Andy Wilkinson
Managing Director of WilSon Energy, Andy Wilkinson, leads the team at Newark based integrated heating and billing specialist.
Married to Karen, with one teenage daughter, Lucy and a black Labrador Buster, when he’s not in the office or on site at a project he’s a season ticket holding Nottingham Forest fan, a veteran Freemason and has a very busy social life with family and friends.
- Tell us a little bit about your business…
Based in Newark, WilSon Energy offers integrated heating and billing solutions for Heat Network and District Heating schemes across a nationwide portfolio of residential and commercial developments. In addition to this we also get involved with a number of multi-utility projects in the residential sector, where we install smart water, heat and electric meters, collect usage data and carry out billing & bureau services.
- How did you get into the industry?
Following work experience at TSB bank in the last year of school, I went for my first interview at a heating spares distribution company and was immediately offered the job as Office Junior. I worked my way up via the trade counter and then into various management positions. Latterly, I created a specialist division that was the first in the industry to offer multi-utility metering solutions, before leaving and setting up my own company in 2007 and the rest, as they say, is history!
- What are the biggest opportunities and challenges in your industry?
The race to Net Zero is shaking up the UK residential heat network sector, driving the need for much higher levels of energy and operational efficiency on the journey to affordable decarbonisation.
Heat Networks are a proven and cost-effective method of reducing the carbon intensity of UK heating but are underexploited. District and community heating schemes currently meet just 2% of heat demand. The target is to increase this market share to 18% in the countdown to net zero, so there are many opportunities for an organisation of our size.
One of the biggest challenges to face the industry is The Energy Bill 2023 is in the final stages of passing through Parliament and should receive Royal Assent later this year. The Bill will provide powers to regulate heat networks, empowering Ofgem to monitor pricing, safeguard consumers, set technical standards and introduce a licensing regime. The full regulatory framework for heat networks is likely to be in place by 2025.
- How would you describe your leadership style?
I always try to use personality to communicate goals and encourage performance to inspire team members to accomplish a shared objective for the business. It’s important to me to include team members in the decision-making process can make them feel valued and heard.
- How do you get the most out of the people who work for you?
By creating the right atmosphere that ensures the job is done professionally, whilst we enjoy doing it as well. Key things are to always have an open-door policy and flexible approach, invest in supporting and training for everyone in the business and ensure people receive recognition for doing a good job.
- What are the most crucial elements to your business running smoothly and being successful?
One word – COMMUNICATION.
- How has the past 12 months been for you?
Very hectic, challenging, but rewarding with our performance within the last financial year.
- What will the next 12 months look like for your business?
We are very fortunate to have a strong order book for the forthcoming year ahead and so the business will grow further. We are already recruiting additional staff to support this within our billing and support teams. We’re expanding our spare parts range for integrated heating systems, introducing some exciting new products to the market and embarking on developing our own software systems to support our clients, something we have not done before.
- What are the highlights of your career so far?
Since setting up WilSon Energy, the biggest highlight has been securing two major contracts, one for British Gas supplying 100,000 gas meters for the UK market and then another 30,000 water meters to a project in Nigeria. There are many more to mention but these were stand out successful projects for multiple reasons for me.
- What’s the biggest business mistake that you’ve learnt from?
Doing your due diligence (or not). I’ve learnt to choose supply partners carefully and carry out the necessary checks. Also, where possible, always have a contingency plan to dual source products and spare parts.
- What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
Before you employ anyone else in the business, hire a quality finance manager and always have a 13-week cash flow forecast.
