From decarbonization to grid expansion – the list of tasks for municipal utility companies is getting longer and increasingly urgent. At the same time, customer relationships are transforming from a pure supplier to customer relationship, to being a solutions and service provider for prosumers. According to the survey of utility companies (Stadtwerkestudie) 2022 compiled by EY and BDEW, almost 90 percent of companies say that digitalization and securing against IT and cyber risk is at the top of their list, while 82 percent of respondents are concerned about personnel development and just over two thirds consider decarbonization a key issue for the coming years.
From digital wireless network to costumer service app
The regional utility company Mark-E based in Hagen confronts the tasks the energy transition entails head on and it earned the Energy Transition Award for this in 2022. “In our business strategy, the business area ‘digitalization’ takes on a central role,” Erik Höhne, Speaker of the Board and Head of Production, Finance, Commerce and Sales at the ENVERVIE Group and Mark-E Aktiengesellschaft, emphasizes. In this endeavor, the company has set up an extensive LoRaWAN network, for instance. To spur digitalization in their sales department, they introduced a customer service app and an electricity tracking app, among other things. The latter of the two displays the customer’s electricity consumption in real time and can even determine the amount each household appliance is consuming.
The pressure on cooperations is rising
To overcome the tasks and challenges posed by the energy transition, cooperations are becoming increasingly important. According to the aforementioned survey of utility companies, the beneficiaries are mainly SMEs thanks to reducing complexity, saving costs and accelerating processes. To make use of synergies in the grid and sales business, Mark-E designed an extensive leasing model involving two municipal utilities in its region. “We leased the business operation of both municipal utilities for an initial period of ten years, taking over most of their employees. To our knowledge, this model is unique in Germany so far,” Höhne explains. At EM-Power Europe you can get to know the committed utility company and their direct and flexibility marketing.
Offers for municipal utilities and utility companies.
Municipal utilities and utility companies can expect exciting opportunities to exchange information and for networking at EM-Power Europe and the EM-Power Europe Conference. Listen to presentations for and with utility companies – on topics such as sector coupling, flexibility and digitalization, and attend exclusive panel discussions for utility companies.
An overview featuring interesting contributions and podcasts as well as other relevant information for utility companies is available on our dedicated web page .