Our performance

2022–23 overall result

This 2022-23 report on outcomes for our customers is our final report of the 2018-23 regulatory period. Overall we are pleased to have supplied high quality and reliable services to our customers.

Complaints about water quality and instances of unplanned service interruptions are low and within target, and we have had one instance of water quality non-compliance in 2022-23.

We have improved our notification of customers when unplanned interruptions occur and exceeded our target for completing planned interruptions on time. We acknowledge that customer satisfaction and perceptions of value for money is within tolerance but below target. Work is already underway to improve customer satisfaction and we will continue work towards strengthening our performance in this area. We are pleased to have been able to provide support to more customers experiencing hardship through our Customer Care Program and to be reaching customers earlier when they need our help. We understand the importance of getting the basics right, warning and informing our customers, making water fair and affordable for all, improving customer experience, and supporting communities and the environment.

These will continue to be key objectives for the 2023-28 regulatory period with updated performance measures, reported twice a year via our website, providing insight and updates against the delivery of our commitments to customers.

Customer Outcome	End of financial year outcome	Met
Get the basics right, always	Three of the four target measures have been met for the first quarter.
Warn me, inform me	Two of the four of the target measures have been met for the first quarter.
Fair and affordable for all	Both target measures are met for the first quarter.
Make my experience better	One measure on target, one outside but within acceptable tolerance and the third outside both target and tolerance.
Support my community, protect our environment	Two of four measures outside both target and the associated tolerance bands, while one remains on track and the fourth only reportable at year end.

Get the basics right, always

You told us you want safe and reliable services, now and always. At its essence, this means clean and high quality drinking water, and the safe disposal of wastewater.

Our performance for outcome one

Overall, we consider our performance for outcome 1 to be GREEN.

Meeting safe drinking water standards

Number of incidents

	Target	Result
2018-19	0	0
2019-20	0	0
2020-21	0	1
2021-22	0	0
2022-23	0	1

There have been no Safe Drinking Water non-compliances in the final quarter of this financial year. SEW’s chlorination strategy to address areas of the network with low chlorine residual has resulted in additional chlorination units being deployed at strategic locations with the purpose of providing enhanced disinfection to keep microbial detections to a minimum.

The chlorination strategy will continue to develop under the regulatory guidance to reach a target of >0.2mg/L free chlorine in the network, where achievable, and completes the 2018-23 regulatory period with a total of 2 non-compliances. While this result is 2 above the 5-year target we are confident that the chlorination strategy review provides greater direction and investment to avoid future impact to customers.

Water quality complaints

Complaints per 100 customers

	Target	Result
2018-19	0.18	0.10
2019-20	0.18	0.10
2020-21	0.18	0.13
2021-22	0.18	0.12
2022-23	0.18	0.15

The number of water quality complaints has remained within target throughout the 2018-23 regulatory period.

Complaints for discoloured water increased compared to the previous year, predominately due to an increase in significant events within the network uplifting natural sediment in the main (i.e. water main bursts, renewals and unplanned shutdowns).

A water mains cleaning project has been initiated to help remove the natural sediment deposits in the main that cause discoloured water during emergency works with areas identified as having elevated discoloured water complaints prioritised moving forward.

Multiple unplanned water interruptions

Number of customers with >5 incidents

	Target	Result
2018-19	532	226
2019-20	532	244
2020-21	532	315
2021-22	532	0

2022-23

532

104

The number of customers receiving greater than 5 unplanned water supply interruptions continues to meet target. This is due to South East Water’s ongoing water main and service renewal programs targeting assets experiencing multiple failures with ongoing wetter weather over the past 18 months also contributing to the lower numbers.

Moving forward we have enhanced this measure to include water, sewer and water quality disruptions to service into a combined measure with a reduced target of 450 customers experiencing these matters. This supports our ongoing commitment to improving the reliability of the services we offer to customers.

Multiple sewer blockages

Number of customers with 3 or more blockages

	Target	Result
2018-19	17	31
2019-20	17	19
2020-21	17	22
2021-22	17	21

2022-23

17

19

We have continued to see a reduction in total sewer blockages compared to the previous 5-year average with the declining number of customers experiencing 3 or more interruptions to their sewerage services proving comfort that we are heading the right direction.

The "Proof of Clean" requirement in the new maintenance model is aiding the decision-making processes that will help us make better informed decisions on sewer defects. This will allow us to prioritise and be more proactive in reducing the number of customers affected by multiple blockages.

Warn me, inform me

You told us you want to be warned, and kept updated, about disruptions – both planned and emergency.

Our performance for outcome two

Overall, we consider our performance for outcome 2 to be GREEN.

Customers notified about unplanned water supply interruptions

Percentage of affected customers

	Target	Result
2018-19	68%*	79.0%*
2019-20	72%*	89.9%*
2020-21	76%*	94.2%* / 72.2%~
2021-22	59%~	71.8%~

2022-23

61%~

77.1%~

Our focus on providing advanced notification to customers impacted by unplanned disruptions is delivering positive results, with performance well above target. As a result, we have set a higher customer notification target of 75% for the 2023-28 regulatory period.

Planning is underway to identify opportunities to utilise existing engagement with customers to capture contact details to ensure we can maintain these results for all customers, regardless of locality, and deliver timely information to ease any impact caused by network upgrades and repairs.

Duration of unplanned water supply interruptions

Average duration (minutes)

	Target	Result
2018-19	88	82.0
2019-20-	88	81.6
2020-21	88	81.1
2021-22	88	79.2

2022-23

88

89.1

The 2022-23 average duration of unplanned water interruptions exceeded target however remained within tolerance. This is the first time this measure has not been within target for the five-year period.

Complex repairs and unforeseen events over the final quarter of the year drove this result and included bursts on large mains, heavy rain filling trenches, asbestos cement pipe, secondary leaks and associated road damage hampering access.

Interruptions during busy household times

Percentage of incidents

	Target	Result
2018-19	27.9%	27.9%
2019-20	27.8%	26.4%
2020-21	27.7%	25.9%
2021-22	27.6%	26.6%

2022-23

27.6%

We continue to meet our target for the percentage of customer interruptions that are in peak hours reporting five positive results across each year of the 2018-23 regulatory period.

Our maintenance crews are aware of the importance of minimising disruptions to water supplies during peak hours; undertaking repairs outside of peak hours where possible, supporting our commitment to delivering reliable services to customers.

Percentage of planned interruptions restored within notification period

Percentage of planned interruptions

	Target	Result
2018-19	98%	99.0%
2019-20	98%	98.8%
2020-21	98%	98.8%
2021-22	98%	98.7%

2022-23

98%

99.5%

Planned water supply interruptions restored within the notification period communicated to customers delivered another annual result within target. This is the fifth year of consistently meeting this expectation.

Fair and affordable for all

You told us you expect our services to be delivered in a fair and affordable manner across our entire service region.

Our performance for outcome three

Overall, we consider our performance for outcome 3 to be AMBER.

The cost for us to operate per property

($) per property - metric calculation no longer in use

	Target	Result
2018-19	158	161
2019-20	155	160
2020-21	152	N/A
2021-22	150	N/A

2022-23

147

N/A

With a change to accounting policy that now includes costs previously capitalised in this metric, we introduced a revised measure for the 2020-21 year to show our true performance against the targets set under the previous policy.

The results previously reported for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 years have been restated to exclude these costs and more accurately reflect our performance with the targets set in the 2018 submission and does not impact customer prices during this pricing period.

The cost for us to operate per property

($) per property

	Target	Result
2018-19	158	156
2019-20	155	153
2020-21	152	147
2021-22	150	151

2022-23

110

155

Operating costs per property were 5.6 per cent above target for the 2022-23 financial year, primarily associated with external market pressures.

Over the five-year regulatory period we have delivered a total operating cost per property result 0.3 per cent below target and the 2018-23 determination amount approved by the Essential Services Commission (ESC).

Customers supported by South East Water Assist

Number of customers

	Target	Result
2018-19	5,310	5,485
2019-20	5,575	6,599
2020-21	5,854	5,839
2021-22	6,147	7,102

2022-23

7,102

8,966

South East Water has assisted 8,966 customers experiencing payment difficulties in 2022-23, our fourth green result across the five-year regulatory period.

Our commitment remains strong to assist as many customers as possible who are experiencing financial hardship or vulnerability. In the next 2023-28 regulatory period we have increased the target and aim to support at least 10,000 customers across each of the five years.

Customers' level of debt when entering Assist program

Average level of debt on entry

	Target	Result
2018-19	$875	$839
2019-20	$825	$674
2020-21	$800	$616
2021-22	$800	$650

2022-23

$800

$622

Promoting our support offerings through bills, reminders and final notices, plus proactive outbound campaigns and digital notifications “warning and informing” customers of detected high usage, is having a positive impact and driving earlier engagement with our support teams.

This allows us to get to customers in need earlier which can lead to lower, more manageable levels of debt at the time of entry to the program. This is another strong result showing continued impact over the five years with each annual target exceeded.

Make my experience better

You told us you want a better experience with us, every time you talk to us, see us out and about or visit us online.

Our performance for outcome four

Overall, we consider our performance for outcome 4 to be RED.

Customer satisfaction rating (7 or above)

Percentage of survey responses

	Target	Result
2018-19	81%	89%
2019-20	83%	83%
2020-21	83%	84%
2021-22	85%	82%

2022-23

85%

82%

The customer satisfaction score remains within tolerance at the completion of the regulatory period however has seen a gradual decline below target since July 2021.

This is partially attributable to a change in methodology to assess satisfaction: scores of 6 and above were previously counted as positive, followed by a change requiring a score of 7 or above for a positive rating. We are expanding the satisfaction survey to encompass more of our key customer channels to gain insights into customer experience and improvement opportunities.

In the last year, we transitioned to the new Service Maintenance contract where we experienced a backlog of work during the transition which attributed to lower levels of satisfaction however a series of improvement initiatives have helped improve these scores in recent months.

Additionally, ongoing resourcing pressures within the Customer Contact team have resulted in delayed response times; directly impacting customer satisfaction.

Value for money rating (7 or above)

Percentage of survey responses

	Target	Result
2018-19	68%	74%
2019-20	69%	74%
2020-21	70%	73%
2021-22	71%	72%

2022-23

72%

71%

In the last five years, we have seen a downward trend in the Value-For-Money (VFM) score which is attributed to the inclusion of unplanned water supply interruptions and BrandTracker surveys which notably have lower VFM scores than our transactional contact centre surveys.

The transition to a new Service Maintenance contract mentioned above and a consequent backlog of work has also contributed to the drop in scores. Improvement initiatives across the service delivery and customer experience groups have seen some positive results and we continue to seek out improvement opportunities.

Bill related enquiries continue to be a key enquiry type for our customers. Making our bills simple and easy to understand as well as continuing to focus on enhancing customer awareness around usage and water literacy will be key to addressing these feedback themes

Customer complaints

Per 100 customers

	Target	Result
2018-19	0.41	0.32
2019-20	0.40	0.42
2020-21	0.39	0.58
2021-22	0.38	0.57

2022-23

0.37

0.65

Total Complaints continue to increase and exceed target due to our ongoing focus to consistently capture and record complaints across the business, supporting identification and delivery of service improvements.

This change has seen an increase in most complaint categories including payment issues, water quality and customers experiencing unexpected high bills following an undetected leak at their property.

The new regulatory period that commenced on 1 July 2023 has a strong focus on the rollout of digital meters to assist customers with near real time notification of potential leaks and other benefits aimed at improving both the value offered and level of control our customers have over their usage.

Support my community, protect our environment

You told us you want us to support your community and protect our environment – delivering long-term water security in a way that honours the environment and ongoing liveability.

Our performance for outcome five

Overall, we consider our performance for outcome 5 to be GREEN.

Total carbon emissions (tonnes of CO2)

Tonnes of CO2

	Target	Result
2018-19	37,385	38,264
2019-20	38,049	32,007
2020-21	28,969	37,277
2021-22	28.609	27,556

2022-23

29,690

27,780

Our carbon emissions are reported annually in October, and we are forecasting a 2022-23 result of 27,780 tonnes, within our 29,960-tonne target.

Number of significant sewer spills (dry weather)

Number of EPA reportable spills

	Target	Result
2018-19	20	17
2019-20	20	14
2020-21	20	10
2021-22	20	11

2022-23

20

16

Wetter, more extreme weather events continue to put a strain on the network and cause sewer spills however our performance remains with target.

Percentage of customers receiving recycled water

Percentage of customers connected in designated areas

	Target	Result
2018-19	46%	44%
2019-20	46%	58%
2020-21	65%	59%
2021-22	78%	74%

2022-23

77%

78%

With an additional 1,200 plus residences being connected to the recycled water network to round out the 2022-23 financial year, we have exceeded our 5-year target and reached an all-time high 78% of designated greenfield customers connected to recycled water.

Recycled water used in designated areas

Percentage of total water supplied in designated areas

	Target	Result
2018-19	12%	12%
2019-20	14%	13%
2020-21	16%	14%
2021-22	18%	15%

2022-23

20%

17%

Demand for recycled water for outdoor use was low this year due to a much cooler and wetter summer, a direct result of the La Nina weather pattern.

With the decreasing La Nina signal and potential for a rebound into El Nino, resulting in warmer, drier conditions, we’re forecasting for future targets to be met however will be reporting under a new measure for the 2023-28 regulatory period that includes all alternative water sources as a percentage of the total water supplied to all customers.