Manufacturers looking to balance sustainability goals with rising energy costs can do so by focusing on both operational efficiency and smart investments.
Reducing waste, improving process efficiencies, upgrading equipment, and optimising heating and cooling systems can all help to immediately lower energy consumption. Beyond these steps, manufacturers should also prioritise high-impact investments that serve both sustainability and cost goals. Microgeneration, such as solar panels, combined with battery storage can be transformative. By generating and storing their own energy, manufacturers can draw from their battery during peak-cost periods and rely on the grid at off-peak times.
Being on a fixed tariff provides cost certainty over a defined period, helping to minimise the impact of market volatility. Yet, to optimise solar and battery setups, smart meters and time-of-use tariffs are essential. These allow manufacturers to strategically shift consumption and maximise savings.
Jo Hannaford
Product Director, POWWR
About Jo Hannaford
A commercially astute and people-centred product leader, Jo Hannaford has more than a decade of experience delivering growth across a variety of industries including software as a service (SaaS), energy, healthcare, and retail. Prior to POWWR, Hannaford worked for Correla, Shell Energy, npower, and John Lewis.
About POWWR
POWWR is an award-winning cloud-based software provider for the energy and utilities sector. Utilising its extensive industry experience and working in partnership with its customers, the company combines technology with human ingenuity to build elegant and sustainable solutions.
The Question is a thought leadership series published on Manufacturing Outlook, created to explore the questions shaping global production, industrial innovation, automation, and operational excellence.
Manufacturing Outlook features leadership insights and company stories from organisations driving progress across manufacturing, engineering, automotive, aerospace, maritime, and advanced industrial sectors.
Produced as part of the Outlook Publishing global network of B2B industry magazines, The Question brings focused executive insight to audiences engaged with the companies, technologies, and decisions shaping the future of manufacturing.

