LESSONS TO BE LEARNED IN ENERGY DEREGULATION.British utility companies have used their marketing power to persuade consumers to switch their gas and electric service under Britain Britain (brĭt`ən), alternate term for Great Britain, comprised of England, Scotland, and Wales. Often used synonymously with the United Kingdom, the name Britain is derived from Britannia, ?s new deregulation DeregulationThe reduction or elimination of government power in a particular industry, usually enacted to create more competition within the industry. Notes: Traditional areas that have been deregulated are the telephone and airline industries. scheme. However, since 1998, when it first became possible in the United Kingdom to choose an energy supplier, only 30 percent of customers have switched. Datamonitor Datamonitor is a provider of online database and analysis services. The company is based in the United Kingdom and also has offices in the United States, Japan, and other countries.[1] The Datamonitor team includes analysts and professional researchers. reports that the average household could save up to ?125 annually (just over US$200) if a switch was made to a different supplier. However, it appears that most consumers simply can?t be bothered. Datamonitor, a research company, is so convinced that consumers should be saving the money that it has created a Web site called <Power2Switch.com>, allowing consumers to quickly and easily find the cheapest supplier and make the switch online. By 2004, Datamonitor expects that 3.8 million British consumers will switch suppliers. To date, door-to-door salespeople sales·peo·ple pl.n. Persons who are employed to sell merchandise in a store or in a designated territory. have been most effective in persuading Britons to switch. SOURCE: Datamonitor press release, December December: see month. 2000. |
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