Quality delivered

Through the operators managing the services, Acea ensures that the infrastructures (network and systems) are renovated or expanded and works towards optimising the management processes to make restoration more effective and punctual after faults, so that the end quality of the services provided is progressively and constantly improved. The same attention is paid to the processes that make the customer contact channels more efficient, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the digital age and the management of commercial aspects.

Some factors of the “quality delivered” are measured on the basis of reference parameters established by the sector Authorities or indicated in the service contracts and management agreements with local authorities:

  • for the public lighting service, the contract between Acea and Roma Capitale also regulates the qualitative parameters (performance standards); 
  • the technical and commercial quality standards in the energy sector (for both distribution and sales) and for the water sector are established by a single national Authority: the Regulation Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment (ARERA) and, for the water sector alone, by the local Authorities.

As far as the latter is concerned, after having defined the regulation of the contractual quality of the integrated water service by means of resolution 655/15, establishing specific and general levels of contractual quality that are uniform throughout the country, with resolution 90/2017 the Authority initiated a further procedure for the regulation of its technical quality. After consultations, this procedure led to the final measure that in 2018 introduced the discipline of the “Regulation of the technical quality of the integrated service or of each of the individual services that compose it (RQTI)” (Resolution no. 917/2017/R/Idr). The new discipline is divided into three levels: the specific standards (all related to service continuity) that identify the performance parameters to be guaranteed in the services provided to the individual user and whose non-compliance requires the application of automatic compensation; the general standards (divided into macro-indicators and simple indicators related thereto) that describe the technical conditions for the provision of the service and the prerequisites, which represent the conditions that management must meet to be eligible for the incentive mechanism (rewards/penalties) associated with the general standards. While for the specific standards there are single national standards, for the macro-indicators a logic of gradualness and selectivity has been implemented, providing for different objectives according to the starting level of each operator. On 1 January 2018, the new system of indicators for technical quality came into force, together with the consequent obligation to monitor the data.

From 1 January 2019 operators are subject to the obligations of recording and archiving data as envisaged in the Resolution, while the first quantification of premiums/penalties will be in 2020 on the basis of the performance achieved by operators in the years 2018 and 2019.

For the electricity sector, after what came into force in 2016 35 (fifth regulatory period 2016-2023), on the subject of technical quality and with the help of operators, with resolution 668/2018/R/eel the Authority defined a mechanism that establishes rewards/penalties to encourage distribution companies that will invest in actions to make the network more resilient to the stresses resulting from severe weather events. The mechanism will have its effects on interventions with certain characteristics that will be completed in the period 2019-2024. Distribution companies will also be able to access this mechanism for interventions, started in 2017 and presented in the 2018-2020 Resilience Plans, provided that they are completed in 2019 or 2020. With subsequent measures, the Authority will complete the regulation by harmonising the risk analysis methodologies that are currently carried out by distribution companies in total autonomy.

The Authority is also considering – again through discussion with operators – to define an incentive mechanism for the benefit of those apartment buildings that, currently powered by old infrastructure, will allow the modernisation of the distribution network.
During the year, ARERA defined the mechanism for reimbursing the general system costs paid by distributors to the Cassa per i Servizi Energetici e Ambientali (CSEA) and to the Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE), thus enabling them to be reimbursed. As far as commercial aspects are concerned, ARERA had to harmonise the previous regulatory rules following certain provisions introduced by Law no. 205/2017 (Budget Law 2018), like, in the electricity sector, the two-year limitation of the right to compensation for electricity consumption and electronic billing 36.

The Authority introduced 37 PLACET offers (Free Price at Equivalent Protected Conditions) that from January 2018 the sellers of electricity and gas must offer to customers entitled to protection by applying pre-established contractual conditions but at prices freely established, according to a clear, understandable and comparable structure, and has prepared 38 a Offer Portal (www.arera.it/it/portaleofferte.htm, online from July 2018) through which families and small businesses can search for the offer that best suits their needs.

Finally, the end of the market for greater protection, initially scheduled for 1 July 2019, has been further postponed to 1 July 2020, and with Resolution no. 639/2018/R/Com ARERA updated certain parameters for calculating the WACC for the period 2019-2021 39. In addition to regulatory measures, for many years now the UNI EN ISO certified management systems used by the companies, based, as is well known, on a logic of continuous improvement, have contributed to increasing the quality of the services provided (see also Company identity, paragraph Management systems).

35 - TIQE - Output-based Regulation for electricity distribution and measurement (Attachment A to resolution 646/15/R/eel as amended.); TIT - Provisions for the supply of transmission and distribution services; TIME - Provisions for the supply of the measurement service and TIC - Economic conditions for supplying the connection service (Attachments A, B and C to resolution 654/15/R/eel as amended).
36 - See Resolution 712/2018/R/Com. For further information, please refer to the website of the Authority.
37 - With Resolution 557/2017/R/ Com.
38 - With Resolution 51/2018/R/ Com.
39 - The WACC is the weighted average cost of the resources the company uses to finance itself. In this case, it is the basis for calculating the rate of return on investment for infrastructure services.

QUALITY IN THE ELECTRICITY AREA

QUALITY IN THE ELECTRICITY AREA

Areti manages the electricity distribution service in Rome and Formello. It plans and carries out modernisation and expansion work on the infrastructures, comprising high, medium and low voltage electricity lines, stations and substations, systems for remote control and for measuring energy drawn from and fed into the grid.

The activities are carried out in compliance with procedures under the QASE (Quality, Environment, Safety and Energy) Management System certified according to UNI EN ISO and OHSAS Standards.

Infrastructure works are aimed at increasing the quality of the service provided, also taking into account the objectives established by the National Authority (ARERA) and the energy efficiency of the networks; they are implemented in accordance with the concession, sector regulations and service requirements, in particular for connecting new customers related to urban expansion and increasing electricity applications.

The Regulatory Plans of the HV, MV and LV grids represent the operational tool for the integrated development of the electricity grids. Among other things, they aim to create an adequate and enabling network configuration for future smart city scenarios: distributed generation, electrical mobility, storage systems, end user involvement, connectivity.

As part of the progressive implementation of the MV and LV Regulatory Plans, Areti’s interventions provide for the construction of new backbones aimed at rationalising and upgrading the networks and, at the same time, changing the voltage from 8.4 kV to 20 kV on the MV network and from 230 V to 400 V on the LV network.

These interventions generate significant benefits on transport capacity, which guarantees residual power for new connections, and a reduction of energy losses and voltage drops on MV and LV grids.

Infrastructure management and development activities carried out in 2018 concerned interventions of construction, expansion, transformation, modernisation, upgrading, decommissioning – and, as a result, reduction of environmental impacts in specific areas – measure, protection, ordinary and extraordinary maintenance operations on stations and substations, high voltage (HV) lines as well as low and medium voltage (LV and MV). The works are functional to the capillary distribution of electricity and improvement of the service, above all in terms of availability and continuity of the supply.

The main interventions realised in 2018 are shown in the relevant box.

THE MAIN INTERVENTIONS IN 2018 FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF NETWORKS AND ELECTRICAL SUBSTATIONS

HV LINES AND PRIMARY STATIONS

In 2018 the demolition of the 150 kV Cassia-Rome North line was completed, for a total of 9.8 km and 39 supports, and the demolition of the 150 kV Flaminia 2 - Smistamento Est 2 overhead line was started, for a total of 22.58 km and 74 supports.

Also in 2018, construction of the 150 kV Roma Nord - San Basilio overhead line was completed, with regard to the section to be upgraded for a length of 5.5 km and 18 supports, the replacement of the 150 kV Belsito - Tor di Quinto cable (3.6 km) was completed and the replacement of the 150 kV Monte Mario - Belsito cable (3.6 km) was started and almost completed.

Finally, the construction of the new section of the 150 kV Roma Nord - San Basilio overhead line was started, for a total of 4.08 km and 21 supports.

Upgrading, expansion and reconstruction of 9 primary stations were carried out.

The installation of the Petersen system was started at the Nomentano primary station, which will have a significant positive effect on reducing network failures.

Lastly, the following were carried out: ordinary and extraordinary maintenance on the primary stations equipment and, in particular, on 111 HV switches; scheduled maintenance on 799 MV switches; the overhaul of 10 live power transformer variators. 36 HV voltage transformers and 6 HV current transformers were replaced.

HV AND MV PROTECTION AND MEASURES

Interventions were carried out to install, calibrate and commission power protection systems for 47 new MV line bays and interventions on the electrical protection systems present in the primary stations for operation testing purposes (58 HV towers, 291 MV towers, 29 HV/MV and MV/MV transformers). Ground resistance was measured in 3,201 substations and step and touch voltage measurements and total ground resistance measurements were carried out at 26 primary stations and 51 substations.

MV AND LV LINES

 

For the modernisation and boosting of the network, gradually changing from 8.4 kV to 20 kV, about 231 km of 20 kV MV cables were installed in 2018 (217 km for refurbishment and 14 km for expansion).
As part of extraordinary maintenance, heliport inspections were carried out on 444 km of MV overhead lines, which allowed the implementation of timely interventions to replace equipment, supports, conductors and everything else necessary for the preservation and maintenance of the systems’ operations.
Between expansion and refurbishing work aimed at replacing obsolete parts or upgrading inadequate parts, about 377 km of LV cable was installed, 65 km for network expansion, while on the remaining 312 km, refurbishment was carried out as part of the plan for the overall modernisation of the LV network, preparatory to the subsequent voltage change on the LV network, from 230 V to 400 V.

SUBSTATIONS (MV AND LV) AND REMOTE CONTROL

 

To meet the applications for new connections to the grid and voltage increase filed by existing customers, 130 substations were built or expanded.
1,010 operational stations were (totally or partially) rebuilt to upgrade them to 20 kV, to ready them for remote control or upgrade their equipment.
Furthermore, the following activities were completed on substations: 642 extraordinary maintenance operations and 3,410 inspections to check the maintenance and operating status of equipment and premises and to bring about the necessary related ordinary maintenance operations.
Remote control was extended to a further 374 substations and 141 reclosers, with remote controlled MV nodes totalling 6,876 units as at 31.12.2018. Lastly, 5,518 maintenance operations were completed (on TLC and Reclosers).

CONTINUITY OF SERVICE: THE CENTRAL SYSTEMS FOR REMOTE CONTROL

In 2018, the transformation of the existing Disaster Recovery service was completed. The tasks completed, which led to significant improvements in the reduction of network losses and downtime in the event of a disaster, were focused on three areas: Business continuity - the remote management of the electricity grid is located in two geographically distant nodes in the urban area, connected by a high-speed, low-latency fibre optic connection. Compared to the previous service reactivation architecture, in the event of a disastrous event – Disaster recovery – which would have resulted in a few hours of disruption, today, thanks to the works carried out during the year, the system has evolved and is able to ensure the continuity of the remote management service – Business Continuity – even in the event of a partial or total fault of one of its two nodes.

Network Management System – the telecommunications networks supporting the remote management of the electrical grid consist of several sub-networks built over the years with different technologies and monitored by systems that were not integrated in the past. For some years now Areti has been carrying out the “Network management system” project for the upgrading of the network management system. 2018 saw the completion and launching of the first network management system capable of providing real-time diagnostics and automatic identification of telecommunications equipment faults on the network, monitoring the different portions in a comprehensive manner.

Scaling/normalisation of network and security architectures – during the year activities also continued in this specific area aimed at protecting systems from external attacks.

In synergy with other industrial parties, Areti developed several projects that include research activities and application of innovative technology, also considering the initiatives proposed by national institutional bodies and the opportunities offered by the European Community. In particular, in the areas of smart grids, advanced network management systems (automation and digitisation), network resilience, distributed storage (storage systems) and smart cities (e.g. with interventions on public lighting infrastructures) (see, for further information, the chapter Institutions and the company).

In 2018, for example, the implementation of algorithms for calculating resilience metrics on company systems was completed. These algorithms allow dynamically classifying each branch and node of the high- and medium-voltage electrical grid according to their risk for the continuity of service. The risk is estimated on the basis of the impact that would be caused by a failure and an index of the failure rate for the element itself. In the area of “grid losses”, a project is also under way to define specific algorithms to measure/estimate low-voltage grid losses, starting with measurements in the substations, measurements of customer consumption and grid topology.

Again, for example, for the impact that these innovative projects may have on customers and the community, we mention here (and also referring to the paragraph dedicated to innovation in the chapter Institutions and the Company) the “car park project” which envisages the creation of a car park for charging electric vehicles equipped with photovoltaic system and storage system in order to test methods for managing prosumers; the “blockchain project”, which exploits technology capable of recording exchanges and information securely and permanently without the need for intermediaries or third parties to intervene to ensure the shared data, aims to verify the feasibility of a system capable of certifying the energy exchanges between producer-storage- consumer and assign them penalties or rewards depending

on the effects that they have on the network in terms of phase shift and voltage; the “light+ project” that involved the development of a prototype of an intelligent public lighting pole able to manage a series of sensors and functions typical of the public lighting service, but also to provide useful services to the electrical distributor (e.g. integrated modems etc.) and third parties (e.g. ambient sensors, video analysis etc.); finally, the continuation of the “drone project”, launched in 2017, thanks to which a remote piloted aircraft system was created to periodically check the status of the overhead power transmission lines operated by Areti, and the project will continue with the development of a “land-based drone”.

In the “optical fibre” area, in 2018 the optical fibre laying activities acquired in IRU from Telecom and Wind were completed for the creation of a primary network between the HV/MV transformation plants, useful for the integration of present and future services in primary stations.

With regard to digital meters and smart metering systems, in 2018 Areti completed its technical investigations linked to the development and consolidation of new standards and experimental tests in the field initiated in 2016 on products from foremost meter manufacturers, equipped with advanced technologies. As a result, a working group was set up to define technical specifications, which led to the completion at the end of 2018 of the preparation of the documentation required to carry out a public tender (through competitive dialogue) for the supply of the 2G electronic meter system.

Also completed during the year was the development of a multi- service concentrator for electronic meters, which came into operation after the necessary tests had been completed. It is a modular apparatus consisting in a main control and processing unit and one or more additional units, each one dedicated to a specific service (electricity, water, etc.).

Activities on the development of multi-service reading for the testing of multi-functional remote reading technologies applicable to several sectors continued: for Acea Ato 2, Areti developed a device for remote reading of water meters (equipped with lance-pulses) with NB-IoT technology, which has been added to the previous version with GPRS technology. The project was completed and moved on to the field operation phase. The solution identified led to the filing of a patent for an industrial invention in March 2018.

Lastly, the installation of digital meters under remote management continued for low voltage users for a total of 1,613,050 meters installed on active low voltage users as at 31.12.2018, equal to 99.68% of the total LV meters.

THE QUALITY LEVELS REGULATED BY ARERA IN THE ELECTRICITY SECTOR

The electrical - commercial service quality parameters (i.e., quotes, work, supply activation/deactivation, replies to complaints) and technical aspects (supply continuity) - are established at a national level by the Regulation Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment (ARERA), which reviews them on a regular basis, gradually introducing more stringent standards Since 2016 the new regulatory cycle was launched regarding the quality of distribution, measuring and transmission services for the 5th regulatory period 2016-2023.

Such regulatory framework requires that customers be indemnified in the event certain quality standards are not met and comprises a fine/bonus system applicable to service operators, so as to encourage them to continually improve their services.

The commercial quality aspects of the service consist of “specific” levels and “general” levels 40, applicable to the operations pertaining to the electricity distribution company (divided into low and medium voltage supplies) as well as those of the seller (see Tables 13, 14 and 15). A quality criterion also governs the timely communication of technical data between the energy distributor and seller (see Table 13). Every year Acea submits the results achieved to the ARERA for review and then notifies such results to its own customers, as required, by enclosing them with the bill.

As regards performance 2018 for commercial quality, related to the distribution and measurement of electricity, we present estimated data herein which may differ from those sent to the Authority (ARERA) according to the deadlines set by the latter.

As regards the “specific” commercial quality levels, both for low voltage supplies to domestic and non-domestic customers and for medium voltage supplies, in many cases there was a slight improvement in performance. With regard to the “general” levels of responses to written complaints/requests for information, there was a substantial improvement in performance compared to 2017 (see Table 13).

The system contemplates automatic indemnities 41 to be granted to customers in the event of failure to comply with “specific” quality levels starting from a basic amount 42, which can either double (in the event operations are performed in a timeframe between twice and three times the required standard) or treble (if operations are performed in a timeframe three times the required standard).

For Acea Energia, 2017 was the year of the launch of a new information system, implemented with the aim of developing and improving performance linked to the customer contact channels.

The system had the usual need for fine-tuning that had an impact on performance. In 2018, the first improvements began to become evident with higher percentages of compliance with the standards set by ARERA for certain services: for example, for the specific levels of commercial quality, the billing adjustments for the protected market and the reasoned response to written complaints in the free market; the percentages of services performed within the maximum time imposed by the general levels of quality also improved (see Table no. 14).

The Authority also defines and updates the benchmark parameters of “technical” quality of the service 43, in relation to continuous electricity supply, envisaging an incentive system for the operator (bonuses and fines) and indemnities for customers.

It should be stressed that the continuity indicators supplied related to financial year 2018 are not those communicated to ARERA but rather the highest possible estimate at the time of publication of this document 44.
With regard to the duration of disruptions and the number of disruptions for LV users, the first available data concerning 2018 and shown in Table no. 15 indicate a decrease in the results compared to 2017.
Disruptions occurring at any voltage level within the electricity system are also regulated for MV customers. The regulatory system entitles medium-voltage customers to receive automatic compensation provided that they can certify the adequacy of their systems 45 in the event of a number of disruptions in the supply of electricity exceeding that stated by a specific standard.

Prolonged or extended disruptions, in other words service disruptions exceeding the duration established by standards, are also regulated for both LV customers and MV customers. In such eventualities, the operator is required to pay a fine, calculated on the basis of the number of LV customers cut off as a result of disruptions due to “other causes”, to the extraordinary event fund set up with the Energy and Environmental Services Fund. In addition, the distributor will automatically indemnify customers affected by disruptions

40 -  “Specific quality standards” are defined as the deadline within which the service provider must provide a given service and, in the event of non-compliance, they require that automatic compensation is granted to customers; the general quality standards” are defined as the minimum percentage of services to be provided within a given deadline.
41 - Compensation as pursuant to the Authorities provisions is paid to customers by deducting the amount from the bill or by issuing a cheque within 30 days of the date of the service in question or, at the latest, by three times the period of standard time established for such service, excluding automatic compensation for failure to
comply with the punctuality range for appointments, in respect of which the time will commence on the date of the appointment.
42 - The amount currently set by the Authority starts from a basic amount of 35 Euros for domestic low voltage customers; 70 Euros for non-domestic low voltage customers and 140 Euros for medium voltage customers.
43 - Resolution 654/15/R/eel.
44 - The data for 2018 are the best estimate available at the time of publication, certified data shall be made public by the Authority and available on the website www.arera.it.
45 - In order to be entitled to compensation, medium voltage customers must prove that they have installed protection devices at their plants that can prevent any interruption caused by faults within their utility plants from having repercussions on the network, damaging other customers connected nearby. Furthermore, in order to access compensation customers will be required to have arranged for the distribution company to receive a plant adequacy statement issued by parties with specific technical and professional expertise. Failure by customers to meet the requirements whereby compensation may be sought will cause the amount of the compensation to turn into a fine, which the distribution company is required to transfer to the Energy and Environmental Services Fund.

TABLE NO. 13 - SOCIAL INDICATORS: SPECIFIC AND GENERAL LEVELS OF COMMERCIAL QUALITY - ENERGY DISTRIBUTION (2017-2018) - (ARERA PARAMETERS AND ARETI PERFORMANCE - 2017: DATA SUBMITTED TO AREA; 2018: ESTIMATED DATA)

ENERGY DISTRIBUTION
SPECIFIC LEVELS OF COMMERCIAL QUALITY
PERFORMANCEARERA PARAMETERS - Max, time for service deliveryService delivery average actual timePercentage of services carried out within time limitService delivery average actual timePercentage of services carried out within time limit
 20172018
LOW VOLTAGE (LV) SUPPLIES
DOMESTIC CUSTOMERSARETI'S PERFORMANCE
estimates for work on LV networks (ordinary connections)15 working days8.9793.26%7.1796.89%
completion of simple work (ordinary connections)10 working days8.9784.96%8.0586.12%
completion of complex works50 working days26.4983.48%16.0894.51%
supply activation5 working days2.2694.61%1.8296.69%
deactivation of supply on customers request5 working days1.2997.48%1.1898.72
reactivation of supply following disconnection for late payment1 working days0.1099.19%0.1599.16%
resumption of the supply following faults of the metering equipment (requests sent during business days from 08:00 to 18:00)3 hours2.2482.56%2.2980.83
resumption of the supply following faults of the metering equipment (requests sent during non-business days or from 18:00 to 08:00 hrs,)4 hours2.3489.88%2.4989.52
notification of outcome of metering equipment check on customers request15 working days10.5492.08%12.6293.07%
notification of outcome of voltage supply check on customers request20 working days////
maximum punctuality band for appointments with customers2 hoursn.a.84.61%n.a.88.16%
replacement of faulty metering equipment15 working days49.9341.38%71.9621.69%
resumption of correct supply voltage50 working days////
estimates for work on LV networks (temporary connections)10 working days////
completion of simple work (temporary connections not exceeding 40 kW)5 working days////
completion of simple work (temporary connections exceeding 40 kW)10 working days////
NON-DOMESTIC CUSTOMERSARETI'S PERFORMANCE
estimates for work on LV networks (ordinary connections)15 working days8.2794.31%7.3396.44%
completion of simple work (ordinary connections)10 working days8.6386.04%7.7487.44%
completion of complex works50 working days20.0289.64%16.3194.81%
supply activation5 working days2.8692.78%2.1395.73%
deactivation of supply on customers request5 working days2.2696.25%7.7894.66%
reactivation of supply following disconnection for late payment1 working days0.1499.08%0.2098.86%
resumption of the supply following faults of the metering equipment (requests sent during business days from 08:00 to 18:00)3 hours2.3680.21%2.7276.67%
resumption of the supply following faults of the metering equipment (requests sent during non-business days or from 18:00 to 08:00 hrs,)4 hours2.3488.91%2.5388.99%
notification of outcome of metering equipment check on customers request15 working days10.5290.98%11.8392.28%
notification of outcome of voltage supply check on customers request20 working days21.000%21.5050.00%
maximum punctuality band for appointments with customers2 hoursn.a.90.12%n.a.90.84%
replacement of faulty metering equipment15 working days37.8944.44%59.9134.78%
resumption of correct supply voltage50 working days////
estimates for work on LV networks (temporary connections)10 working days4.7795.26%3.7997.55%
completion of simple work (temporary connections not exceeding 40 kW)5 working days3.8192.083.0794.88%
completion of simple work (temporary connections exceeding 40 kW)10 working days4.0996.47%4.5496.61%
MEDIUM VOLTAGE SUPPLIES (MV)
FINAL CUSTOMERSARETI'S PERFORMANCE
estimates for work on MV networks30 working days41.8465.57%18.6483.08%
completion of simple work20 working days23.7185.71%5.27100.00%
completion of complex works50 working days48.6478.57%16.6795.83%
supply activation5 working days5.5077.78%7.1360.00%
deactivation of supply on customers request7 working days20.0457.69%29.764.52%
reactivation of supply following disconnection for late payment1 working days2.8955.56%1.5282.35%
notification of outcome of metering equipment check on customers request15 working days8.5590.91%6.37100.00%
notification of outcome of voltage supply check on customers request20 working days//16100.00%
maximum punctuality band for appointments with customers2hoursn.a.90.18%n.a.82.29%
replacement of faulty metering equipment15 working days////
resumption of correct supply voltage50 working days////
COMMUNICATION OF TECHNICAL DATA FROM DISTRIBUTOR TO SELLER
technical data (that can be obtained by reading a metering system)10 working days from receipt of the request11.2082.86%69.4858.07%
technical data (that cannot be obtained by reading a metering system)10 working days from receipt of the request63.4729.96%21.2386.99%
GENERAL LEVELS OF COMMERCIAL QUALITY
PERFORMANCEARERA PARAMETERS - minimum percentage of services to be performed within a maximum timeService delivery average actual timePercentage of services performed within the maximum timeService delivery average actual timePercentage of services performed within the maximum time
LOW VOLTAGE (LV) SUPPLIES
DOMESTIC CUSTOMERSARETI'S PERFORMANCE
reply to written complaints/enquiries regarding distribution operations95% within
30 calendar days
59.1443.88%3976.00%
reply to written complaints/enquiries regarding metering operations95% within
30 calendar days
43.0061.22%25.0081.00%
NON DOMESTIC CUSTOMERSARETI'S PERFORMANCE
reply to written complaints/enquiries regarding distribution operations95% within
30 calendar days
69.0938.76%47.0069.00%
reply to written complaints/enquiries regarding metering operations95% within
30 calendar days
45.7356.38%29.0079.00%
MEDIUM VOLTAGE SUPPLIES (MV)
FINAL CUSTOMERSARETI'S PERFORMANCE
reply to written complaints/enquiries regarding distribution operations95% within
30 calendar days
47.6767.12%35.0072.00%
reply to written complaints/enquiries regarding metering operations95% within
30 calendar days
79.1133.33%28.0073.00%

(*) In the event of failure to meet the standards, more protected service customers (mainly domestic customers and small businesses) will receive an automatic compensation
of 20 Euros.
NB The symbol “/” is used when services were not requested during the year, n.a. means the data is not applicable.

TABLE NO. 14 - SOCIAL INDICATORS: SPECIFIC AND GENERAL LEVELS OF COMMERCIAL QUALITY - ENERGY SALE (2017-2018) - (ARERA PARAMETERS)

ENERGY SALES
SPECIFIC LEVELS OF COMMERCIAL QUALITY(*)
PERFORMANCEARERA PARAMETERS
maximum time by which the service
must be performed
Percentage of services carried out within time limitPercentage of services carried out within time limit
20172018
MORE PROTECTED SERVICEACEA ENERGIA'S PERFORMANCE
billing adjustments90 calendar days69.2%80.0%
double billing adjustments20 calendar days/100.0%
reasoned reply to written complaints40 calendar days76.3%76.0%
FREE MARKETACEA ENERGIA'S PERFORMANCE
billing adjustments90 calendar days86.7%60.0%
double billing adjustments20 calendar days100.0%/
reasoned reply to written complaints40 calendar days77.6%85.5%
GENERAL LEVELS OF COMMERCIAL QUALITY
PERFORMANCEARERA PARAMETERS
Minimum percentage of services to be performed within a maximum time
Percentage of services performed within the maximum timePercentage of services performed within the maximum time
MORE PROTECTED SERVICEACEA ENERGIA'S PERFORMANCE
Reply to written enquiries95% within 30 calendar days97.1%98.8%

(*) In the event of failure to meet the standards, more protected service customers (mainly domestic customers and small businesses) will receive an automatic compensation of 20 Euros.
NB The symbol “/” is used when services were not requested during the year, n.a. means the data is not applicable.

TABLE NO. 15 - SOCIAL INDICATORS: SERVICE CONTINUITY DATA - ENERGY DISTRIBUTION (2016-2018) - (ARERA PARAMETERS AND ARETI PERFORMANCE - 2016-2017: DATA CERTIFIED BY ARERA; 2018: ESTIMATED PROVISIONAL DATA)

ENERGY DISTRIBUTION - CONTINUITY INDICATORS - LV CUSTOMERS
DURATION OF DISRUPTIONS AND PERCENTAGE CHANGES
SERVICESaverage aggregate duration of lasting disruptions without prior notice
of the operators responsibility per LV customer per year (minutes)
percentage changes
2016201720182018 vs.20162018 vs.2017
high concentration27.8834.9343.757%25%
medium concentration31.4639.5151.463%30%
low concentration45.7653.6354.419%1%
AVERAGE NO. OF DISRUPTIONS AND PERCENTAGE CHANGES (*)
SERVICESaverage no. disruptions without prior notice
of the operator's responsibility per LV customer per year
percentage changes
high concentration1.421.781.9940%12%
medium concentration1.671.922.2233%16%
low concentration2.512.573.0120%17%

(*) The yearly average number of disruptions per low voltage customer considers both lasting disruptions (>3 minutes) as well as short disruptions (≤3 minutes but longer than 1 second).
NB The three territorial areas are defined on the basis of the degree of concentration of the resident population: more than 50,000 inhabitants is defined as “high concentration”; between 5,000 and 50,000 inhabitants is defined as “medium concentration”; less than 5,000 inhabitants is defined as “low concentration".

QUALITY IN THE PUBLIC LIGHTING AREA

QUALITY IN THE PUBLIC LIGHTING AREA

In 2018, through a dedicated unit Areti 46 managed the works on the functional and monument artistic public lighting infrastructure of Rome and Formello for more than 199,700 points of light located in a territory with an extension of approximately 1,300 km2 (equal to approximately 7 times that of Milan), under the Service Contract 47 stipulated between Acea SpA and Roma Capitale.

The company is responsible for the design, construction, operation, maintenance and restoration of networks and lighting systems and operates in compliance with procedures under the QASE (Quality, Environment, Safety and Energy) Management System certified according to UNI EN ISO and OHSAS Standards.

Work is scheduled ensuring that the management and technical staff of the company work together on the basis of the instructions given by local public administration and supervisory departments and authorities responsible for new urban developments, improvement projects and the cultural heritage. In addition to the service provided to Roma Capitale, public lighting services are also made available to other stakeholders.

46 - Areti SpA, which manages the distribution of energy in Rome and Formello, absorbed the activities of Acea Illuminazione Pubblica SpA in December 2016, implementing the project of partial proportional demerger of the latter. Therefore Acea Illuminazione Pubblica is not included in the reporting boundary of this document.
47 - By Resolution of the City Council No. 130 dated 22 December 2010 regarding the Updating of the Service Agreement between Roma Capitale and Acea SpA, effective 15 March 2011, the agreement was extended to 31.12.2027.

TABLE NO. 16 - PUBLIC LIGHTING IN ROME IN FIGURES (2018)

lighting points (no.)
Monumental artistic lighting points (no.)
199,783 (+ 0,4% compared to 2017) 
about 9,900
bulbs (no)225,619 (+0.5% compared to 2017)
MV and LV network (km)7,981 (+ 0.3% compared to 2017)

It should be noted that, although the number of lamps installed has increased over the years, the overall power consumed by the lamp inventory has continued to decrease, from 32.64 MW in 2016 to 17.83 MW in 2018 (almost halved), while the average efficiency per lamp has increased. This is also due to the transformation of systems in recent years: in 2018 out of a total of 225,619 lamps, 191,200or about 85% of the total – use LED technology (see also the Environmental accounts).

Among the main public lighting projects carried out during the year with respect to functional and monumental artistic lighting, the progressive implementation of the “LED Plan for the Capital" is worthy of note, having led to the overall installation as at 31.12.2018 of more than 170,000 light fixtures, with benefits in terms of energy savings and reduction of the effects of light dispersion. In the same context, towards the end of 2017 the Municipal Administration approved the plan for the transformation of tunnel lighting into LEDs, which during 2018 allowed the completion of works in the tunnels of Corso Italia, Lungotelighting vere Arnaldo da Brescia, Lungotevere Michelangelo, Via di Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford and, on an experimental basis, the transformation into LEDs of the first section (about 1.6 km) of the Giovanni XXIII tunnel (see the dedicated box). As part of the road works connected to the Tiburtina Station, Acea, which had already taken charge of the functional lighting system of the New Inner Ring Road (NCI), built by RFI, modernised the systems, replacing the high-pressure sodium lamps with LED lighting fixtures (about 1,350 fixtures).

The new LED lighting for the Piazza del Campidoglio and the Naiads, Gianicolo and Moses fountains (see the box) was also carried out, and the area of the Colosseum Archaeological Park was re-activated as it had been subject to vandalism and damage to the fixtures over the past few years, and a project aimed at raising security levels was also launched (see the box). During the year, two monumental artistic lighting projects were also carried out outside Rome, which had a particularly positive impact on the territory: the lighting of the Castle of Santa Severa and the lighting of the Roman Theatre in Benevento (see the dedicated boxes).

SMART POLES FOR THE SECURITY OF THE COLOSSEUM ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK

As part of the re-activation of the Colosseum archaeological area in December 2018, by virtue of an agreement between MIBAC - Parco Archeologico del Colosseo and Acea a first trial was started with a feasibility test of a video surveillance solution with innovative functions in a limited area of the Park, also making use of the lighting infrastructure.

The system involved the activation of 4 main macro functions: anti-intrusion, facial recognition, behavioural analysis and video surveillance. The support infrastructure used has minimised the impact on existing plants

With its customer satisfaction surveys regarding the services provided (perceived quality), for some years Acea has been monitoring the public’s opinion and perception of the ongoing transformation of LED lighting. The average results from the two half-yearly surveys in 2018 highlighted that about 66% of the 2,900 interviewees (+7% compared to 59% reported in 2017 out of a panel of 2,400 people) had notice the LED lighting on the road. 84.2% of the interviewees believe that the LED lighting transformation project is important for the city (this was the case for 82% of the interviewees last year) and the three main reasons given are: energy saving and efficiency (lower consumption) for about 79%, better visibility of colours on the road, for about 25% and, for about 26%, respect for the environment.

TABLE NO. 17 - MAIN PUBLIC LIGHTING WORKS ON LIGHTING POINTS (2018)

TYPE OF WORK(NO. LIGHTING POINTS)
Installation of new lighting points (including artistic)706 lighting points
Actions to improve energy efficiency/technological innovation (fixture replacement)18,229 lighting points
Safety measures4,008 lighting points

NB: The table includes operations carried out for the Municipality of Rome and third parties.

THE GIOVANNI XXIII TUNNEL

In August 2018, the initial section of the southern end of the Giovanni XXIII tunnel was experimentally transformed into LED lighting. The system, owned by the Municipal Administration, consists of lighting fixtures that are now old and partly switched off. Taking advantage of the suspended traffic due to unplanned works on the road surface, the Administration asked Acea to intervene and replace the existing lighting fixtures with a new LED system. The planned activity should have concerned about 300 metres of tunnel, while technical reasons made it possible to extend the works to about 1,600 metres, equal to more than half of the overall tunnel. The new lighting consists of 223 lamps of the reinforcement system and 231 asymmetrical lamps of the permanent system. The fixtures were wired into the existing system and will not be taken over by Acea until the completion of the works. The experimental works were applauded by the Municipal Administration, which has confirmed its intention to complete all the transformation works during 2019.

Each year Acea carries out scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on the systems (see Table no. 18) aimed at ensuring safety and maintaining an adequate level of illumination.

TABLE NO. 18 - REPAIRS AND PLANNED AND EXTRAORDINARY MAINTENANCE OF PUBLIC LIGHTING (2018)

TYPE OF WORK(NO.)
Checking corrosion on lamp posts42,339 lamp posts checked (functional and artistic)
Replacing bulbs prior to luminous flux loss3,713 bulbs replaced
Reinstalling lamp posts that were corroded or knocked down due to accidents704 slamp posts reinstalled

Acea monitors the quality parameters of the public lighting service with regard to fault repair times, which are calculated starting from the arrival of the notification 48.

The service standards are expressed by an average admitted recovery time (TMRA), within which the repairs shall take place and a maximum time (TMAX), after which a penalty system is activated 49.

The average recovery time (TMR) for systems used by Acea in 2018 for the different types of faults (see Table no. 19), which in some cases showed a slight increase compared to the service levels recorded in 2017, fell within the average recovery time allowed.

TABLE NO. 19 – FAULT RECOVERY PUBLIC LIGHTING: FINES, STANDARDS AND ACEA PERFORMANCE (2017-2018)

FAULT TYPEFREE DAY
OF DELAY
SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT(*)ACEA PERFORMANCE
 (€)TMRA (average recovery
time allowed)
(working days)
TMAX (maximum
recovery time)
(working days)
TMR
(average recovery time)
(working days)
    20172018
Blacked out neighbourhood - MV network failure701 day1 day< 1 day< 1 day
Blacked out street - MV or LV network failure505 days8 days2.8 days2.6 days
Blacked out stretch (2-4 consecutive lights out)5010 days15 days6.7 days9.9 days
Lighting points out: single lamps, posts, supports and armour2515 days20 days 8.5 days9.3 days

(*) Consistent with previous years, data were monitored in compliance with provisions under Annex D/2 to the 2005-2015 Service Agreement between the Municipality of Rome and Acea SpA.

The fault is detected by control systems like remote management, and, as already mentioned, can be reported to the company, the public and the Municipality of Rome through the various contact channels (call centre, web, fax or letter) 50. 25,421 fault reports were received in 2018 51 and 81% of them were dealt with by the end of the year. The percentage distribution of reports by type of fault is shown in Chart no. 21. The most significant incidents concern “blacked out street”, in relation to a network fault (53.6%) and “lighting point out” (27%), having the lowest impact in terms of safety, the “blacked out stretch” is more contained (10.7%). Finally, there have been no cases of “neighbourhood in the dark” due to grid failure.

CHART NO. 21 - TYPES OF PUBLIC LIGHTING FAULTS OUT OF TOTAL REPORTS RECEIVED (2018)

CHART NO. 21 - TYPES OF PUBLIC LIGHTING FAULTS OUT OF TOTAL REPORTS RECEIVED (2018)

48 - For the purpose of calculating service levels, reports pertaining to damages caused by third parties will not be considered.
49 - Fines are calculated using the following criteria: each repair completed beyond the TMAX will be sanctioned; repairs completed within the TMAX but exceeding the TMRA will be sanctioned only if TMR>TMRA. At the time of publication of this document, the accurate data on reports concerning 2018 subject to fines being calculated is not available.
50 - More detailed information on call centre performance and written complaints is provided in the Customer Care section.
51 - The datum excludes reminders and repeated reporting of the same fault.