29 January 2003 00:00 East Midlands Electricity makes life easier for customers

Changing electricity supplier has just become easier and faster, thanks to a new online service developed by East Midlands Electricity (EME).

In a bid to speed up customer transfers and reduce the number of those carried out erroneously, EME has joined forces with Northern Electric (NEDL) and Yorkshire Electricity (YEDL) to make customer data available centrally for the first time.

The new system – called mpas online (metering point administration service) – stores the vital information that suppliers need when people decide to change electricity supplier.

Phil Wilson, Customer Operations manager at EME, said: “Customers served by the distribution companies which subscribe to the service need only make a single call to the supplier they want to switch to.

“At the touch of a button, the supplier can retrieve all the information needed to complete the transfer, including the customer’s address, unique meter point administration number (MPAN), who the current supplier is and which agent completed the deal.

“Before the creation of mpas online, none of the data was stored centrally and finding the information was a time-consuming process as customers tended to be passed around different parts of the business.”

The service is provided free of charge to supply companies, while distribution companies need to pay a set-up fee to cover expenses. Since going live in October, the site has already handled more than 30,000 inquiries, with all the major electricity retailers operating in the EME, YEDL and NEDL areas signing up to the service.

Ofgem and Energywatch have also backed mpas online as a major breakthrough in speeding up the customer transfer process and reducing the number that are carried out erroneously.

Steven Reid, Energywatch chief executive, said: “The system will deliver efficiency gains, cost savings and flexibility for both its owners and users.”

“Mpas online is a win/win for everyone – customers, suppliers and distribution companies, which is why it should be adopted as the standard system across the industry,” said Phil Wilson.

Ends

Notes to editors
Customers served by EME, Northern Electric and Yorkshire Electricity need only make a single call to the supplier they want to switch to. The supplier can then get all the necessary information to complete the transfer from the website.
Mpas online is fully protected by a password system.
Powergen, who owns East Midlands Electricity, is a registered user of MPAS online.


For more information contact:
Janet Morrow on 024 7642 5779