One in three organizations are already thinking about how energy can contribute to business growth, drive deeper efficiencies and reduce risk.
Figure 1: Which of the following statements best matches your organization’s current position when it comes to energy matters? [Base: 1,633]
For most of this report, we focus on the responses from businesses that have already started using, testing or are considering advanced energy solutions. Nearly three fifths of businesses fall into this category.
Among these businesses, the most sophisticated—nearly one quarter of organizations—have started looking at the role energy can play in helping them achieve their broader business objectives. That includes considering how they can become more efficient, generate additional revenue and build competitive advantage. And there is a small proportion at the forefront of this shift—we call them “energy leaders.”
With greater choice of energy solutions and recognition of the business value they can deliver, energy is becoming more relevant to a wider set of stakeholders. This is changing who is involved in decision-making and the role of energy managers. Moving forward, energy managers will work much more closely with business leaders to develop energy strategies aligned to business goals and will seek partners who can work with them to identify solutions which drive long-term business performance.
As more businesses seek to look at energy as something more than simply a cost to be managed, energy will become increasingly strategic.
Our research suggests that how an organization thinks about energy is one of three characteristics that are shared by energy leaders:
Energy leaders think about energy differently, use different sources and manage differently.
Miller Motorcars is a luxury automobile dealership based in southwestern Connecticut. The business was seeking ways to minimize environmental impact, cut costs and provide better experiences to its customers. Centrica Business Solutions helped it to improve the ambience of its service center—which uses over 650,000 kWh of power annually—with upgraded LED lighting. A new solar system also made the company eligible to utilize the 30% Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Connecticut’s Zero Emissions Renewable Energy Credit (ZREC). Overall, Miller Motorcars was able to reduce its energy consumption by 61%, driving projected savings of $1.4 million over 25 years.
Stories from energy leaders
Organizations are making energy a boardroom topic. They’re investing more in advanced energy solutions, spurred on by pressures to improve customer experience, to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility and to deliver greater efficiencies.
The most forward-looking organizations are already considering how insights from their use of energy can help them unlock deeper efficiency gains in businesses and provide competitive advantage. For example, over half strongly believe that businesses will, in the future, be harnessing the power of big data from their energy systems for competitive advantage. But many companies interested in leveraging the commercial opportunities lack the expertise to do so.
50% say they lack the internal expertise needed to monitor and implement efficiency.
The use of Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled sensors and meters are set to have a big impact in this area. The majority of businesses strongly agree that their widespread deployment will dramatically reduce wasted energy. They expect big data to help them boost growth and get ahead of their competitors.
Across the globe, legislation is driving change—particularly within the energy producers themselves. Collaboration between energy companies and government is important to building smarter grids and transforming transmission systems to support renewable energy projects.
Energy leaders aren’t waiting for their governments to set the agenda though. They’re acting now because they recognize that commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability is becoming more important to stakeholders of all kinds. And they understand that intelligent energy planning can also help improve business performance and sustainability, and reduce risk.
That’s making the role of energy increasingly important and central to strategic thinking.
