Video: Ed Davey: Energy customers 'aren't cash cows' Energy customers should not be seen as cash cows, to be "squeezed" in the pursuit of a higher return for shareholders, Ed Davey, the energy secretary told Energy UK's annual conference. But those profits cannot come at the expense of the elderly, the vulnerable and the poorest in our society. And frankly the latest round of bill rises have not been fully and openly justified.