ElectraLink Customer Survey DTS User Group Presentation 19 th January 2010

1. R ElectraLink Customer Survey DTS User Group Presentation 19th January 2010

2. Research Method Combined Approach Quantitative Qualitative 49 x CATI Telephone Interviews: 30 GOMs/ 27 CM’s 6 x 45 Minute Face-to-face Depth Interviews: 6 DTS (3 GOMs/ 3 CM’s)

3. Quantitative Qualitative + The DTS – Key Headlines (1/2) • Most users see the DTS as a highly efficient service & only have occasion to deal with Electralink if there is a problem (especially smaller users). They find it hard to identify any major needs for improvement and rate the DTS highly for meeting the current & future needs of their businesses. • Overall, perceived service levels are on a par with 2008, but: • GOM’s perceive improvement (particularly providing expertise resource) • CM’s see a slight decline – mainly in responsiveness • Comparison is still favourable versus other benchmark organisations. At the same time opinion of Gemserv (& Elexon) has declined, but for Xoserv has improved. • Despite January’s price increases, there is no real concern raised and perceptions of value for money are stable (but up for GOM’s and down slightly for CM’s).

4. Quantitative Qualitative + The DTS – Key Headlines (2/2) • Although awareness of last year’s new initiatives is unchanged, uptake has grown across each of them since 2008. Of the more recent initiatives less than 40% are aware of any single one, uptake being highest for the Bulletin Board on Web Tools (61% of those aware, or 24% overall). • Overall, the average taken across 29 service ratings is up on 2008. The greatest improvements relating to the EDS and the Reporting Tools. • Changes to the website logon have been received well and increased “flexibility to integrate their gateway with existing” was also a notable improvement. • In general hardware & service upgrades appear to have passed smoothly. • For some, continuity of resource remains a concern, but it is not a top of mind issue for most. Is Electralink cutting its cloth too thinly in this area? • There is a desire to see Electralink more proactively involved in high level discussions about the future of the industry, particularly in terms of the future challenges; Smart Metering, use of new technologies etc.

5. Quantitative Satisfaction With Electralink ServiceSummary **Mean Change Score vs 2008 Overall Rating 8.06 -0.05 Overall Professionalism 8.24 -0.11 Being Responsive 7.76 -0.31 Being Easy To Deal With 7.98 -0.24 Being Highly Efficient 7.73 -0.25 Communicating Clearly 7.94 -0.08 *Understanding The Service Support Requirements Of… 7.67 +0.13 Providing Valuable Expertise Resource 7.71 +0.45 Base: Total Sample (49) * Wording changed in 2009 ** Changed wording to “Electralink’s management of the DTS Service” Mean Score out of 10

6. Quantitative Rating Versus Other OrganisationsSummary Overall Satisfaction Mean Score out of 10 Mean Change Score vs 2008 ** Electralink 8.06 -0.05 GEMSERV / MRASCO 6.79 -0.56 Elexon 7.09 -0.36 National Grid 6.26 +0.12 *JOINT GAS OFFICE 6.00 N/A OFGEM 5.95 -0.41 Xoserv 6.25 +0.92 Base: All Who Use Each Company (Various) * Asked of OFGAS in 2007 ** Changed to wording to “Electralink for the DTS”

7. Quantitative Summary Versus Previous Years Comparisons are made only across those ratings present in all years shown: Average No Of Ratings Year Base (Mean Score) Compared DTS Survey 2007 41 4.01 29 2008 46 4.13 29 2009 49 4.22 29 The above is like for like comparison on statements scored as follows: Rating Score Very Good 5 Good 4 Adequate 3 Poor 2 Very Poor 1 Those with no experience or not using services / features rated are excluded from the mean scores.

8. Quantitative Average Rating Of Main Service AreasDTS Sample No. of Mean Change Service Attributes Score Attributes Since Area Rated 2009 Compared* 2008* All Ratings 42 4.22 29 +0.09 DTS Web Tools 9 3.92 8 -0.43 Electralink Helpdesk 5 4.43 5 +0.19 The DTS Itself 5 4.24 5 +0.05 Electralink Reporting Tools 4 4.33 4 +0.19 Electralink Services 6 4.05 6 -0.01 Gateway Connection 5 4.13 5 +0.08 EDS Helpdesk 3 4.48 3 +0.47 Electralink Website 5 4.01 4 +0.09 Base: All rating each attribute * Change compared only on ratings in both 2008 and 2009

9. Quantitative DTS - Key Service Changes Since 2008 The way EDS manages fault situations +0.58 The quality of service provided by the EDS helpdesk +0.42 The quality of response you receive from the EDS helpdesk +0.40 Being clear and easy to log in as a user (website) +0.29 Having the flexibility to integrate the gateway with existing systems +0.29 The speed of response (Electralink Helpdesk) +0.22 Receiving consistent level of service regardless how you get in touch +0.21 Getting consistent info & advice regardless how you get in touch +0.20 Overall helpfulness (Electralink Helpdesk) +0.20 The Audit tool +0.20 The ACMT -0.35 NB: All other changes were less than +/- 0.20 Change in mean score since 2008

10. Quantitative How Well Electralink Provides Feedback On Topics Discussed And Issues Raised At The DTS User Group 10% are elected members of the DTS user group in 2009* 2009 2008 Very Well Quite Well Not Very Well Not At All Well Base: Total DTS Sample (49) (46) *New questions added in 2008

11. Quantitative How Well User Group Representative Provides Feedback On Topics Discussed And Issues Raised At The DTS User Group At least 1 in 4 still feel that User Group Representatives do not give feedback well. 2009 2008 Very Well Quite Well Not Very Well Not At All Well Base: Total DTS Sample (49) (46) *New questions added in 2008

12. Quantitative Awareness & Claimed Uptake Of Initiatives Introduced In The Past Two Years Already Aware & Aware But Unaware Using Planning To Not Planning Use To Use Ability To Re-collect Files Previously Delivered Ability To Identify Files Held In EMS (Audit Tool) Ability To See No. Of Instances Of A Flow Within A File (Within Audit) Ability To Upload Bulk Search Requests Into Audit Technology Refresh Programme Enhanced MPAN Search Facility In Audit New Gateway Summary Screen Within ACMT

13. Quantitative Awareness & Claimed Uptake Of Newer Initiatives Introduced In The Last Year Already Aware & Aware But Unaware Using Planning To Not Planning Use To Use Bulletin Board On Web Tools Ability To Restore Routing Data Through ACMT Ability To Extract Routing Info. In CSV Format From ACMT Tool Flexible Filenaming Ability To Display List Of All MPANs In Single Data File Ability To Deliver Acknowledgement Files To Different Directory Introduction Of ‘Admin’ Accounts On Web Tools New ‘STATS’ Graphs On Web Tools

14. DTS – Suggested Improvements / Changes (1) There is a limited but vocal request for more flexibility over the nature of the housing of the gateways Feels out of step with Electralink in all other ways – dictatorial, inflexible Know this is down to EDS A heads-up email or maybe a note on the front page of the websites they look at For news - newly published papers, meetings that have taken place, to inform / alert non-attendees, (other) things Electralink has been involved in, etc Qualitative “(we) found the model very inflexible – (we had a) lovely new data centre, ... the gateway is older technology .... (it was ) “this is the standard approach – we’re not prepared to move on that”. ... I understand the reasons behind it, but I feel there should be the ability to compromise - at least some. It was an edict – “this is how we do things”. (I worry that) the hardware will break down – so what will happen at that point? ... Inflexible & intolerant isn’t how (we) think about Electralink”

15. DTS – Suggested Improvements / Changes (2) How to test backup gateways are ready to function? Don’t want to pass live data through them, but how do you know they’ll be available if the need arises? A get to know the DTS training session Perhaps speed and capacity of the service: A central (i.e. remote) archive of files sent via the gateway, used to resend files if there is problem Qualitative “I’m a contract expert, not a technical expert. ... some of the meetings & paperwork (are) quite difficult to follow. ... would like the opportunity to understand it better. A ‘get to know the DTS’ type session – others would find that useful too” “(we) don’t have the ability to send as high a volume of files as I would ideally like – flow traffic is relatively high at present – we may have 10k files waiting to go, would like to see them disappear in half an hour, they’ll go over night at present. It’s fine ,but they should be able to deal with that volume of files” “Speed of delivery, acknowledgements ... It’s pretty good, but it can always be better” “One party had a problem – needed us to send their flows again – (I think) this isn’t my responsibility, .... more appropriate to go back to the central service to help with this – less embarrassing too”

16. DTS – Suggested Improvements / Changes (3) One wanted to know what would happen in disaster recovery scenario. Felt it’s “a bit woolly” - may be there, but he doesn’t know about it Maybe wider updating of teams beyond the people directly involved if there is a problem, and timescales for resolution, especially if at the end of a working day / week An update between user-group meetings to keep things moving along Qualitative “I think all users are in the same agreement that if have a problem, Electralink will arrive with a box on the back of a lorry. But what would happen if 2 went down together?” “I don’t know what the policy is on updating us about major issues – there was a problem with another gateway, ... You need an update before the end of the day – in good time so can plan & communicate. This is a little issue – I knew it was in hand, I’m sure the team directly involved would have known, but it would have been useful for us to know too” “In between user groups meetings, a between-time update might be useful – meetings are 3 months apart, it feels like a long time. Maybe one between, or monthly – there’s a monthly DTS report that comes out – it could come out with that”

17. DTS – Suggested Improvements / Changes (4) Management information may benefit from a review Consideration of new technology options for the future To speed things up To interface with anticipated changes in data transfer protocols Possibly involving some form of messaging, or real-time over the internet? Some of the larger businesses know that upgrades that require access to equipment can go awry because of complications due to their own third party arrangements - so their own communication & management could be better sometimes Qualitative “Management information is OK, it’s not factually incorrect, but it hasn’t really been reviewed in several years. There’s nothing really wrong with it, but I’d like to see a reconsideration of it. It would be better done centrally, alternatively that data could be provided to customers to do their own analysis, across the Gateway as opposed to doing internal systems. The problem is that the service is so quick ... we rely on the speed, I’d quite like to have that information”

18. DTS: The Future Of The DTS & The Role For Electralink…. Views about just how active Electralink should be vary a little, but there is agreement about the expertise that Electralink has, can & should bring to the table ... Not just in relation to the DTS as it stands, but in thinking ahead Everyone wants Electralink on this basis to be involved in top-table discussions about the future of the industry About the DTS’s form & relationship to the world around it as it changes – with the introduction of Smart Metering, for example And how the DTS may evolve to take advantage of new technologies for data transfer, for instance Qualitative “Good to hear from them, because of their expertise – they may have suggestions for services” I don’t think they should be driving change, the industry has to drive the change. They can be there in support, with new functionality, but in terms of the changes it’s Electralink as the maintainer of the DTS & the service ... In terms of changing it, no, they shouldn’t be. Suggesting new things, new tools, ... we shouldn’t be looking to stand still, and there are new opportunities” “if there’s anything Electralink can see that would benefit the industry, they should be out there canvassing the industry, then it’s up to the gateway contract managers to decide”

19. DTS – The Future Of The DTS & The Role For Electralink…. Some respondents knew little about the reality of this at present, others knew a bit; but when those quite close to Electralink felt unsure as to exactly where they were represented A few (the more strategic in respect of their role / thinking) want Electralink to be much more involved and active The DTS is just one outsourced service amidst a plethora of others, in a market that is about to enter the first significant period of change since 1998 If there are changes afoot, the best knowledge & expertise in the industry needs to be applied to the process of designing the future … and Electralink should surely be part of this In order to save the industry wasted effort, time and money designing new systems that might be better done in other ways Electralink runs good services delivered very effectively – so is in a good place to offer advice, and to help shape the future in a way that is effective and efficient for industry parties Qualitative

20. R ElectraLink Customer Survey DTS User Group Presentation 19th January 2010