The energy manager’s daily to do list is no doubt a long one, with more than a few headaches to solve. But what happens when energy managers are asked to prioritise their tasks and priorities, not just for one day, but the entire year?
At DEXMA, our curiosity got the best of us! We asked our energy manager community, and they answered.
Here is what we found out when it comes to the top energy manager priorities for this year:
To feed our burning curiosity about the energy professionals we serve (and to make sure we keep doing our best at it!) DEXMA carries out a study on the state of the energy management sector, energy technologies and the professionals who use them. From this research we can extract valuable insights and answers to questions such as…
What is your top priority as an energy manager in 2018?
From the more than 250 responses we received, we have come to the conclusion that energy management and energy professionals are primarily focused on 3 main objectives.
The Top 3 Priorities of the Energy Manager in 2018
Among the options that survey participants could choose from were the following:
- Investing in a new EMS (Energy Management System)
- Improving the efficiency of current projects
- Closing more NEW energy efficiency projects
- Training new energy managers in the company
- Improving the tools or technology currently used to manage energy efficiency projects.
After analysing the responses, we now know that the top three main energy manager priorities are:
1. Closing more NEW energy efficiency projects
49% of participants are making their top priority for 2018 to close more projects. This objective makes sense, because after all we all want to grow year after year.
But this task is sometimes not easy, as the typical energy manager encounters many barriers that can prevent them from definitively closing a project with the client. What can that look like?
The main reasons why energy manager prospects are not interested in carrying out an efficiency project usually have to do with:
- Lack of funding: Your potential client might be totally on board to carry out the project, and agrees with all the advantages and benefits in cost savings that this will bring, but they simply do not have the funding to implement anything. Well, if you want to break this barrier, since the project is practically closed, why not suggest subsidies or financial assistance programs for energy efficiency?
As an energy manager, it is important that you are aware of these initiatives that can support your potential customers. You can significantly improve your trust-based relationship with your clients and bring even more value by providing this extra information. - Not knowing how to communicate the return on investment (ROI) in energy efficiency: This is an arduous task, since it is essential that you understand what the benefit of investing in such an energy management plan is.
This barrier is in turn related to the former, as you can support them in funding and make it easier to see their ROI.
If you need help, here is a link to our guide “How to Finance Your Energy Efficiency Projects”
- Upper management has no interest in energy efficiency. If you want a company’s top management to be interested in your energy efficiency project, just show them the numbers, understand what their expenses are and what the ROI would be. Managers want to know what the benefit of all this is. So, get ready to do a good analysis and deep dive into the data they care about (remember, they LOVE numbers). For best results, use data to drive your point home. such as an energy management solution that not only monitors, analyses and controls energy consumption but also allows for custom reporting based on that client’s particular needs and costs.
- Lack of technical knowledge: Unfamiliarity with energy metering hardware. This point is important because metering is an essential element of the energy management project budget.
The use of state-of-the-art energy management software is the ideal support for closing new projects, as it will help you as an energy manager to show your customers their savings potential, analyze the previous situation and control.
2. Improve the efficiency of the projects I currently manage
This is another top priority for energy managers this year, specifically for 26% of them. What they are concerned about today is how to continually improve the performance of current clients and projects they manage.
It is true that it is important to open and achieve new projects, but it is just as crucial to meet the objectives of the ones you already manage by continuing to satisfy current customers. This way you’ll stay top of mind for future projects, and it becomes a virtuous cycle.
So how exactly can you improve the efficiency of your existing energy efficiency projects?
The best way is to continue training yourself and stay on top of the latest advances in energy management technology. If you are up to date with the latest news in the sector, you can apply them to your projects and make them even more efficient.
3. Improve my current EMS and technology stack
9% of the energy managers indicated that their top priority was to improve the energy management tool they are currently working with, which means that the tool is becoming too small for them to manage their projects.
In addition, 43% of respondents would be willing to upgrade their current energy management solution and move to a EMS that is managed in the cloud or SaaS, as opposed to the local or on-premise solution they currently have. It is important to note that an alarming 27% of energy managers still use Excel for their energy analysis, which put them at a considerable disadvantage compared to more tech-savvy energy managers.
Simply switching to a more efficient platform that can be easily integrated with other tools – 36% said it was one of the biggest problems with their current EMS- and speeding up your work would be a big step forward for many energy management firms. With the automation of data insertion and data quality checking, you can accelerate your work, and for this there are already apps that do it. If you want to learn how to optimise the quality of your energy data, check out this free video-training.
Now that you know the top 3 energy manager priorities in 2018, why expand on your knowledge and get the rest of the survey insights?
You can download the full report for free by clicking below:
