How can the utilities sector solve its trust problem?

The UK utilities sector has a trust problem. 

Chris Walters, Interim Chief Executive of Ofwat, told us that the water sector isn’t “operating from a place of trust” with the public. He said that to change that, the sector needs to start trusting itself first. 

Matt Wheeldon, Infrastructure Development Director at Wessex Water, thinks the industry has been telling the wrong story. Rain, mismanaged from the moment it falls, hidden behind jargon nobody outside the sector understands – that’s the real problem, in his view, far more than sewage. 

Armenak Antinyan, Head of Behavioural Economics at Thames Water, tested what actually changes people’s behaviour, across 400,000 households. Messages about saving money were the strongest lever for change. 

Zac Curtis, Innovation Lead at E.ON Next, thinks trust comes from a flat bill and zero effort, not from explaining yourself well. Customers accept automation because they don’t have to think about it, not because they’ve been persuaded. 

Emma Fletcher, Innovation Director at Octopus Energy, agrees almost nobody adopts low-carbon technology for the planet. People do it for cost, and for warmth.

Myles Stevenson, CEO of Modulr, argues payments are one of the more direct levers a utility has over how customers feel about it. The function is currently treated as a back-office chore by most, when it should be a trust-building tool. 

Karen Anderson, Executive Director of the Womens Utilities Network, widened the argument. Utilities serve an extremely diverse public, she says, and a workforce that doesn’t reflect that is poorly placed to understand the people it serves.