Leading discussions to make lives easier for vulnerable energy consumers in Australia.
There are many things in our modern lives that we take for granted; clean water from the tap, free wi-fi in cafes, and power when you flick on the switch.
And we’ve all experienced when things go wrong; mild panic when our phone runs out of battery, irritation when the internet goes down for 10 minutes, or even an unexpectedly pleasant candle-lit evening when the power goes out.
Imagine if your reliance on continuous power was a life and death situation.
Never thought about it? The Australian Energy Foundation has, as have thousands of vulnerable energy consumers, as well as energy retailers and distributors.
The Australian Energy Foundation (AEF) is leading the way towards an equitable zero carbon society. Through their work, they test ideas, gather evidence, and bring partners together to find effective solutions. The AEF helps communities to access affordable and renewable energy. And it ensures that these communities play a meaningful part in this transition.
Every day there are thousands of Australians using life support equipment in their homes. This fact presents the energy industry with a series of challenges as well as opportunities to create a more reliable energy system for these vulnerable people.
The AEF received a grant from Energy Consumers Australia to run a twelve month research project to explore how the needs of life support customers can best be supported by the energy industry, and to address the challenges that the industry faces in order to embrace the opportunities.
Early in the research project, AEF hosted a large online roundtable that included representatives from across Australia’s energy industry: energy retailers and distributors, regulators, Energy Consumers Australia and the Energy Charter.
The AEF had three workshop objectives. Alison Rowe, the CEO of AEF, says, “The first objective was the collection and sharing of information, second was to showcase the solutions in the work we had done with an energy company, and third was to promote the opportunity for organisations be part of the ongoing research project.”
Alison continues, “We wanted to make sure that people were heard, that they had the opportunity to learn from each other. It’s rare that all those people would be in the same room. We wanted to create a level of excitement so that people wanted to be part of this project.”
AEF called upon Midnightsky to facilitate the two and a half hour workshop which was attended by around forty people. Alison says, “We, at AEF, needed to be responsible for the content, and we needed someone to help us run the event smoothly, making sure that the content was shared in a way that led to purpose led decision-making.”
Together, AEF and Midnightsky designed an engaging session that involved presentations, breakout rooms, and whole group discussions.
To prepare for the workshop, Midnightsky led the AEF through a detailed planning process: helping the organisation to clarify the objectives, creating workshop tools, and formulating a back-up plan in case things went wrong.
Midnightsky also scheduled a practice run to test the online meeting platform, along with the workshop materials, and the presentation content.
The ‘dress rehearsal’ gave everyone involved the opportunity to feel comfortable with their role and how to use the technology, and even experience in trouble shooting the problems.
Rigorous, thoughtful preparation contributes to a good experience for the participants and the hosts, which means that you’re more likely to achieve the workshop objectives.
Alison says, “I felt prepared going into this facilitated roundtable. I knew that there would be the right level of energy and warmth, which is really important online. It meant that I could concentrate on what I needed to do. I felt like I was in a safe pair of hands.”
Working online has changed the way that we use technology to create meaningful experiences.
Alison says, “We were trying to create this experience that you would have if you were in-person. I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the breakout groups; it was really purposeful conversation. You couldn’t be distracted, you were present, which brought a different element of focus and contribution from people. That was a highlight of the roundtable, to almost replicate what it would have been like to go into small groups and then come back to a main group. That made it feel like a real and dynamic experience. You felt that were part of a creative thing. People felt connected and engaged.”
Alison adds, “We received outstanding feedback on how the workshop was facilitated.”
Having your strategic discussions online can also have its advantages. Alison says, “Perhaps those people who may not feel like they can put their hand up in a big group might be able to raise a question or comment in the chat.”
Alison adds, “What was really lovely was everyone typing in which First Nations’ country they’re on. That’s something that I’ve brought over to board meetings. That’s a uniting activity at the start of an online session.”
Specifically for AEF, online meeting has had a powerful impact on the perception of the organisation. Alison says, “It’s broken down this Melbourne head office feel to a more united, national organisation.”
In the end, AEF achieved all of the workshop’s three key outcomes:
the organisation better understands the industry’s issues and opportunities,
participants were excited to hear about AEF’s work on solutions,
and more organisations have signed up to the ongoing research project.
Plus, the group learned something unexpected and extraordinarily valuable which is at the heart of everything towards which AEF is working.
Alison says, “There is a different process for life support customers in every state and with every energy company. I don’t think any of us were aware that it was just so complicated. This needs an industry change to prioritise the customer who is already vulnerable, we need to make it easier for them.”
by Cressida Bradley