Interview Michael Lewis of E.ON: ‘Customers never felt the need to engage with energy – now they really do’

The chief executive of the UK’s second-largest energy supplier has found his views on the industry have never been more in demand

Michael Lewis is not used to friends taking a keen interest in his job. But the energy crisis, which has driven dozens of suppliers under, has turned the tables for E.ON’s UK chief executive.

“I never thought I’d be standing at a friend’s birthday party explaining the system marginal pricing of the electricity market,” he laughs. “But there I was, and I had an audience. They want to understand what happened – you explain why 29 suppliers failed and they’re saying: ‘Oh really? And we’re all paying for that?’”