Food manufacturers deserve more notice on energy policy

There had been instances when energy policy had been “dropped”​ abruptly on food manufacturers without proper engagement, nPower’s director of markets and innovation Wayne Mitchell told FoodManufacture.co.uk.

“There have been examples where new policy has been implemented really fast – sometimes without consultations with users and not much consultation with companies like us,” ​he claimed.

Advance warning ​

“Food manufacturers haven’t got the time to be intimately involved with everything that’s going on so they need companies like ourselves or organisations like yours to help advise and give them advance warning over what is going on,”​ he told us.

A recent poll by nPower​ found that 38% of food manufacturers claimed they had little to no warning about energy price hikes. This was despite 75% being worried about energy.

Last year, energy specialist JRP Solutions said food and drink firms were confused​ about the mandatory Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS).

The Food Manufacture Group held an energy webinar to provide businesses with the information to comply with the EU regulation.

The webinar highlighted there was a lack of clarity on some issues and there were a lot of questions from businesses that wanted to know more.

Mitchell said more advance warning about energy policy could bring benefits for businesses.

Benefits ​

“With more advance notice you can get the best out of policy,” ​he said. “You can make changes in advance and often policies can be to the benefit of the food manufacturers but only if you’ve got enough notice and are engaged with the process.”​

Food manufacturers could manage energy consumption better to save money, manage their equipment more efficiently and ensure they were operating at the right time to sell energy back to the grid in accordance with regulations, Mitchell claimed.

Schemes such as the National Grid’s Short Term Operating Reserve could help give commercial benefits to businesses, he added.

Watch our video with Mitchell to find out what top three tips​ he offered to food businesses to help them reduce their energy costs.