers. This is a significant milestone for energy Solutions, as up to this date, its tariffs have been strictly regulated by Cer. energy Solutions is now in a position to offer competitive electricity tariffs to business customers. Background In 2010, Cer issued a ‘roadmap to Deregulation’ for the electricity sector to increase competition in the market. This meant energy Solutions could only offer regulated tariffs, until thresholds for deregulation were met. The threshold is 50% market share for business customers and 60% market share for residential customers. new competitors, such as Bord gais and Scottish and Southern (Airtricity) have entered the market offering competitive priced tariffs and discounts, much lower than energy Solutions’ regulated tariffs. given the scale of discounts offered and the current economic environment, this has resulted in a significant reduction of our customer base. energy Solutions has already met the 50% market threshold for business customers, as a result of which Cer agreed that energy Solutions can launch competitive electricity tariffs to the business markets from 1st October 2010. It also means that the ringfencing that had been in place between eSB Customer Supply and eSBIe has now been lifted. How are we fighting back? The CreST (Customer retention & engagement Solutions Team) Project Team, was established to ensure that energy Solutions would be an effective competitor in the Irish retail energy market – gas and electricity. For the past nine months, the team have been focused on the go-live date of 1st October 2010. “The aim of CreST is to ensure that energy Solutions has all of the required capabilities to survive, and become an effective competitor in the Irish energy market,” Paul Cullen, CreST Project Manager said. CreST will deliver these capabilities in three separate releases. What’s being delivered in Release 1? • Offering deregulated electricity tariffs to all business customers: we can now offer competitive tariffs to business customers and respond to competitor activity by changing our prices accordingly. • Launch a user-friendly bill: we have listened to our staff and customers, to design a bill to meet their needs. The new bill also enables us tailor our messages to different customers. • Launch of sales activities for the business electricity market: We have introduced a new sales approach, including targeted campaigns to high value customers through telesales and field sales. New energy efficiency products Three new energy efficiency products are currently being launched: • A new HALO installation business which will offer customers nationwide a comprehensive range of products such as home energy efficiency Installations, heat Pumps and Solar Panels. • A new online store (www.esbstore.ie) offering customers a range of energy-efficiency products. • A new online home energy efficiency audit, energyWizard. These new products are being launched via a new TV campaign commencing at the end of September. Commenting on the new hALO installation business, Brian Dowd, Manager, Products & Services said, “these new services will be run on a commercial basis, building on the invaluable leads secured through the successful hALO Audit Programme run in 2009”. What’s next? Over the next year energy Solutions will continue its fight to retain and win-back customers. The focus will now be on delivering: release 2 – Launch of retail gas to residential and business customers, and the launch of our new brand. release 3 – Developing the capability to offer new competitive electricity tariffs to residential customers. In his address to staff, Liam Molloy stated, “The new business initiatives being developed are in effect our entry ticket to the competitive market - how we maximise their value will be determined by our progress in tackling the underlying competitiveness and debt management effectiveness of our business. If we get these right and quickly restructure the business to match the flexibility and cost effectiveness of our competitors, there is no reason why we cannot compete successfully and profitably.” n 9 thinking caps on! Try out the crosswords Life, pg 38 Put your President McAleese joins Positive Ageing Week 2010 celebrations at ESB Head Office ESB Deputy Chief Executive John Shine welcomes President Mary McAleese to ESB Head Office. ESB CuSTOMER SuPPly ‘‘Ireland’s older population are a huge, but sometimes over-looked, resource that can help society during the current economic crisis,’’ President Mary McAleese was told at eSB head Office where she joined celebrations to mark Age Action’s Positive Ageing Week on Tuesday, September 28th. Deputy Chief executive, John Shine said, “This is the sixth year that eSB has sponsored Positive Ageing Week. We are delighted to work in partnership with Age Action to ensure this initiative continues to grow and develop. eSB sponsors a Positive Ageing Photographic Competition each year that is designed to capture the contribution older people make in Ireland today. The best entries form an exhibition which we bring on tour around Ireland. Age Action Chief executive robin Webster pointed to the 800 events that are taking place nationwide as part of Ireland’s largest celebration of positive ageing. “If ever there was evidence of the vitality and energy of older people, and their desire to contribute to society and help their neighbours, just look at what is happening in communities up and down the country,” he said. “groups of older people Eco-transport for artists and celebrities at Electric Picnic ESB ecars were supporting the drive towards greener transport and energy efficiency by using zero emission electric cars to chauffeur the Electric Picnic artists around the festival site. The stylishly-branded Electric Picnic ecars gained a lot of attention from celebrities and festival-goers alike and they were a hot topic of conversation over the weekend! Chris McElligott from the NCCC pictured with Imiev e-car. Chris transported artists to and from the stages are getting out there, celebrating life, and organising events for their neighbours and friends. With the help of our sponsor eSB, Age Action continues to enhance Positive Ageing Week to celebrate the extraordinary contribution older people make to society. Mr Webster pointed to the huge contribution which older people made in the past and continue to make today, to our communities and families. “They are active volunteers, experienced workers, caring parents and grandparents, and citizens who have lived through several recessions,” he said. “The lessons they have learnt from these experiences are more valuable now than ever”. After the reception at eSB head Office, President McAleese viewed the eSB Positive Ageing Photographic exhibition at no.29, the georgian museum at Fitzwilliam Street Lower, Dublin. The exhibition features the best entries from eSB’s Positive Ageing Photographic Competition. n Know your neighbour Weekend Right: Deirdre, Garvey, CEO of The Wheel, Sean Walsh, ESB Customer Supply and Jo Homewood of the Inchicore Resident’s Association and Gert Ackermann, The Wheel. Power to the People page 11 http://www.esb.ie/em http://www.esbstore.ie http://www.esbstore.ie

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of EM - October/November 2010

EM - October/November 2010
In This Issue
News
Energy Solutions
ESB Networks Ltd.
ESB Energy International
Sustainability
Health & Habitat
Life

EM - October/November 2010