Network

three responses we received from those working in networks. "Energy as a service rather than selling KWh", was one of the many comments that came from genera on and retail – with "moving from a centralised genera on and single supply to more fl uid and decentralised transac on," coming through as another key theme. Meanwhile for water, "Delivering customer expecta ons in a cost eff ec ve and effi cient manner," was a comment that characterised many coming from the water sector where customer service came through as a key tenet of transi on. The survey found that while many businesses believe transi on is underway, there is not a sense of complete upheaval across the industry. Marked between 1 and 10, the average state of transi on in u li es scored 7.1; with the average for individual businesses, scoring 6.7. Energy genera on and retail was the only category where respondents scored the state of transi on in their businesses (7.6) as being higher than across energy genera on and retail as a whole (7.3) Looking ahead to 2030, the UWL survey also inves gated to what extent businesses are expec ng to transi on over the next decade. The current average state of transi on of 6.7, is expected to rise to 8.0 by 2030. Overall, businesses an cipate their state of transi on will be more aligned with the industry as a whole ARE WE NEARLY THERE YET? U lity Week Live at the Birmingham NEC on 21-22 May will be exploring transi on in the sector in all its guises. In the fi rst of a series of monthly reports Nadine Buddoo begins by asking – what does transi on mean, and how much progress has been made. n recent years discussion around the future of u li es has been preoccupied with the concept of disrup on and the industry's evolu on. But as businesses embrace no ons of change, how should they make transi on a reality? What does the transi on mean in prac ce for u lity fi rms across the country – and how far along that transi on are we? A recent survey carried out by Insight Advantage for U lity Week Live (UWL) of those in senior posi ons in water and energy – ranging from director to heads of departments and managers – helped shape these answers. Not surprisingly, what transi on means varied hugely depending on the respondents' exper se. "Moving from a passive to an ac ve network", "Moving from the tradi onal last century model of a centralised push u lity to a modern push/ pull customer centric business," "improved data quality, agile working, and fl exibility in the workforce," were CASE STUDY EON'S FUTURE ENERGY HOME Eon is working with UK property developer Berkeley Homes to pilot the Future Energy Home – a trial of the integra on of the latest smart home technologies at Berkeley's Kidbrooke Village development in London. The project has been established to be er understand how to help homeowners live a lower cost, less carbon-reliant lifestyle. "The project is the fi rst of its kind to demonstrate innova ve energy devices – integrated solar, ba eries, EV charging, smart thermostats, building management systems – working seamlessly through a single, tablet- based dashboard," says Eon UK's director of poli cal and regulatory aff airs, Sara Vaughan. Through use of the home energy dashboard, homeowners can access a detailed view of their energy fl ow across the whole building. The scheme aims to give consumers prac cal control over their energy use and the ability to power their own homes. P R E S E N T S IN ASSOCIATION WITH IN ASSOCIATION WITH NETWORK / 39 / FEBRUARY 2019

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