News

GUERNSEY Electricity has achieved perfect marks for customer service and world-beating reliability.

Figures for the 12 months to 31 March 2006 show the company achieved a 100% record for all its guaranteed service standards, and has continued to far outstrip the UK in the key measure of reliability.

Managing director Ian Watson said the company was constantly striving to deliver excellent service and reliability and the latest figures spoke for themselves.

‘We consistently set ourselves ambitious targets in terms of the services that we deliver and our aim is to give our customers 100% all of the time,’ he said.

‘These are the high standards that all our staff work very hard to maintain. When you consider that we are providing an essential service around the clock, 365 days a year to more than 28,000 local homes and businesses, it goes to show what a consistently good job they are doing.’

The company’s guaranteed standards mirror the performance criteria set by OFGEM, which regulates electricity suppliers in the UK. They include keeping appointments on time, rectifying faults and responding to requests and enquiries, and customers would be eligible for compensation if the company does not met the agreed level of service.

In the 12 months to 31 March 2006, nearly 15,000 separate events were covered under the standards, however no compensation payments were required.

In terms of reliability, the average time lost per customer last year was just 12.7 minutes. This was a further improvement on the figure of 15 minutes for the previous 12 months, and well below the most recent statistic for the UK, which was more than 90 minutes.

‘Our record on reliability is something that we are very proud of. A secure, reliable and affordable electricity supply is essential not just to the businesses of the island but for the quality of life that we all enjoy,’ said Mr Watson.

Guernsey Electricity also exceeded its performance targets for all of its overall standards, which set out a minimum level of performance that must be achieved throughout the year. For example, more than 90% of all supply failures were repaired within three hours.