As the winter months increase demand for energy usage and bring with them the risk of energy supply disruptions, new data from SEFE Energy reveals reliable supply tops price as the key consideration for industrial businesses when selecting a new energy contract.
In the survey of 500 UK energy decision-makers in healthcare, retail and industrial sectors, 64% of industrial companies polled cited reliability as a key consideration when selecting an energy contract, topping price at 49%. The same trend is seen across all respondents – with 60% citing reliability as a key consideration, followed by price at 58% – but it’s the biggest priority for industrial companies.
SEFE Energy supplies gas, electricity and low-carbon energy products to nearly 30,000 UK organisations. Sam Sherlock, Head of Corporate Account Management at SEFE Energy UK, said: “Many industrial companies, whether they be in the steel, mining, chemicals or manufacturing and construction sectors, need to operate vast networks of heavy machinery as part of their day-to-day operations – and that makes energy supply a vital business asset for them.
“As suppliers, we have a responsibility to ensure we deliver a secure and reliable supply to customers, and in doing so, prevent any disruption to their operations.”
When seeking guidance on the best energy deals for them, most industrial companies surveyed consult with energy providers directly (52%) and use energy comparison sites (51%) – while 37% of industrial companies use an energy broker or consultant and more than a quarter (27%) take counsel from AI-powered assistants on energy products.
Other key findings include:
Industrial companies aim to decarbonise, but more training is needed
- When asked about their energy goals for this year, reducing emissions is a key objective for 42% of industrial companies surveyed – higher than healthcare (38%) and retail (29%) respondents
- While 87% of industrial businesses surveyed have a sustainability plan, only 43% feel they have all the knowledge they need to make decisions about the decarbonisation of their business’ energy
External advice on energy efficiency in high demand
- Almost three-quarters (74%[1]) of industrial companies surveyed feel they would benefit from more external advice on how to improve energy efficiency.
Industrial companies set their sights on AI-powered energy solutions
- 44% of industrial companies surveyed say they want to improve their understanding of energy consumption through data analytics, while almost three-quarters (71%[2]) say they want to adopt AI-powered energy solutions this year.
Sam Sherlock added: “At SEFE Energy, we act as a strategic partner to our industrial customers, with each customer assigned a dedicated account manager who knows their sector, its energy challenges and will help them to navigate the complexities of today’s energy market.
“We are seeing a rise in demand for digitisation and real-time market data, as customers look to make smarter energy decisions and ultimately, reduce operational costs. AI holds a lot of promise in this regard, and we expect to see it become more embedded in data analytics and provide lots of utility in areas like usage predictions and load balancing.”
