Our first priority is to provide our customers with high-quality drinking water, reliable water supply and wastewater discharge services. Similar to previous years, 2015 can be characterised with excellent and even further improved quality levels across all the services we provide. We will continue to focus on maintaining and improving all our key performance indicators so our consumers can rely on the service they receive. Last year we achieved the best ever water quality and the level of leakages was also the lowest of all times.
However, we wish to do more than we are asked and expected, in order to make a positive impact on the surrounding natural environment and people’s quality of life. Besides providing a high-quality service we systematically and continuously focus on the relations within the Company itself as well as outside, and do our best to contribute to the wellbeing of the whole community through involvement and improvement of awareness.
Last year was crowned by an exceptionally high customer satisfaction, reaching as high as 94 TRIM index points according to the survey carried out by EMOR. This is the highest score we have achieved so far, significantly exceeding the average of the European and Estonian industrial sector. In 2015, we were awarded with Golden Mark in CSR Index, which is a sign of being responsible in our actions and minds. At the end of 2015, we were recognized as the most youth and children-friendly company in Tallinn, which is a great pleasure especially because we consider the work done with the young people to be a starting point for a more environment-friendly consumer behaviour. It is also extremely important in our service that working would be safe for both our employees and the residents. In 2015, we received the “Good Working Environment 2015” award demonstrating that we are doing the right thing.
Operational indicators for 2015
|
Indicator |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Drinking water |
||
|
Compliance of water quality at the customers’ tap |
99.80% |
99.86% |
|
Water loss in the water distribution network |
16.14% |
14.68% |
|
Average duration of water interruptions per property in hours |
3.15 h |
3.22 h |
|
Wastewater |
||
|
Number of sewer blockages |
757 |
737 |
|
Number of sewer bursts |
119 |
127 |
|
Wastewater treatment compliance with environmental standards |
100% |
100% |
|
Customer Service |
||
|
Number of written complaints |
76 |
67 |
|
Number of customer contacts regarding water quality |
152 |
115 |
|
Number of customer contacts regarding water pressure |
380 |
337 |
|
Number of customer contacts regarding blockages and discharge of storm water |
1060 |
1061 |
|
Responding written customer contacts within at least 2 work days |
99.1% |
99.2% |
|
Number of failed promises |
54 |
9 |
|
Notification of unplanned water interruptions at least 1 h before the interruption |
95% |
98.7% |
Tap water is drinking water
Quality of drinking water has a significant impact on public health and wellbeing. Tap water quality in the capital city has been comparable to that of any country in Western Europe for several years now, and therefore we keep encouraging people to drink tap water. 2015 customer satisfaction survey, carried out by an independent research agency EMOR, confirms that our clients and consumers trust tap water quality more and more. In 2015, an average of 82% of consumers drank tap water, while in 2011 this number was only 48%. This proves also how important it is to focus on increasing the consumers’ awareness about the tap water quality.
Strict legal requirements are set for the quality of drinking water and this quality is monitored in line with the drinking water monitoring programs approved by the Health Board. Water quality is most characterised by the compliance with the legislative acts. In 2015, we took a total of 2 945 water samples from the consumers’ taps and carried out 24,500 water analyses. All-time record of 99.86% of all the water samples taken were compliant with all the requirements last year. Thus, only four samples exceeded the limit values set for the iron content. We immediately carried out maintenance works on the water network on the relevant streets resulting in the new samples being fully compliant. In Maardu, the samples taken from the consumers’ taps were 100% compliant. Steadily high level of quality is a result of an efficient water treatment process, preventive actions reducing the number of water bursts on the network, and a timely maintenance done on the water pipelines.
A reliable service
It is important for the residents to have a high-quality service available for 24/7. Therefore, we focus a lot on planning and optimizing our activities, in order to prevent, if possible, or reduce the unpleasant impact potentially caused by our services. We also deem very important that our customers know when their questions would be resolved or when we are performing the works that might impact their activities. We monitor the meeting of the promised deadlines with due diligence and inform our customers if we are not able to fulfil these agreements.
A reliable service also means that we cause as little inconvenience to our customers with what we do as possible. Timely maintenance and reconstruction of water pipes has significantly reduced the number of water bursts. In 2015, we reconstructed a total on 5.2 km of water pipes across the City of Tallinn.
Preventive actions have also helped to reduce year-on-year the level of leakages, which indicates the water loss in the distribution network. Whereas the level of leakages was very low (16.14%) already in 2014, the level achieved in 2015 (14.68%) was the lowest in the Company’s history. This means that by comparing merely with year 2014, we saved 500,000 m3 of water, which is the average amount of water consumed by the whole Tallinn within one week. Compared to the beginning of 2000-s, when the level of leakages was nearly 32%, we are now saving almost 5,000,000 m3 of treated drinking water.
We take the timely and proper feedback to our service very seriously. We ask feedback to our work from clients on a monthly basis, so that we could promptly react, if needed, to any issues that require more attention. Furthermore, each year we order TNS EMOR to carry out a satisfaction survey among our customers. This is an extensive survey, mapping the satisfaction of both our contractual clients and consumers with our work and activities. The assessment is being given based on their client experience and direct contact with the company, but also on the opinions created by the media coverage, services, or other type of indirect or direct contact.
In 2015, the customer retention (TRI*M index) has reached the highest level so far – 94 points, compared to the 85 points in previous year. For years now, we have continued to stand out with the ratings significantly higher than the European average of industrial sector (67 points) and the top 10% of utility companies (86 points).
Cleaner environment
We provide wastewater discharge service to nearly one third of the Estonia’s population. The effective work of the wastewater treatment plant in Paljassaare contributes to keeping the purity of water in the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland and ensures the compliance with environmental requirements. This has been achieved through continuous investments and improvements in technological processes. In 2015, one of such investments – construction of the new coagulant dosing point – was completed. Coagulant is the chemical used to remove phosphorus from wastewater. The new dosing system significantly improves the efficiency of phosphorus removal as well as enables a more effective use of coagulant in the wastewater treatment process.
We continue focusing on possible risks of floodings and pollution incidents as well as on reducing the inconveniencies we may cause to customers. The number of blockages characterizes the conditions of sewer network the best. The sediments accumulating in the sewerage pipelines are the main causes of blockages. In reducing the number of blockages, preventive actions, such as jet washing the sewer network, play an important role. In 2015, we jet washed 155 km of sewer network and cleaned approximately 4 000 stormwater manholes. In 2015, a total on 5.1 km of sewer network was reconstructed across the City of Tallinn.
Sustainable development
As our activities impact nearly one third of Estonia’s population, initiatives with a significant long-term positive effect on both our environment and community are extremely important for us. One of such initiatives was an extensive project of building fish passes at three dams of the reservoirs in Ülemiste catchment area delivered in cooperation with the Environmental Investments Centre. Tallinn’s main source of drinking water – Lake Ülemiste – is surrounded by a large water catchment system covering the total area of ca 1 800 km2 to secure additional raw water storage for the lake. In order to improve the biological diversity and natural environment of the rivers in the catchment area and through that also the conditions of the entire river system, fish passes were built on the Sae, Vaskjala and Kaunissaare dams. The total cost of the project was over €350 thousand and the project of Vaskjala and Sae fish passes was co-financed by the Cohesion Fund in the amount of €180 thousand.
Our aspiration is to raise awareness and promote environmental lifestyle among the population. We consistently work closely with our communities, both children and adults, who use our services, to promote environmental awareness. We encourage people to drink tap water through various campaigns and have involved several restaurants, partners and the public therein. Moreover, we organize discussions about water in kindergartens and schools. In 2015, we contributed to the environmental awareness of 1 482 children. Thousands of people visit our treatment plants each year. In 2015, the water treatment plant and the wastewater treatment plant were visited by 3 500 people in total. This demonstrates the interest of people in how our drinking water, which is of vital importance for us all, is produced and how it gets to their tap.
In 2015, the Company was awarded with the Golden Mark in CSR Index. The Award was distributed by the CSR Forum, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, KPMG, Estonian Business School and Äripäev in collaboration.