You need to be up to date. You need to deliver value to your clients. You need to understand complex energy trends and behaviours. You want to progress in your career. How can you accomplish all of this in a competitive and always-changing market? You need to be a top energy manager. And we have 10 learning resources to help you. We compiled them in a checklist that you can download (completely free) and use along your training path.
The Why & How to become a top Energy Manager
Energy managers have an important mission. By making businesses more energy efficient, they help to save resources, protect the climate and drive business competitiveness. But this industry has become harder and harder for energy professionals.
As an energy manager, you need to design and implement innovative strategies to save energy and show real results. You need to know about the latest energy-efficient technologies and keep up to date with industry trends. You need the skills to communicate well, convince other people of your ideas and motivate them to get on board. All this amidst an unpredictable and highly regulated market. Easy peasy, right?
We admit it’s a daunting task, even for the most super-human professionals out there. But the good news is there are heaps of resources and things you can do to help you on your way. In this blog post, we will explore training, technology, regulation and pricing, and what you can do to be more effective. And we’ll give you a downloadable checklist to help you be the best Energy Manager that you can be 🙂
1) Training: Never stop learning
In a competitive energy industry, to land a job as an energy manager you will already be well qualified. But your education doesn’t stop there. As the industry continues to evolve and grow, you must grow with it. Energy professionals that are proactive about their professional development will be more informed of the trends and regulations of the industry, be better able to strategise and respond to change, and become an expert in their field.
In our survey conducted earlier this year, we discovered that 31% of energy professionals think training is the main challenge for energy professionals.
You know how important training is, but how do you go about it?
Training comes in many shapes and forms. Many institutes, such as the Energy Managers Association (EMA) and the Energy Institute (EI) offer both online and classroom-based courses in energy management. These institutions offer officially recognised certifications – a great way to grow your knowledge and your CV. Schneider Energy University also has over 200 free e-learning courses on energy efficiency and data centre. Finally, you can take an online training course in energy management at our Dexma Academy.
Besides formal training courses, you can learn valuable stuff through other outlets such as social media, blogs, webinars, as well as conferences, and networking groups. Work all these elements into your schedule as a core part of your work and professional development.
Become an Energy Expert
Are you the one that clients and colleagues turn to for advice? Do you feel like an expert in your field? We’d love to hear your tips on what helps you in your work, and also the challenges you face. Join the LinkedIn group Energy Management Experts – a space for energy managers to connect and share knowledge.
If you feel there is room for improvement, here are three key areas that energy managers need to focus on to be at the top of their game: technology, regulation, and pricing.
At Dexma, we work closely with energy managers and understand your work’s importance. So, we’ve compiled a checklist of 10 free learning resources to help you be the best Energy Manager that you can be.
Fill in your details to get free to download, printable checklist.
2) Technology
Innovation in technology has disrupted the energy industry by making the technology cheaper, more accessible, user-friendly, and overall more powerful.
Hardware is faster, more precise, and more resistant, with Big Data allowing for more accurate reporting, analysis and benchmarking opportunities. On the flip side, all this data and the proliferation of tech apps and tools can be overwhelming – more data means more research and more of your precious time.
Tips to become (and stay) tech-savvy:
- The energy manager needs to be aware of the latest energy-efficient technologies on the market and keep ahead of the game with the latest trends in the industry. Subscribe to the latest technology newsletters.
- Try before you buy: play around with new tools and see what works for you with free trials.
- Gain new knowledge and skills by signing up for online MOOCs, studying, or taking short courses.
3) Regulation
Depending on where you operate, you will have to comply with varying levels of regulation and compliance standards, at a national, regional, and international levels. You should be aware of the requirements to avoid fines and damage to your reputation.
Volkswagen shelled out $15 billion in settlement fees, suffered a drop in shares, and a major PR disaster, due to the “Dieselgate” scandal when it was found to be cheating on fuel-efficiency tests in 2016. In the UK, energy companies need to follow the rules of Ofgem when dealing with consumers. Scottish Power was fined a hefty £18m for letting customers down during the implementation of a new IT system. Yikes…so it’s worth knowing the rules.
Tips for mastering energy regulation:
- Speak openly and clearly to management, explaining why an energy efficiency project is worth the investment (both in terms of cost and compliance), quoting benefits like cost savings and improving the company’s image.
- Stay up to date with the regulations affecting your company. Subscribe to blogs and newsletters with industry news, like our Dexma blog.
4) Pricing
Energy markets are becoming more and more deregulated with the privatisation of energy providers. This gives providers control over prices, making them unpredictable.
Meanwhile, clean energies are cheaper and more accessible than ever before. They will continue to become an ever-more important part of the energy mix, predicted to account for 26% of global power generation by 2020.
What should you do?
- Analyse your energy commitments and how much you are paying on a regular basis (every 3 or 6 months). Benchmark energy providers to make sure you’re getting the best deal out there. Our Dexma Detect tool can help you with this.
- Stay aware of energy market news and prices so you can be as prepared as possible for market fluctuations.
- Look for opportunities to incorporate renewable energies into your energy supply.
