Leep has adopted Octopus Energy Group’s utility technology platform, Kraken, to further enhance its product and customer service offering.
It’s the first water company in the UK to have fully migrated to Kraken systems following its push to enhance water efficiency and the digitisation of its operations.
Using Kraken will enable Leep, one of the UK’s leading owners and operators of last-mile utility networks, to accelerate its smart meter rollout, improve water efficiency and reduce leaks. The platform will also greatly simplify and streamline processes and payment methods, allowing improved customer service.
Kraken, which initially began working with Leep in 2023, helps the company to proactively address the challenges posed by climate change, a growing population, and the cost-of-living crisis. On the new customer portal, Leep users will be able to self-serve and to proactively manage their consumption online, allowing them to understand their water usage better.
Leep’s implementation of Kraken is another landmark move towards digitising the water industry and follows the announcement of Portsmouth Water becoming the platform’s first water client in 2023. Both Leep and Portsmouth Water are backed by leading infrastructure manager Ancala.
Kraken – part of Octopus Energy Group – has already transformed the energy sector. It is contracted to serve over 54 million energy customers globally through deals with companies such as Plenitude, EDF and Origin Energy. It also looks after water and broadband accounts through its licenses with Cuckoo and Severn Trent.
Leep provides flexible last-mile utility solutions to UK developers, contractors and consultants – whether that’s for new residential, commercial and mixed-use developments – to adopt electricity, water or heating networks, or a combination of them all. Kraken is now being implemented to serve all 37,000 of its current cold-water customer base and the growing pipeline of new water connections that are yet to be built out.
Commenting on the implementation of the tech platform, Louise Manfredi, CEO of Leep, said:
“Our growth strategy is very ambitious and the pressures on UK water supply continue to mount – in terms of the environment, the rising population, leakage and the continuing cost of living crisis – so partnering with Kraken is a very logical, sensible and exciting next step to support us in achieving our goals whilst helping to ease these very serious issues.
“Kraken will enable us to provide our customers with the best levels of customer service – including greater efficiency and transparency – as well as the many environmental benefits it brings.”
Deepak Ravindran, CEO of Kraken Utilities, said:
“Kraken’s unrivalled technology allows utilities companies like Leep to give more autonomy to their people through streamlined processes. We’re delighted to bring Kraken to Leep – helping them to create a more customer-centric water provider – faster and in a more sustainable and efficient way.”
Mandy Meehan, Leep’s Director of Revenue Assurance, Change and Data – who has been responsible for the delivery of the Kraken programme – said:
“I am pleased to announce that Leep have become a member of the Kraken family, with a lot of hard work from both Leep and the Kraken teams, we are now in the final stage of our migration. This final phase will allow us to decommission our legacy system and move forward with a new and more customer centric platform that will bring benefits to the business and our customers. “
