On 20 November, we hosted our Energy Management Conference with a theme of the Changing Energy Landscape. Speakers from industry-leading organisations shared their insights on the energy industries future and gave information about how evolving technologies can play a positive role.
Our CEO, Simon Miles, set the scene and National Grid’s Power Responsive Manager, Rhiannon Marsh, talked further about managing demand with available energy sources with their Reforming Balancing Service. Sagnik Murthy from ABB took the conversation onto ideas around energy resilience and the opportunities for generation, solar power and battery storage. KiWi Power’s Growth Strategy and Innovations Champion, Richard Hardy, challenged Business Secretary Greg Clark’s notion that the Energy Trilemma is over. He went on to highlight the benefits of Demand Side Response and how it is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method of stabilising the National Grid.
Highlights of the day
Tradition Energy took the agenda to a slightly less bright horizon. Craig Mackellar revealed the extent to which wholesale energy prices are rising. He reflected that the 70% loss of UK gas storage has put huge pressure on prices in a market that is made up of one third gas generation. Price volatility is a result of unpredictable wind power and inconsistent storage. He emphasised the need to be interconnected with Europe and hoped that we wouldn’t have a cold January.
Shawn Deegan from Yellowfin went on to inspire the delegates about how data can help energy management and efficiency in organisations. Yellowfin, our software partner, worked with us to create an Energy Intelligence module for our Sigma software.
Shawn Deegan, General Manager at Yellowfin
We don’t all see the same pattern in data. Energy Managers have a broad role in organisations – Sigma Energy Intelligence can provide analytics across numerous datasets, help with data storytelling and add context to all of the information that is found in the data.
One of the regulatory issues facing the industry was addresses by Gary Shanahan from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). He gave a detailed overview of the new Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting Strategy. He then went on to address some broader issues in a roundtable discussion. These included the financial qualifications in parallel to ESOS, the future of RHI, how SMEs will be involved, and minimum building ratings in new developments.
Later in the day, Verdantix analyst Susan Clarke presented smart building innovation and gave 3 key ideas to make buildings smart. Firstly, boost operational insights from existing data; secondly, utilise IoT through facility sensors; and finally, tap into emerging cost-free solutions.
View our gallery here
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We heard from our customers too. Kamar Zaman and Shaun Spencer talked about a shared service approach to energy management at the London Borough of Haringey and Hackney. Simon Chubb, Environmental Manager at Anglia Ruskin University, demonstrated his approach to cost-effective carbon saving and achieving the public sector emissions reduction pledge by 2020.
Graham Paul, our Service Delivery Director, rounded off the day with a summary of changes to the organisation since the takeover, just over a year ago. He also presented our comprehensive 12-month roadmap to drive operational efficiency with industry standard processes, and boost data quality with automation, for our Bureau service.
The bureau service recently recovered eight times more in savings than the cost of the service to one of our customers in one single month. This has been the highest cost savings ratio we’ve ever seen. This has been driven by our improved processes around quality data and knowledge. By evolving the service with our 2019 roadmap, we will continue to increase utility bill recovery success rates for all of our customers.
Another area for TEAM’s focus for 2019 is the continued development of the flagship Sigma software. There will be enhancements to the Sigma EI module which will give customers endless data driven opportunities. There will be data integration and importing enhancements, budgeting improvements and the launch of a tenant billing application.
Graham added
To complement our software and outsourcing services, we have a pool of talented energy consultants. They offer a range of services like DECs, EPCs, Energy Audits, ESOS reporting and RHI, and more. Over the next 12 months we will be raising the profile of this service and growing the consultancy business.
This event has been running for 30 years, but this year, we wanted to take delegates on a journey of enlightenment around the changing energy landscape. It was the first time that a range of industry experts have shared our stage and presented forward thinking ideas and technologies. This sets a precedent for us. It proves our commitment to ensuring our products and services are not only relevant to the needs of our customers, but also are compatible in the ever-evolving energy sector.
Delegate quotes
Peter McCourt, Group Energy and Environmental Manager at DW Fitness First
The event was thoroughly Insightful, informative and highly engaging.
Lauren Nazarko, Energy Bureau Analyst at Land Securities Group PLC
I really enjoyed the presentation from ABB on battery storage.
Speaker presentations are available to view here.
Future Energy Scenarios and Reforming Balancing Services
National Grid – Rhiannon Marsh, Power Responsive Manager
Distributed Generation Opportunities – Solar Power and Battery Storage
ABB – Sagnik Murthy, Business Development Manager
Driving Value from Demand Side Response
KiWi Power – Richard Hardy, Growth Strategy and Innovations Champion
Energy Procurement – Wholesale Market Review
Tradition Energy – Craig Mackellar, Vice President, European Accounts
Data & Insight: Energy Analysis
Yellowfin – Shawn Deegan, General Manager
Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – Gary Shanahan, Head of Business, Energy and Industrial Efficiency, Tax and Reporting
Smart Building Innovation
Verdantix – Susan Clarke, Principal Analyst
For any TEAM products or services enquiries, contact us today.