If the last few years have taught UK energy users anything, it’s that “normal” is no longer a safe assumption.
We’ve seen one major energy crisis roll straight into another: the 2021-2023 period of extreme price rises, followed by fresh disruption and renewed pressure on bills in 2026 as wholesale markets react to geopolitical shocks. With ongoing uncertainty around global supply routes and commodity prices, it’s hard to argue this will be the last time businesses and public sector organisations face sharp cost swings.
In this environment, data is the single best way to insulate your organisation (and your clients) from risk – because data turns energy management from reactive firefighting into proactive control.
Great energy management starts with a “data health check”
SystemsLink’s Energy Management Software Health Check is built around a simple idea: when markets are unstable, you can’t afford blind spots in your energy data.
Energy Manager already helps consultants and organisations monitor and analyse utilities across portfolios, identify issues, and report with confidence. But when wholesale prices are volatile, the value of accurate, well-structured data increases again -because it becomes the foundation for:
- faster anomaly detection and bill validation
- tighter forecasting and budgeting
- better procurement timing and risk conversations with stakeholders
- stronger “what if” modelling for future policy, tariffs, and operational change
The point is not just measurement: it’s decision advantage.
Why this matters even more in Great Britain
Independent analysis has shown the UK has faced persistently high electricity costs versus international benchmarks – creating a tougher starting point than many comparable economies. For example, ONS analysis notes UK electricity prices for businesses/industrial users sitting well above international medians in recent years.
So when global shocks hit, GB organisations often feel the impact quickly and sharply, especially where gas still sets the marginal price.
The next step: use your energy data to uncover “behind-the-meter” options
Here’s the shift we’re seeing from leading energy consultants and public sector teams:
Don’t just track consumption, use your data to actively reduce exposure to the grid.
That’s where SystemsLink’s partnership with OnGen Expert comes in.
By augmenting energy consumption and demand profiles with geophysical data and GIS data, OnGen Expert helps identify and optimise behind-the-meter opportunities such as:
- onsite renewable generation potential (e.g., solar and other mature technologies)
- battery storage options
- combined solutions optimised for return on investment and carbon impact
The outcome is a clearer, evidence-based view of what’s viable at each site, without relying on “rule of thumb” assumptions.
Objective, easy to use, and designed for real-world portfolios
OnGen Expert was built to solve a common market problem: renewable feasibility is often either too expensive and bespoke, or too simplistic and single-technology, or biased towards whatever an installer sells.
Instead, OnGen Expert is designed to be:
- objective (technology and manufacturer agnostic)
- accurate (site-specific analysis using robust data inputs)
- efficient (reducing manual modelling and repeat Excel work)
- practical for portfolios, not just one-off sites
For SystemsLink customers, especially energy consultants and public sector organisations, this matters because it supports faster, defensible advice to stakeholders and clients, even when markets are moving fast.
From insight to action: OnGen Marketplace introduces accredited installers
Even when a project is clearly viable, two barriers regularly stall progress:
- uncertainty about delivery quality
- the time and risk of finding a reputable installer
OnGen Marketplace is designed to remove that friction by connecting feasible projects to a network of vetted, accredited installers, so the handoff from analysis to delivery is seamless.
The takeaway: volatility isn’t going away, so build resilience with better data
Price caps can delay the impact, but they don’t remove underlying risk—especially when wholesale markets are being reshaped by global events. The organisations that do best in this environment will be the ones that:
- trust their energy data
- spot risk early
- and turn insight into behind-the-meter action
SystemsLink & OnGen Expert is a practical path to do exactly that: cleaner decisions, faster feasibility, and lower exposure to the next shock.
Find out more about additional value services here
