UK Energy Hike – The Business Response

Jamie Cameron, Director of Digital Solutions at Johnson Controls UK&I, responds to Ofgem, the UK energy regulator’s announcement of an increase to the energy price cap.
The full scale of the energy price cap hike is set to hit Britons already struggling against a tide of surging outgoings. With the energy cap announcement moving forward to give the public time to prepare before the full impact of April price rises take hold, businesses too need to rally to get to grips with what, when and why their buildings are spending on energy to save on costs. For example, what equipment is using energy? What time it is turning on? Where is it turning on?
The only way to accurately measure energy usage at scale and quickly is to use an energy management platform. Users and owners alike need to gather the data and analytics on every major piece of building equipment. Organisations can then set a baseline to constantly review so they can improve the energy performance of the site. From there, they can then start to introduce smarter energy-saving technologies. Luckily, solutions already exist that are relatively quick to implement, such as a data platform. Unlike replacing operational technology or introducing renewables – that is time consuming and expensive – energy performance financing against a guaranteed ROI is readily available and easy to introduce into a building.
The biggest concern for all businesses now is wasted energy usage amid rising prices. With rising charges and continual changes in government legislation, businesses must look to technology for a better, brighter way of managing utilities.