What are the major differences between products and services?

European Utilities Products and Services

• I need to know what types of products and services electric utility companies in Europe are offering their customers. By products and services I mean various offerings beyond basic energy, including bill payment options, equipment, information, consultation services, etc. I need to know what these products and service are, how many companies are offering them, and how popular they are with customers. I'm interested in offerings for all three customer segments: residential, commercial and industrial. Ideally, I'm looking for as much statistical information as possible about these products and services, including how many people are using them, how much revenue their generating, how profitable they are, etc. However, as a first pass, I'd appreciate knowing what these products are, and who/how many companies are offering them.

• Answer:

  Dear ubersearch-ga: You asked for information on extra services from electric utility companies in Europe. I have organized the information I have found for you according to your own categories: bill payment options, equipment, consultation and other services. Unfortunately, some of the European company websites where I found my information does not offer an English language version of their webpage. In each case, I have indicated that it is in a foreign language, and included a link to the Altavista Babelfish translator. Simply type in the URL into the box at Babelfish to receive a translation. Bill Payment Options: Most of the European companies I researched offer bill payment over the internet. Some of these companies offer many more forms of bill payment. As an example, I have included a list of some of the available options from London Electrcity's website: Monthly Direct Debit Quarterly Direct Debit Debit Card Payment EnergyCard Gascard (Quantum Meter) Post Office By Post PayPoint Powerkey By Telephone/PC Banking / Girobank Transfer There is a description of each type on the following page on the London Electricity website: http://www.london-electricity.co.uk/energy/home/bill_ways.html SWEB (British) also offers a similar variety of billpayment options, including: Direct Debit or Standing Order Monthly Payment Plan Quarterly Direct Debit Cash Key Charging Cheque SWEB Payment Card You can read more about each option here: http://www.sweb.co.uk/business/payment/index.html London Electricity as well as SWEB offers a "Duel Fuel" bill option, which includes gas and electricity on one bill (since they both offer both utilities), at a discount to the consumer. You can read more about each here: London Electricity: http://www.london-electricity.co.uk/energy/home/premier.html SWEB: http://www.sweb.co.uk/home/products/premier.html In addition, EDF France offers a unique bill payment service for those who neglect to pay their bill for financial reasons, called "Solidarity." "If you are temporarily unable to settle your bill, the Energy Maintenance Service enables you to retain a minimum supply of electricity. The power associated to this service reaches 3 000 Watts, the equivalent power needed to make a washing machine, a refrigerator, and 4 lamps, or and electric convector and a hot plate, or even three lamps, a refrigerator, a freezer, a microwave oven and a water heater work simultaneously. This service gives you enough time to regularize your situation, by bringing you in contact with social services." http://www.edf.fr/htm/en/et_vous/individuals/services/solidarity Equipment: The only European energy company that I have found that offers some sort of equipment rental of purchasing service is Eon Energie's SolarSystem /SolarSystem Special service. From their website: "Ever thought about installing a PV system on your company's roof? Make it happen with E.ON's state-of-the-art photovoltaic technology. We'll help you with all aspects of the project, from planning to installation and service, so that you can enjoy the savings for decades to come. " http://www.eon-energie.com/frameset_english/main_frameset_reloader.phtml? top=http://www.eon-energie.com/Ressources/frame_head_eng.jsp&bottom=http://www.eon-energie.com/frameset_english/products_eng/produ cts_our-products_eng/products_our-products_eng.jsp Consultation Services: All of the European electricity companies I have researched offer some form of consultation service to save energy. For example, Eon Energie offers a "Eon Consult" for their industrial customers: "E.ON Consult (Germany) can test and optimize power consumption in your company. Targeted measures based on detailed analyses, geared precisely to your company's needs, can lead to significant improvements in energy efficiency and cost savings. " http://www.eon-energie.com/frameset_english/products_eng/products_industrial/products_industrial.jsp London Electricity offers a for-cost "Energy Survey" service: "The initial Energy Survey The survey is carried out by an energy management specialist who will have expertise relevant to your business. This survey will cover the following: The major users of energy on the site Your control strategies, settings and operating practice on building management systems The condition of heating, ventilation and air conditioning plant Lighting equipment and controls Reports on any major industrial processes." http://www.london-electricity.co.uk/energy/business/manage_surveys.html EDF France offers a consulation called the "Right Price Advice": "Because we all have a different life, because we all have a different consumption, EDF offers you the Right Price Advice. A personalized study of your energy consumption habits, your electric appliances and of the level of comfort you wish makes it possible to establish a personalized consumption assessment. With this assessment, your EDF adviser will be able to present you the subscription and tariffs that are best suited to your needs in order to adjust your contract to your advantage. " http://www.edf.fr/htm/en/et_vous/individuals/offers/right_price Finally, I have found that all of these European electrcity utilities have a significant emphasis on "Green" energy. All of these companies offer what is known as a "Green Tariff", which is type of energy guaranteed to be exclusively from renewable sources at a higher per kilowatt cost. From the London Electricity website: "Our 'Green' tariff lets you choose renewable energy for your business. By signing up to Green Tariff your business will automatically become Climate Change Levy exempt. Green Tariff uses renewable electricity generated using wind, landfill gas and small scale hydro electricity." http://www.london-electricity.co.uk/energy/business/green-tariff-1.html For conciseness, I have only included London Electricity's green tariff page, but there is a page on the Green tariff available on all of the company websites I have linked below. Other Options: Again, "green" energy is emphasized as extra services in European Utilities. For example, AEK Energie (Germany) offers "Oekostrom," a type of energy solely generated from Solar and Hydro electric sources. I have linked to the page below, but it is in German: http://www.aekenergie.ch/default.php?p4=11 Finally, EON Energie offers a variety of special services for their Residential and Industral customers, including: E.ON Aqua E.ON Data E.ON Consult E.ON Net E.ON Power E.ON SunSpecial E.ON UltraAir Information on these is available here: http://www.eon-energie.com/frameset_english/main_frameset_reloader.phtml? top=http://www.eon-energie.com/Ressources/frame_head_eng.jsp&bottom=http://www.eon-energie.com/frameset_english/products_eng/produ cts_our-products_eng/products_our-products_eng.jsp Additional Information: GridWatch Global Energy Directory http://www.gridwatch.com London Electricity http://www.london-electricity.co.uk/e EDF France http://www.edf.fr/ AEK Energie (German) http://www.aekenergie.ch/default.php?p4=11 SWEB British http://www.sweb.co.uk/ Eon Energie http://www.eon-energie.com Google Search Terms: European Electricity Company ://www.google.com/search?q=European+Electricity+company&hl=en&start=10&sa=N I hope this helps you with your question! If you need any clarifications, please don't hesitate to ask. I would be more than happy to assist you further. Best Regards, blader-ga