What is going on?
From 1 April 2008, all 130,000 business customers (including not only commercial businesses but also organisations such as schools and local authorities) can choose their water and sewerage supplier.
Scotland is the first country in the world where business customers have a genuine opportunity to choose their water and sewerage supplier.
Under Scottish legislation (the Water Services etc. (Scotland) Act 2005) suppliers are licensed to buy wholesale water and sewerage services from Scottish Water and then to compete to sell those services (together with other value-adding services) to business customers.
Scottish Water created a separate retail business that is licensed to compete with other suppliers. This new retail business, ‘Business Stream’, supplied all business customers in Scotland with water and sewerage services until 1 April 2008. It now competes with the other suppliers. The current list of suppliers can be seen by clicking on Who is involved.
“Splitting Scottish Water into separate retail and wholesale divisions has already revealed unforeseen benefits, simply by clearly identifying cost structures and encouraging the retail arm, Business Stream, to focus on the needs of its customers.”
Steve Hobson, Editor of Utility Week
To read this article in full, click here.