Leading the L energy sector revolution

Opus Energy is challenging the industry. From its Northampton HQ, Rob Brittain, director, discusses the power of the customer and the firm’s bright future.

aunched in 2002, Opus Energy is igniting the energy market, powering businesses and industries right across the UK. From its state-of-the-art headquarters in Northampton, Opus Energy has cemented its reputation as a strong competitor to the big six energy firms, supplying smart, renewable energy to over 102,000 businesses of all sizes - from household giants to SMEs.

While Opus Energy continues to lead the way when it comes to revolutionising the sector and the transition from fossil fuels to emerging sustainable options, director Rob Brittain admits the journey to this point hasn’t always been smooth.

Contd on page 32...

...from page 30

“Things were extremely difficult during Covid as business energy usage just completely tailed off. I was brought in two years ago at a time when the business needed to be turned around, especially looking at our returns.

“We reviewed our segmentation, reduced our portfolio and our footprint by around 25% and now we are in a much better place, but the market does still remain challenging.”

Customers are very clearly at the heart of everything Opus Energy does, and its staff are, quite rightly, very proud of the 4.4 rating they have earned on Trustpilot.

Rob said: “That rating has increased dramatically, from 1.6 to 4.4 and we are all extremely proud of that.

“We’ve been listening really carefully to our customers, and we’ve invested heavily in recruiting the right talent and training to ensure we get it right, first time, every time.

“Our customers have been through a lot over the past three years. With changes to energy legislation and prices increasing, it has been very confusing and we can see the fatigue creeping in with our customers. To help, we are offering competitive energy plans and a range of ways in which our customers can get in touch with us. We also have the My Opus Energy platform which gives our customers all the information they need at their fingertips.”

There’s certainly a buzz around Opus Energy’s HQ on Northampton’s Waterside which the company moved into in 2018. The building, acquired from Northamptonshire County Council, now acts as the company’s hub, providing a sleek,

ABOVE: Rob Brittain, pictured with Opus Energy’s Customer Service Operations Manager, Bonnie Muzam

OPPOSITE: Opus Energy is passionate about providing opportunities for employment across Northamptonshire modern office space for the company’s 800 staff. Since Covid, the company has adopted a hybrid working model which sees members of staff in the office for two days a week. The company has also undergone something of a cultural transformation in recent months with a can-do attitude now firmly embedded in Opus Energy’s DNA.

As one of the county’s biggest employers, Opus Energy is very proud to be a Chamber Partner, playing a leading role in the business community right across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes.

Rob said: “We take our role in Northamptonshire very seriously, and we are passionate about providing career opportunities within the energy sector.

“We are very proud to offer summer internships to students as well as apprenticeships and we are delighted that many of them stay with us and become employees.

“We’re on a journey of continuous improvement to operational excellence and our involvement with the Chamber is a big part of that.

“As well as working with the Chamber on a number of events, we are also looking to improve our links with local schools, teaching the next generation about energy and how we can all be kinder to the planet.”

As part of Drax – a FTSE 250 company which acquired Opus Energy six years ago – a greener future, with a commitment to zero-carbon, is very firmly in the company’s sights. It is already on its way to becoming carbon negative by 2030, helping the UK to achieve its own target which has been set for 2050.

Rob explained: “We are already moving away from gas having sold these assets back in 2019 and will be focussing our attention on providing electricity to our customers.

“As part of Drax, there has been tremendous investment in our plant in North Yorkshire, which is pioneering the use of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage.

“We are looking at other more sustainable sources too including solar and educating our customers to reduce their consumption in the right way.

“When it comes to redefining the energy sector Opus Energy really is leading the way and we are very proud of how far we’ve come.”