On the 13th September, we launched the report at an exclusive event in London’s City Hall. Delegates heard from Inenco’s own Gary Stokes (CEO) and Jon Bauer (CTO), Ricardo Energy & Environment, the consultants we commissioned to carry out the research, and Timandra Harkness, presenter of BBC Radio 4 series Future Proofing, who provided expert insight into the evolution of data.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the event:
Senior and strategic: the Utilities Manager will take on more responsibility
While many Energy Managers will already have responsibility for areas such as water and waste, they will find that areas like transport fall under their remit as energy becomes a vital consideration across all departments. As the energy market becomes more complex, they’ll also have to make strategic decisions when it comes to energy procurement to ensure that their energy supply is optimised.
The role of the Utilities Manager will become even more important, and while they will have a more detailed understanding of their consumption, they’ll need help to navigate the energy market. They will seek advice from consultancies around which strategy or approach to take, and how to take a more innovative approach to procurement.
Data & AI: Technology will change the way we work
As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it will change the way we make decisions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will enable us to accurately analyse energy demand, generation and supply markets, and when we combine AI with big data we should be able to make more informed decisions than ever before. Automated decision-making computers will make some of these decisions for us.
We’ll have to think about how to adapt to emerging technologies, like electronic vehicles (EVs). With the UK Government’s commitment to ban sales of all diesel and petrol vehicles from 2040, EV adoption is set to increase dramatically in coming years, and this will affect businesses across all industries. Employers will need to provide charging points for EVs and so will need to manage their consumption even more carefully.
Bridging the gap: Innovation will be key to a successful energy future
Our research revealed that energy professionals will see some fundamental changes to their remit in coming years, and they will face challenges as they strive to become the Utilities Manager of the future. That’s why we’re launching our Innovation Hub, which we hope will inspire energy professionals to create original solutions to the new issues we experience as the energy landscape changes.
We’ll be hosting a series of hackathons, which will bring people from a wide range of industries and academic institutes together to solve some of the challenges we’ve identified in the Future Utilities Manager report. To find out more about how you can get involved, visit the Innovation Hub.
Future-proof your role
These are just a few of the interesting insights that are contained in the report – if you’re keen to find out more about the future of the Utilities Manager, you can find the full report here. And if you want to know how to prepare yourself and your business for future changes in the energy industry, our team is always on hand to share their expert advice – just call us on 08451 46 36 26 or email enquiries@inenco.com
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